Trip Report: Biking/Mountaineering/Alpine Ski Touring: North Timp - Cold Fusion
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Biking/Mountaineering/Alpine Ski Touring: North Timp - Cold Fusion By Kathleen Waller |
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| SKI | 05/10/2026 | EXT |
| Our adventure actually began several months prior in addition to Waller skiing Cold Fusion exactly one year ago and therefor knowing the route. In February of 2026, Waller led a snow/mud hike up Bear Canyon Trail from Mutual Dell Campground to introduce more WMC members to the area and see how the snow was developing in the couloir. Sid was on that hike and drooled like Pavlov's dog at his first close up view of this epic line. Sid learned one possible approach to the area and Waller agreed to get Sid to the top on a future outing and hopefully during the 2025/2026 season. On May 3rd, Waller had plans to hike and ski Timpanogos from Aspen Groove and through the Primrose Cirque but avalanche conditions were suspect due to new snow and that tour was canceled. Taking advantage of an opening in Waller's adventure schedule, she quickly called up a crew of friends to scout Cold Fusion before a possible summit assault for May 10th. On May 3rd, Sid, Maegan, Waller, and awesome friend Gail Coates mountain biked from the Pine Hollow Trailhead up the Alpine Loop Scenic highway and along the muddy and partially snow covered Timpooneke forest road. Conditions that day meant a lot of walking the bikes and ditching the bikes 1.5 miles shy of reaching Cold Fusion. Extra caution was taken while passing below the runout for the lower section of Grunge. Through binoculars, the upper half of the couloir looked fun but the entrance was melting out and exposing a lot of avalanche debris (broken branches, logs, and rocks) that we would have to step over in one of the narrower sections of the couloir. We agreed that the suboptimal conditions at the bottom of the couloir would be worth it if the skiing was stellar on the upper sections of the couloir. We took notes and photos to share with all interested in pursuing Cold Fusion on May 10th. Weather forecast promised no more new snow and a drier approach for the bikes. The night of May 9th, Maegan and Waller drove Waller's RV to the Pine Hollow Trailhead in American Fork canyon hoping to get a good night's rest before a 6AM start. We soon discovered that Pine Hollow Trailhead is a popular night destination for teenagers, loud music, engines that continually idle, and all sorts of comical mischief. Maegan put in ear plugs and Waller buried her head under pillows until the noises subsided at about 4:30AM. Karli, Sid, and Michael rolled into the lot as the morning sun began to illuminate the surrounding peaks. Knowing the temperature forecast, we all chugged fluids and went to the restroom, then chugged more and went to the restroom, and then chugged more fluids and electrolytes. We went through a full AIARE departure check and made sure Waller's husband, Greg, had our detailed plan. We moaned under the weight of our packs filled with gear for biking, mountaineering, and skiing, in addition to medical gear, repair kits, avalanche gear, and much more. We questioned our life choices as we felt out of balance on loaded bikes. Karli and Waller rode gravel bikes while Maegan, Sid, and Michael rode mountain bikes up the Alpine Loop (closed for the winter season to cars). We turned toward the Timpooneke campground where pavement turned to a dirt forest road and our butts (even with padded bike shorts) felt the pain of the saddle due to heavy packs. We found the forest road to be much drier than the previous week with no snow patches to navigate through. We were able to ride all the way to the base of Cold Fusion (about 6 miles). At the base of Cold Fusion, Waller, Sid, and Maegan recovered their skis stashed in the trees from the previous weekend's outing and all found places in the trees to hide their bikes. We refueled and rehydrated before heading up with ski boots on our feet and skis attached to our backs. The bottom of the couloir was comical. Why are we doing this? Is anyone having fun? I could buy a television and get a streaming subscription instead of partaking in another Waller suffer fest. But soon the the snow appeared and began to crunch beneath our feet. Out of our packs came boot crampons and as we moved through a section Waller refers to as the halfpipe, we saw evidence of a wet slough likely earlier in the week due to the previous week's dump. We stayed to uphill right with easy access to islands of safety. We soon added our ice axes to our efforts with Micheal in the lead kicking steps. As the slope got steeper and the snowpack got softer and deeper, we experienced our first collapse. A quick hand pit by Maegan showed percolation between the snow and ground as the likely source of this instability. Karli and Waller felt one more small collapse and moved quickly toward a rocky bench where Sid was already resting and eating his lunch. Maegan and Michael scouted a little bit higher but soon agreed that the top of the snow field was not worth the risk and the actual summit of North Timpanogos was far beyond the group's goal of skiing the couloir. Skis on and one more radio check and we were ready to drop. PS, kids on radios can be fun but also annoying. Waller is very resistant to changing channels without consulting the people programmed in her satellite communicator, but even Waller reaches a limit. After a couple of hours of kids on the channel talking, squelching, and hitting the search button continuously, Waller switched channels for the first time all season. With peace and quiet, the group dropped into creamy corn that some in the group described as the best snow they had skied all season. It is hard to explain to people not there to hear the tone of my giggles as I ski down, how a good day in the mountains with good weather, great views, and fun friends can really touch my soul. I feel most alive in these moments. I feel rewarded for my hard work. And I was rewarded in Cold Fusion with a sense of pride for introducing friends to an amazing area. I has skied Cold Fusion twice but I will return to share this experience with others. |
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