He relates: "Here at PCMR, we have three main areas that are rated entirely "double-black diamond" expert terrain. These areas are The East Face of Jupiter Peak, Pinecone Ridge, and all the terrain served by the Jupiter Chair. There is no regular grooming up here aside from access and egress routes and certainly no "easy way down."
Pinecone Ridge
Pinecone Ridge is reached only by hiking from Scott's Pass west of Scott's Bowl off the Jupiter Chair. The 600 vertical foot staircase-like boot pack takes guests to the top of the ridge and access to 600+ acres of bowls, meadows, and tree lines. This area sees very light traffic and is about as close as you can come to "in-bounds backcountry touring." While the area is patrolled and is only opened after extensive avalanche control work, signs at the base of the hike warn guests "not to travel alone and that rescue could be delayed." Due to the extent of the avalanche control work involved in opening Pinecone, the area is often not open until a couple days after a storm. This allows guest to enjoy a whole new powder stash long after other areas are tracked out.Jupiter Bowl
From the top of the Jupiter Chair guests can access Main Bowl right under the chair (often mistakenly referred to as "Jupiter Bowl"), traverse out to the wide-open West Face, or attempt many super-steep tree chutes such as Portuguese Gap, Silver Cliffs, JFT, and Six Bells. A short hike west of the chair takes guests to the top of half-mile wide Scott's Bowl.
The East Face of Jupiter Peak (lovingly called "The Peak" by locals and patrollers) tops out at 9,998 feet and is only accessible by hiking from either the top of Jupiter or McConkey's chairs. A wide quartzite rock band cuts across the East Face creating some of PCMR's steepest and narrowest chutes such as 50-51 (named for it's slope in degrees), Twilight, and Machete. In addition to these chutes, The Peak also holds great tree lines such as P-Zone and Q-zone as well as the locals' favorite, Puma Bowl. As this area faces east, we often enjoy deep powder skiing in the cold, clear morning sun.
Visit Park City Mountain Resort to learn more about the resort and the backcountry-style inbounds extreme terrain.
Patrollers & Locals Disclose the Best Inbounds Extreme Skiing & Snowboarding at Their Resorts
Click on Top Resorts With Inbounds Backcountry Ski & Snowboard Terrain to find more places for expert skiers and snowboarders to enjoy backcountry-style terrain inbounds at ski resorts. If you’re not sure what backcountry skiing and riding are outside ski resort boundaries, visit What is Backcountry Skiing and Snowboarding. If you’re going to ski, snowboard, snowmobile or do any other sports in the backcountry when snow covers the mountains, read Surviving an Avalanche, which lists online and other sources where you can learn from experts about the odds of, and skills needed, to help keep yourself out of avalanche-prone areas and tips that may help you if caught in an avalanche.
