Josh Daiek Taps Under The Radar National Park For "Best Skiing In Lower 48"

Daiek's third favorite line, featured in the latter half of this One Track Mind episode, is an absolute scorcher. He pins it off the top, catching some serious air, before hitting another small cliff. From there, it's all GS turns down an open basin.

It's important to remember that, when Daiek notched this line, he had already spent several days in the backcountry. Several of Great Basin National Park's access roads are closed in the winter, meaning he couldn't ask a tourist for a ride if something went wrong.

The upshot is that Daiek and co. had the whole place to themselves. Despite its stellar backcountry skiing, Great Basin National Park isn't regularly frequented by powder chasers, likely due to its off-the-beaten-path status. In 2022, the Park made Travel + Leisure's list of least-visited (yet still worthwhile!) U.S. National Parks.

That isolation element adds another layer of gnarliness to Daiek's already impressive skiing. Aside from Daiek, few skiers trick and charge in the deep, deep backcountry. Nikolai Schirmer certainly comes to mind, but overall, the list isn't long, likely composed in part of skiers you and I have never heard of.

The why is pretty obvious: skiing hard and safely navigating the backcountry are two distinct skills. Doing one well doesn't mean you have the other dialed in. Plenty of folks could reach the areas Daiek skis, but far fewer could ski it the way he does, and vice versa.

This is all worth mentioning because it deepens my—and hopefully your—appreciation of Daiek's skiing.