Help Selecting a SLC Peak
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 5:48 pm
Hello knowledgeable Utah mountain people (particularly those in the SLC area):
As some of you know, I work for a company headquartered in South Jordan, Utah. I have been tasked by my executive leadership with a neat request - to identify a peak for our small team (7 of us) to hike in the SLC area! Here are some of the constraints / ideal traits of this peak:
1. Something reasonably-fit people could complete in 4-5 hours.
2. Less than 1 hour's drive (1-way) from South Jordan.
3. No technical gear needed (this includes no crampons, no axes).
4. Snowshoes are OK - we can always rent from REI in South Jordan / Sandy.
5. 2 of us will be flying to get to the quarterly meeting and cannot carry super-heavy (or bulky) cold-weather gear (I will fly from Colorado Springs, my co-worker from Newark!), though our employer is willing to rent boots / warm gear for those of us from out of town if required.
6. Thought the schedule isn't in concrete, we are looking at late January. (I know Rocky Mountain weather, whether you're inter-mountain or front-range, is hit or miss this time of year...there could be sub-zero temps and a blizzard or mid-60s and sunny.)
7. Needless to say, the peak needs to be publicly accessible - I'm not getting a whole Chevy Suburban full of good BYU grads (plus two Jesuit university - Georgetown and Xavier - grads) arrested for trespassing on company time.
The purpose is for the team to achieve a summit together - to climb to the top, to celebrate, to reach our goal. (Then, I guess we go to a restaurant and toast Diet Cokes afterward, in true BYU fashion...)
Our worst-case back-up plan would be the climbing gym next to the REI S. Jordan / Sandy, but we'd really prefer the chance to get outdoors, instead. I have Frary Peak (Antelope Island) on the list as a possibility. (The drive is a bit far and the 6.5 mile RT hike could stretch our time allocation.) I've even thought about snowshoeing one of the lower mountains near Park City (then stinking up the Stein Eriksen afterward for supper) .
What other peaks come to mind?
I really appreciate your ideas and thoughts!
As some of you know, I work for a company headquartered in South Jordan, Utah. I have been tasked by my executive leadership with a neat request - to identify a peak for our small team (7 of us) to hike in the SLC area! Here are some of the constraints / ideal traits of this peak:
1. Something reasonably-fit people could complete in 4-5 hours.
2. Less than 1 hour's drive (1-way) from South Jordan.
3. No technical gear needed (this includes no crampons, no axes).
4. Snowshoes are OK - we can always rent from REI in South Jordan / Sandy.
5. 2 of us will be flying to get to the quarterly meeting and cannot carry super-heavy (or bulky) cold-weather gear (I will fly from Colorado Springs, my co-worker from Newark!), though our employer is willing to rent boots / warm gear for those of us from out of town if required.
6. Thought the schedule isn't in concrete, we are looking at late January. (I know Rocky Mountain weather, whether you're inter-mountain or front-range, is hit or miss this time of year...there could be sub-zero temps and a blizzard or mid-60s and sunny.)
7. Needless to say, the peak needs to be publicly accessible - I'm not getting a whole Chevy Suburban full of good BYU grads (plus two Jesuit university - Georgetown and Xavier - grads) arrested for trespassing on company time.
The purpose is for the team to achieve a summit together - to climb to the top, to celebrate, to reach our goal. (Then, I guess we go to a restaurant and toast Diet Cokes afterward, in true BYU fashion...)
Our worst-case back-up plan would be the climbing gym next to the REI S. Jordan / Sandy, but we'd really prefer the chance to get outdoors, instead. I have Frary Peak (Antelope Island) on the list as a possibility. (The drive is a bit far and the 6.5 mile RT hike could stretch our time allocation.) I've even thought about snowshoeing one of the lower mountains near Park City (then stinking up the Stein Eriksen afterward for supper) .
What other peaks come to mind?
I really appreciate your ideas and thoughts!