Elk Mountain Grand Traverse

(Chip and Audrey catching a few more moments horizontally before the start)

The Elk Mountain Grand Traverse is becoming a widespread event in the Mulliken/DuRoss clan. The weather this year was a bit more forgiving, but not much. The 30mph winds, zero visibility on the passes, and snow the ENTIRE time presented enough challenge. Almost fourteen hours after our midnight start, all four of us finished and swore we would never do the race again. We questioned why we paid to do such a thing. However, only a few beers and hours later we were already making plans for next year. The human memory is so "resilient".




The "Sisters of Soul" took their second stab at the race. While it was tough to beat our first place finish from last year, it felt gratifying to finish at all, and inspiring to see so many tough women in the field this year. We overcame quite a few obstacles, both small and large, to finish with a similar time to last year, but a fourth place finish(13hours and 45 minutes). How lucky am I to be able to experience something like this with my sister!

Team "Psychrophile" (Definition: a bacteria that thrives in very cold temperatures) showed an awesome performance. They also overcame a demoralizing obstacle that you will have to call about to get more details. Nonetheless, they kept their attitudes up and finished well within their projected goal. Chad ran a tight ship, and Chip found a new source of motivation in keeping up and pushing himself for the team(12hours and 12 minutes).





































(The haggard bunch on Sunday, about to part ways in Colorado)
"Winning isn't always finishing first. Sometimes winning is just finishing."---Manuel Diotte

The Mulliken Sweep

No, this isn't the latest dance move being featured on this week's episode of "Dancing with the Stars". Mindy and a friend trekked up from Crested Butte for the weekend. We had so much fun and miss her already! On Saturday, Chip, Mindy and I raced in the Powderkeg, a local annual ski race. The race starts at Alta ski resort, finds it's way into the backcountry, climbing over 5,000 vertical feet, before meandering back in bounds for the finish. Eight miles later, we were all tired and excited. Chip promised me that after last weekend this would be a "walk in the garden". I can't say that I was as relaxed and happy as I am strolling through my tomatoes, but we did pretty well regardless. Mindy took first place in our division, and I followed her for second. Chip came in faster than both of us, but the competition was a bit stiffer in his division. The snow held off while we raced, but fell the rest of the afternoon and evening, making for one more great run on Sunday in the backcountry before Mindy and Matt hopped back in the car for home. Thanks for making the effort you two! And, see ya in a couple weeks in your neck of the woods for some more torturous competitive fun. Can't wait!

"Racing is a matter of spirit not strength."

- Janet Guthrie

(Mindy, Chad, Emily, and Chip enjoying a beer and burger after the race)

Our Nemesis

(Audrey, Andrea, Chip, and Chad at Gunsight Pass)


Two years ago, a group of us spent three days skiing and winter camping in an effort to bag Utah's highest peak in the winter. Most of us (it's a long story) were denied the summit due to wicked weather.

"Life is brought down to the basics: if you are warm, regular, healthy, not thirsty or hungry, then you are not on a mountain... Climbing at altitude is like hitting your head against a brick wall - it's great when you stop."

Chris Darwin

Rockstar Status

(our ski fence...or soon to be someone else's ski fence since
the house went on the market this past weekend!)

I am not sure if it was the mountains of Utah or Chip and I that lured Meegan Addy away from balmy California to take up backcountry skiing. Whatever the reason, I think she was doubting the whole thing after we led her up "God's Lawnmower" on Kessler Peak for her first tour (the white swath pictured in the distance behind Meegan and I in the black and white picture). Yet, despite some fear, frustration, and major blisters, Meegan pulled through and actually wanted to go again. She is such a rockstar!


















It was fun to get a day in on the resort with a crew of friends as well. This is us enjoying brownies ala Emily after lunch. mmmmm....brownies- on that topic, aside from skiing, Meegan, Chip and I managed to finish TWO pans of brownies in three days- sort an Eddy St. tradition.



"Friendship is about commitment and loyalty. I don't think it matters how far apart you are. I don't see some of my girlfriends for ages, but when we get together it is as if time hasn't passed."
- Frances Barber

President's Day Trip to The Tetons
Featuring: Audrey, Chip, Andy, Ann, Katy, Justin, Carl, and Kessler

Day One: Up 25 Short in Teton National Park to ski Chute The Moon, and Avalanche Canyon.

Day Two: South Side of Teton Pass to ski Olympic Bowl, Powder Reserves, Powder Reserves II, Columbine Bowl, Edelweiss, and Telemark Bowl. Audrey went home early with something like amoebic dysentary.







Day Three: Glory Bowl and Coal Creek for some "electrifying" skiing.

Overall, a fun trip with great people and a pannus worth of powder.

The "Cat's" Meow

Chris got sick last Friday and had to bow out of the boys cat skiing weekend in Driggs. Despite my lack of testosterone, I accepted the position of pinch hitter for Chris, quickly packed, and hopped in the car with my husband for
a weekend of skiing with Dad DuRoss and a handful of his friends. It usually only takes 4 1/2 hours to get to Driggs, but last weekend it took us almost 24 hours to make the trek due to weather conditions and road closures. However, that did not thwart our desire to get to Driggs for a day of cat skiing in the Tetons. It was worth it.

We skiied almost 18,000 vertical feet in eight hours. The snow was untouched, our guides were great, and the company inspiring. Warren Miller is sorry he missed this group in action yesterday! Thanks to Dad DuRoss for a memorable day together.

"Joy is the response of a lover receiving what he loves. This is the joy we feel when skiing powder... This overflowing gratitude is what produces the absolutely stupid, silly grins that we always flash at one another at the bottom of a powder run. We all agree that we never see these grins anywhere else in life."
-Delores LChapelle

A new favorite precipitation

A friend said to us the other day, "So, are you going to turn your life upside down and move, or hang out status quo?" "Status quo" in this city of salt is pretty unbelievable and therefore, when we found out that Chip got into the University of Utah, we had a very difficult decision on our hands. After HOURS of lists, debates, and feeling our guts, we decided to "turn our life upside down" and give Portland a try. Chip is really excited about the program Pacific University has to offer and we feel ready to hit the "refresh" button on life. We are so sad to leave our loved ones here, but many of them have already committed to joining us for volcano skiing in the Northwest, and as another friend put it, "Our adventures will just take a little more planning now." So, thanks for all the support and understanding in this difficult, but exciting, transition for us. Maybe rain will be our new favorite type of precipitation......or not, but I do think the first thing I will purchase in Portland is an umbrella since I haven't needed to own one of those for the past eight years.



Here are a few of the many things we will miss about Salt Lake Silly ....we'll keep updating this pile of images in future entries.



Access to the outdoors is unrivaled for a city this size in the continental US. And, friends (both furry and fleshy) to share it with will be the hardest to leave. Of course, having family only blocks away has been so nice, especially when we live thousands of miles from most of the rest. This is something we are unwilling to do without for too long.