Unexpected Surprises

 You don’t always head out the door expecting greatness.  Sometimes you’re not that inspired, your motivation level is low and you just can’t seem to get stoked.  A long night of drinking, lots of crowds, gray-skull and no new snow, maybe you’re tired and just want to chill.  But some one or some thing gets you out there, gets you going, and you find a spark.  The rhythm of the skin track lets your mind wander, a hole in the clouds burns through and a sunlit ridgeline beckons.  You make it to a summit, the snow is softer then you thought, you’re with a friend you love, and you can’t think of anything better in the world.

It’s times like these that we seldom recall and hardly count on, but these are the moments that shape our lives, the times that remind us why we live in the mountains.  When we start out with no expectations, little interest, and the mountains punch us in the chest with a great big dose of perspective, dropping us to our knees and leaving us gasping for more.  

The stark contrasts of snow, ice, and rock, summit and air, sunlight and shadows, have a knack for reminding us of this perspective, one that’s all to easy to lose sight of amidst the chaos and insanity that is our modern world.  Indeed that’s why most of us structure our lives around the easy and often access to the mountains, they keep us grounded in a way that most of us just couldn't function without.  Lot’s of us know that if more folks got out there, and saw the things we see, our world might be a much less fucked up place, but we continue to keep our mouths shut about it if it means we can keep the wilderness to ourselves, and some sanity in our lives.  The mountains always have a surprise, sometimes it’s a smackdown, sometime’s it’s scary, but often it’s the most beautiful and rewarding experience you’ll have in your lifetime.  Sometime’s you even remember to throw in a camera, and you get to share it with your friends.

~Burleigh

Whitefish MT

Here We Go!
Whitefishes New Residents

Leaving Utah's Suburbia alpinist training ground was not as easy as it sounds. Its was a long drawn out process that had me leaving and always returning when the Wasatch got its first deep winter coat. Something about the people, the mountains and the dependable conditions to ski and climb over 100 days a year each made me itch to be apart of. Man we have it so good!

Perhaps it was something dropping with the fallout and getting into my mind that kept me there for so long. Could I be happy recreating in another mountain range where I can't see metropolis no matter how far and high I climbed? I had blinders that it cant be better any where else. Man was I wrong!

I have moved on. Returned my Salt lake serious card. Cured from the powder panic plague. Up here in Montana life moves a bit slower for everyone. There are areas within miles from my home in Whitefish that people haven't skied. I have three majestic ranges that I can see from my front porch, Whitefish, Flathead and the Swan Ranges. The Flathead range receives almost 600 inches of snow annually.

I would have never thought that I could move from Salt Lake and feel that my urges to get out in the mountains and ski and climb would be satisfied. I feared that when moving I would checking out the Wasatch avalanche report daily, figuring it must be dumping where I'm not. That has not been the case. It must have been time to leave. If anyone decides to visit I promise to buy ya a Kokanee ($2 at The Northern). Did I mention we live 60 miles from Canada and Ovando, pick your poison!

Gaelen boarding the Half Moon
Whitefish Resort Slackcountry

Truck Approach to Spider Bowl
Swan Range

Funky Trees
Gae Putting in the Skinner
Above Marion Lake
Essex

Vast Landscapes
Top of Mt Essex
Flathead Range

I may be an environmentalist...
Its just too hard to resist the access advantage you get with a snow machine.
Plus there is no metropolis or fallout

Standard Peak
Whitefish Range
Snowmobile Approach

Trackless Bowls
Standard Peak

Are You Serious?
You can actually see this shot from the parking lot and it was Untracked
Backdoor Chute
Essex Mt

Nothing but Powder... Everyday!
It snows a trace a day in these mountains and without crowds that actually adds up.
Crown Bowl
Jewel Basin
Swan Range

The 1991 Indy 500 we bought for 650 bucks!
Just add oil and gas and it goes
Makeshift ski rack

First Pitch of the New Year
Cripple Crack 5.7
Lake Koocanusa
Eureka, MT

Skiing the Checkerboard
Jewel Basin

Fun Terrain
Tower Run
Mt Brown
Glacier National Park

-Kid Bufo Hucks with Whippet
Jakems

Ray Wallace Cirque: February 2, 2013

One text to the Noodler is all it took: "Ski tomorrow?" This one text spurred about 12 reply texts describing all of the logistics necessary for the tomorrow's outing. Basically, I was to be at his house at 8:30 AM. 

Four of us piled into the Taco and headed north to Hatcher Pass and we were the first group to arrive at the upper parking lot around 10:30 AM. P9 had skied Hatcher the day before so we knew the snow was going to be good, but we were surprised when the sun came out defying the guesses of the weather guessers. 

The Noodler and Bill put in the skinner up the SW side of Marmot. Despite being 3rd/4th, it was exhausting chasing this motivated herd of mountain buffalo. The climb steepens with no relief until you gain the long broad ridge.  From the ridge there is a continuous buffet of options to choose from on either side.  P9 had a particular shot in mind, so we climbed higher.

