Skiing Reed and Benson Ridge in Days Fork
- CJ Wolf
- Mar 25
- 2 min read
Fast Facts:
Start Elevation: 7,382
Peak Elevation: 9,480
Vertical: 2,296 (see Strava)
Distance: 3.93 miles
Elapsed Time: 2:48
Date: Mar 22, 2025
The Cottonwoods had received 20-24" of fresh snow four days earlier, but with three days of sunshine, our goal was to find a shaded, northerly slope. The forecast had called for 6-8" overnight and another 5-10" throughout the day, but when I woke up at 4:45 AM, Alta was only reporting 4".
We began skinning at 6:15 AM from the back parking lot of Spruces and headed up the well defined skinner into Days Fork.
This drainage sees heavy traffic, so a well-established skin track is always in place. At 0.8 miles and 7,800 feet, we left the main Days Fork track and began climbing toward the Reed and Benson Ridge, which separates Days Fork from Cardiff Fork. The skin track winds through the trees with a moderate incline, staying below 30 degrees, making it a safe ascent. If you’re looking for lower-angle skiing, this area is a great option.
At the 1.6 mile point and 9,000, you reach the north end of Reed & Benson Ridge. Once we hit the ridge, another party was coming up from Cardiff Fork so this ridge is accessible from that side as well.
Now that you are on the ridge, you can ski any line that looks appealing but we were looking for a more northerly tilt to our line so we continued on. The ridge will take you close to Lucky Days but there is a saddle that dips down and the ridge up to Lucky Days seemed too steep so we settled to ski here.
We skied a northeast-facing slope with a pitch between 30 and 35 degree. The upper section featured well-spaced glades, providing excellent skiing conditions as the dry, light snow from Tuesday remained intact, complemented by a fresh overnight layer for added cushion. The other group that we encountered lower on the ridge also skied this line, but there was ample space for our tracks. After descending about 700 feet, the terrain opened into a slide path where the snow quality deteriorated at lower elevations, resulting in a crusty base beneath the four inches of new snow.
The entire run is close to 1,500 of sustained vert which would provide for an awesome run with a foot of fresh snow.
