Skiing GB No in Mineral Fork

Fast Facts:

• Start Elevation: 7,273

• Peak Elevation: 9,276

• Daily Vertical: 2,759 (see Strava)

• Distance: 6.14 miles

• Elapsed Time: 2:48

• Date: Jan 10, 2026

Mineral Fork is probably my favorite drainage to ski in the Wasatch—it’s expansive and packed with so many great lines. Over the years I’ve skied Highline, East Facing, East Fork, and the meadows below Bengal Tiger, but I’ve had my eye on the Moonlight / GB No zone for the past few seasons.

Alta reported 63 inches of snow over the previous ten days, and we were now two days removed from the storm. With a late start on Saturday, the plan was simple: squeeze in a single lap up Moonlight and get out.

Despite the significant snowfall over the past ten days, the Mineral Fork trailhead was surprisingly sparse. Multiple rain events earlier in the season had taken their toll down low, leaving several sections near the bottom thin enough that we had to remove our skis. Coverage remained marginal farther up the approach, and we ended up walking the final ~0.5 miles to reach continuous snow.

Around 3.8 miles in, the terrain opens into a broad meadow. From here, you’ll see a large, open zone to your right (west)—this is the Moonlight / GB No area. Our objective was Moonlight, and the proper turnoff is actually before reaching the main meadow, but we walked past the skin track exit. Instead, we continued up the main skinner until reaching a more open vantage point where we could clearly see the lines rising to our right.

View of GB No from the meadow

This is a big zone, and it’s hard to go wrong—just pick a line and head up. One thing that makes this area unique is that you don’t need to push all the way to the ridgeline to get quality skiing. The terrain becomes increasingly cliffy near the top, with little payoff for the added effort and risk and it seems like nobody goes to the ridge to ski. We topped out just below 9,300 feet, while the ridge itself sits closer to 9,600.

Transition Stoke

What is great about this area is that the pitch is long and sustained with an angle in the high 30s.

Many Available Lines

This zone is popular and sees a fair amount of traffic. It seems like most people work through the lower lines first, then gradually move farther up the valley in search of fresh tracks. The following day, while skiing the east ridge of Mineral Fork, I noticed a steady stream of parties skinning up Barrieto—the next major line farther up the drainage.