Marmot's Long Broad Ridge



High on Marmot

Once you pass the weather station, the chutes into Ray Wallace Bowl begin to demand your attention. We passed 4 or 5 until we arrived above the one P9 had in mind.  A large cornice guarded the entrance to the steep north facing chute. The Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center warned of the possibility of popping out small wind slabs in the top 12" on steep slopes - exactly the terrain we were peering down. P9 started pole whacking at the cornice, but this was not done for G.N.A.R. points.  He was making two narrow channels in the cornice about 15' apart - set up work for the Backcountry Bomb.

I like to drop cornices.  It's fun and it serves a purpose. In the past I've used snow saws, my skis as levers, knotted p-cord, p-cord with nuts and washers, and the scary ski stomp. When the cornice does fall, it is always a let down. It is never big enough to satiate my primal desire for destruction, nor is the impact sufficient to provide a credible slope stability test.  

This is where the  Backcountry Bomb enters the picture: it makes cutting big cornices fun and easy.  The large cornice drops satisfies my inner intellectual snow science geek as well as my outer "make it go boom" redneck side.  50' of cable (with red handles on either side) saws through large cornices quickly and easily. A great data point with the thrill similar to dumping white gas on a campfire. 

After freeing a couple chest-freezer sized cornices, we felt safe dropping in. The surface conditions were mostly soft slough. The skiing was great, but you did have to avoid the occasional piece of cornice. The apron looked small from above, but with burning legs - it was endless untouched creamy pow!



From the Bottom

The Noodler and P9 wanted 3 laps, but my legs would be content with two. The Noodler and P9 took the directissimo route back to ridge while I skied back down to the original skinner and climbed slowly back up Marmot. I beat P9 and the Noodler back to the top of Marmot by 5 minutes, but they had scored an extra hot lap. 

For my 2nd run (their 3rd), we opted for one of the broad ridges of Presidents. It was a super long mellow schuss through endless acres of powder which eventually deposited us on Archangel Road. Bill, who finished his ski day early, had shuttled the Taco around to facilitate the pick-up. 

We wanted to linger in the sun enjoying the home brews, but the Noodler had a schedule to keep. He anxiously paced back and forth looking at his time bracelet while we each leisurely slammed a beer. We hurriedly crammed in and began the drive. The Noodler checked the time, sent text messages, and studied mile markers trying to determine his fate. Above freezing temperatures, dry roads, and a heavy foot all conspired to get the Noodler back with 3 minutes to spare.

From the Top

Hatcher Pass is the step-child of South Central skiing - it just doesn't get the love or attention of its more famous sibling. That doesn't mean it deserves a 2nd tier status - quite the opposite. There is an incredible variety of terrain, plenty of options to spread out and explore, less skier traffic, and a bar at the parking lot. And it gets the snow more than you might expect. This past weekend Hatcher delivered as it has quietly done for generations. 

 - U.K.

Boyz Making Good

Todd Glew of Ovando, MT was out and about yesterday doing what he loved: guiding people around the mountains.  While showing his group Upper Silver Fork in BCC, he witnessed a skier from another party get caught and buried.  Quick thinking and his training paid off.  The buried skier was located, dug out, and revived with a few quick rescue breathes.  Good work, Todd!

• UAC  - you can see the excavation in lower portion of the debris field
• Fox Utah 

The Glewstik

So next time you are at Trixi's, buy him a beer, or better yet, two

In lighter news, Fay was spending the day at Electric Mountain in the town of Alta, UT.  The East Castle Gate is portal to some of the the best skiing in Alta: long consistent fall lines, plenty of options for the boom-boom-huck-jam, and sneaky entrances to some of the rowdiest lines in the resort.  Eagle Peak, the Castle Couloir, and the West Wall are all highly visible from all around Electric Mountain yet they rarely see tracks.  Fay got the West Wall in excellent conditions and a moment was captured by one of Company's indentured servants.

Does it go?
(Maybe So and Maybe Not)

Thank you Electric Mountain

Stupendous!

 - U.K.

Fairy Meadows Hut

The 2013 Skier Boyz International Conference was held this past January at the Bill Putnam (Fairy Meadow) Hut just outside of Golden, BC. Ten representatives from 5 regions rendezvoused at the elegant Rondo Motel. Efficient sleeping arrangements kept the daily rate in the $10/person range.  The next day we drove higher into the mountains to the heli-port for a week of skiing in the Selkirk Mountains.

We got super lucky on the weather: 3' of high quality, low density snow came in on days 1-5, a greybird transition day on 6, and finished with bluebird for days 7 and 8. Kid Bufo's earlier post documents the significance of the trip and the pillow line / glacier madness.

The Fairy Meadow Hut (capacity: 20) is owned and operated by the Alpine Club of Canada.  The trip leader needs to purchase ACC membership to be eligible to book the hut. Demand grows as the days get longer so is necessary to use the lottery system if you are interested in spring dates. December and January have much lower demand, but you can still enter the lottery to be on the safe side. 

