Skier Josh Daiek Calls This Area North of Las Vegas Some of the Best Freeriding in the U.S.

For many in the skiing and riding world, Nevada is both a literal desert, and a figurative one. Reno aside, there’s just a handful of small mom-and-pop ski hills spread across the state. But for those willing to work, there’s a vast network of big mountains and empty places, some nearly left untouched by the hands of man.

Professional freeskier Josh Daiek has spent plenty of time in these vast spaces, exploring lines many of us see in our backcountry dreams. That’s why he went out on a limb and called Great Basin National Park some of the best freeriding in the Lower 48.

Josh was recapping some of his favorite lines of 2023 in his vlog, One Track Mind, and described getting to this particular area in Nevada: “When I say deep, I’m talking about a long drive into the middle of the desert, followed by a multi-day traverse to even get into the middle of the basin where this line is located. It’s no exaggeration to say this is one of the sickest freeride zones I’ve ever seen.”

Yeah, that’s the definition of exposure. If things go wrong, it’s all on you.

You may have heard of the Ruby Mountains (Terminal Cancer Couloir)? A remote range in northern Nevada? Well, Great Basin National Park is arguably even more remote, on the state’s eastern edge near the small mining and ranching town of Ely. Well, it’s sort of close to the small mining town of Ely.

Josh accessed this area the hard way with his tight crew, camping and traversing as he explored. The first objective, Wheeler Peak, was an insane approach just to access rideable lines (as you’ll see). “We spent just under a week in the park traversing through the mountains,” Josh wrote, “camping in epic basins and skiing insanely fun lines. It was a ton of work to make it all happen, but this trip will forever hold a special place in my heart.”

Have a look at this particular mission and other lines from Josh on his YouTube channel. 

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