The summit of Mount Ogden, a craggy 9,570-foot peak in the

Wasatch-Cache National Forest, dominates the skyline above its namesake

town. In a good snow year, a massive squiggle of white known as the

Banana Chute fills in on Mount Ogden’s rocky northwest face, creating a

dramatic entrance to a skiable descent that is larger than any

lift-accessible run in the country.

Calibrate your altimeter at the top and you can ski for

four miles and nearly 5,000 vertical feet, from the thin alpine air,

down through the maw of the chute, over ridges and meadows of untracked

snow, then into a creek bed that funnels the backcountry line to its

unlikely terminus at the residential grid of a midsize American town.

My story today in New York Times, “In Utah, the Fast Way to Town,” covers my descent of the line last month. Go here for the full story: travel.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/travel/escapes/15banana.html?ref=escapes

My original trip report blog, with several photos of the ski, is here:

thegearjunkie.com/trip-report-skiing-mt-ogdens-banana-chute

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(Stephen Regenold writes The Gear Junkie column for eleven U.S. newspapers; see www.THEGEARJUNKIE.com for video gear reviews, a daily blog, and an archive of Regenold's work.)