Info About Argenta West Bowl
Argenta West bowl is located off on Kessler Ridge in Big Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City. Being one of four great lines off of Kessler the mountain is one of the best in the area. While it is great for skiing it is also one big terrain trap so riding it must be down with caution. The best way to access the line is via the Argenta slide path before riding down to the Mineral Forks valley.
Once again standing on top of Kesler Peak
No trip to Utah is complete without ski touring up Kesler Peak. I had to laugh when we made it up to the summit and my cliff bar said “Embrace the Uphill” I joked that I had already done that and it was time to embrace the downhill. Having just toured up Argenta we transitioned in the middle of a storm. It was my third day of touring and we had yet to have a clear sky day.
I was out ski touring with Bucky, Eric, John and Ray and the plan was to ride the West face of Argenta. Ray had possibly the craziest Splitboard I had ever seen. He had taken two skis and with a few well placed drill holes had turned it into a Splitboard.
Snowboarding Down Argenta West Bowl
With the snow building up day after day we decided to stay around the trees. While we weren’t exactly concerned about avalanches we wanted to play it safe. One at a time we made our way down though the deep snow.
Before long we were in the main gut and could open our turns a bit more. This was my third time being in the Kesler area and each run had its own unique feel.
The west face of Argenta had a nice and consistent slope angle as we headed towards the Canyon below. While we were riding in flat light conditions the trees made it easy to see between turns.
Huck the Cliff or Downclimb??
Before long we were at the base of Mineral Creek Basin and standing on top of a waterfall. Bucky rode up to the edge to see if he could ride through but decided to take off the board instead. He mentioned if anyone wanted they could jump off the waterfall but none of us were interested.
The down climb was only about 10 feet with tree branches as our anchors. Being from the Cascades I felt like I was home as the branches slapped me in the face.
We sat at the base of the waterfall before riding down the Mineral Fork Valley. While it the weather had been stormy ever since I had arrived in Utah I couldn’t complain with the snow. Each ski tour I had been fortunate to go to different places and explore new valleys. I could see why there are so many ski tourers within the Salt Lake City Basin,
Thank you for reading this trip report and to Bucky for putting on the Wasatch Splitboard Festival.
If you are ever touring in the Wasatch Backcountry make sure to keep up with avalanche conditions by follow the Utah Avalanche Center