Fast Facts:
Start Elevation: 7,278
Peak Elevation: 10,385
Vertical: 4,752 (see Strava)
Distance: 9.74 miles
Elapsed Time: 5:18
Date: Feb 9, 2025
I remember looking up at Mid and High Ivory during a tour up Cardiff Fork to Superior and noting that these zones had relatively lower angles and lower risk. The terrain was wide open, with slope angles in the low 30s at the top. Big Cottonwood Canyon had received five inches of snow overnight and 18 inches the day before, raising concerns about new snow avalanches. Additionally, the snowpack contained two persistent weak layers. Avalanche danger was rated as "Considerable" for upper-elevation, east-facing terrain. The previous day, a skier had been carried and killed in an avalanche on the East Face in Silver, reinforcing our decision to play it safe and stick to lower-angle slopes.
We began our hike from the Cardiff parking lot at 6:45 a.m., with only one other group of two ahead of us. The first 2.4 miles followed a low-angle approach along the summer road. Along the way, you pass beneath avalanche terrain below Kessler’s, where I’ve seen slides reach the road while skinning up—so it’s important to stay aware and keep an eye to the right (west). It took us an hour to cover this stretch before we left the road and started ascending toward George’s Bowl. The turnoff point sits at approximately 8,450 feet in elevation.
As you gain elevation, it starts to open up and the goal is to reach the ridge as you traverse southwest. George's is another very popular area that is low angle so it gets hit hard on higher avalanche days.
Below is a shot of George's Bowl looking back on the way up to Mid Ivory.
It is 3.6 miles to gain the ridge at ~10,000 which took us 2 hours. Once you are on the ridge, we skinned for another 25 minutes gaining another 300 feet.
As we approached the peak of Mid Ivory, we noticed two small sloughs on the run. I decided to play it safe and drop in slightly below, on the left shoulder, while my partner opted to ski from the peak. The snowpack felt solid, with no signs of instability—no whumpfing or cracking. The conditions were classic Wasatch blower snow, light and deep.
After gaining confidence in the snowpack on our first run, I decided to ski from the peak. As it turned out, the slope angle was more mellow if you angled slightly to the skier’s right. While this area has a lower angle, it’s still susceptible to slides, as evidenced by the presence of shorter trees.
As seen in the pictures above, the flat area below the run sits atop Montreal Hill. We chose to ski to the right of Montreal Hill and descend to the creek, but this exit comes with some challenges, including the need for poling, skating, and a small creek crossing. A better option would be to skin to the left of Montreal Hill which allows for a a more efficient ski out without the extra effort.
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