Slot Canyons in the San Rafael Swell, UT

So last weekend (or so), The Hankeys and I drove down past Hanksville, UT to do some Slot Canyon’s in the San Rafael Swell in southern Utah. What is the Swell? I will tell you:

The San Rafael Swell is a large geologic feature located in south-central Utah, USA about 30 miles (50 km) west of Green River, Utah. The San Rafael Swell, approximately 75 miles (121 km) by 40 miles (64 km), consists of a giant dome-shaped anticline of sandstone, shale, and limestone that was pushed up millions of years ago. Since that time, infrequent but powerful flash floods have eroded the sedimentary rocks into numerous valleys, canyons, gorges, mesas and buttes. The Swell is part of the Colorado Plateau physiographic region.

.from wikipedia

I know…wow.

I did a trip to Utah last May and did some canyoneering with Corey Hankey (of the previously mentioned Hankeys) and was excited to get back into the desert. While hiking in the swell, we all decided that canyoneering is so fun because you can look around and enjoy the view the entire time instead of hiking to a destination and enjoying the view once you get there. The way the wind and water erodes these canyons is beyond amazing. The 3 Canyon’s we did (Little Wild Horse, Ding, & Dang) were all pretty tame as far as Slot Canyons go. I would recommend buying this book if you end up in Utah and find yourself wanting to hike into some canyons. Some canyons involve repelling, and swimming through pools of water and only have one way out (some you can turn around and go out how you came in). I am hoping to do some more technical canyons this summer once I  buy some repelling gear, etc.

The San Rafael Swell has a lot more than just its canyons. You can visit Goblin Valley State Park (which we also visited), camp out in the BLM land, go canyoneering, or do some desert hikes. No matter what your taste, the area has a lot to offer. Utah – you continue to amaze me…1 week I was skiing in 30″of fresh powder, and the next I was in the middle of the desert… Win.

Winter (April?!) Wonderland @ Solitude, UT

30″ of snow overnight. In April. Enough said. Enjoy the photos (in and around SLC & Solitude Ski Resort).

Solitude, UT April 6, 2010

The video below was taken and edited by my boss Paul Solomon. He was gracious enough to share it with me so I could share it with all of you. Hopefully this will give you some idea what 30″ of fresh powder looks like. Shred the Gnar…

So far it has been an incredible April. The past 7 days have brought us over 100″ of snow. I have had the supreme luxury of skiing fresh powder (that continues to get deeper) 4 out of the past 5 days. I just ordered a camera that I can take with me when I go skiing, but it hasn’t arrived, so I figured I’d post this video my boss took today on his helmet cam. Enjoy.