Winter access is by helicopter out of Chatter Creek. Chatter Creek is a private company whose main business is providing cat skiing at a remote fully staffed lodge.  They have no real relationship with ACC; other than being the hired contractor that provides access to several ACC huts.

At Chatter Creek there were no ACC representatives, no list of who had paid for the trip, and a general "who gives a shit" attitude by everyone there including the dogs. Who can blame them? They are basically providing a service to their direct competition. We were told to arrive at 11:00 AM; but we sat for hours waiting for our ride. 

When the ride did show up, there was confusion as to what heli we would be using. But once they figured it out, there was more than enough capacity for all of our gear and food.  Basically pack like you are going car camping for the weekend. 

Chief Hucks-with-Whippet in Helo-1

The first ship was mostly a gear run, but Hucks-with-Whippet got shotgun. Helo-2 was much bigger and the 9 of us climbed aboard. Our pilot hadn't been to Fairy Meadows in "a-boot 20 years" and promptly got lost.  After about 25 minutes of flying up and down drainages, we finally spotted ski tracks that led up to the hut.

The group from the previous week was waiting to load their gear and they were very helpful with the loading / unloading.  From the LZ it is a shortish uphill walk to the hut.  After several shuttle laps, we were ready to settle in.

The Wood Stove

The stove provides plenty of heat and hot water. Good gear drying spots went quickly after each day of practicing our schussing techniques. It was super nice to come back to plenty of hot water for cocoa, coffee, and other hot booze-sugar combinations.


The Water Jug and Kitchen

The hut has propane lights throughout the 1st floor which, along with the wood stove, makes for a super-cozy post-schussing debrief session / stoke-fest.

The Hut from Below

The tree skiing in the FM area is A+ and it mostly finishes below the hut along a large lateral moraine. This view was always a welcome site after a long day of skiing.

GMFR Representative: Gremmie

The Brefan

There are plenty of guidebooks provided as well as magazines. But the gem is the Box of Local Knowledge: chock full of pre-trip research and maps from previous visitors. Names of runs, passes, summits, glaciers, and spires are all there for you to pour over and plan your assault for the next day.

Sleeping Arrangements

There is room for 20 upstairs, but no propane lighting so bring a headlamp.  Most nights it was too hot for a sleeping bag. Next time I'll bring a sheet and light blanket (in addition to the bag) for the nights when we get over ambitious with the wood stove.

Filling up at the Spring

A small pot fills the 3 gallon bucket which fills the 15 gallon barrels. Despite getting 60 gallons per trip, water runs were a daily chore. On Day 5 we realized that the sled next to the water barrels was there for a reason. The sled makes water runs less daunting. We didn't feel the need to boil the water and no one has gotten sick as of 16 days post-trip.

Welcome: Have a Fresca

Front Door with Storm Boards

Gremmie, Bret, GB6K, & The Hammer Slayer

Dinner

Everyone took turns making breakfast or dinner. There is a 4-burner propane stove with oven and 2 additional 2-burner units. Other chores included: splitting wood, water runs, getting the sauna fired up, dishes, and clean up. Some groups opt to hire a private cook for the week, but we were content to fend for ourselves. 

Another Brefan and Steve

Hello, Friend

In addition to eating wood, it is recommended to feed all the food waste to the hungry bastard.

I'm a Dishwasher in Golden

Doing the dishes uses up a large amount of hot water. Keep those pots on the wood stove full. The sink has a drainage system, so clean up is a breeze.

Wood Shed - Cut but not Split

Who want's to carve up a good hunk of wood?

The Fairy on the Sauna

The sauna building is fantastic. The wood stove in the sauna has a built-in 20-gallon water tank with a spigot on the bottom. Mixing the hot water with the cold spring water gave the option of low volume showers. Others choose snow belly flops as their preferred hygiene technique. 

Jay, Gramps, GB6K, Brefan

The Whole Gang

The hut capacity is 20, but our group of 10 had the run of the joint. There was more than enough room for 10 people, but 20 would feel cramped. Every nook and crammy would be jammed packed with gear. Adding a second group of strangers (no matter how cool) would definitely impact the hut dynamics.

January has short days, cold weather, and the potential for more wind compared to the spring, but you are much more likely to find the hut well below capacity. 

This is an awesome place to visit for a week (or two or three). There are plenty of ski options for storm days and incredible alpine routes for good weather.  There is no cell reception, wi-fi, or other techno distractions. It super to reconnect with these amazing people free from distractions. I can't wait to go back.

Thanks to everyone for a great trip!

Next year - Ovando or burst!

 - U.K.

Glacier Country

Since I don't have a job right now and have been getting out skiing in the mountains in Montanas Flathead and Glacier Park areas, I figure why not start doing some blogging to kill some time and show off the new terrain we have been exploring. 

Its been a week since the remaining skier boyz and snowboarder girl went back to the Wasatch. That left Gae and I feeling pretty lonesome in a new town where the only people we know are each other and our roommate, Lisa.  On Gaelens first day off, we went touring with each other. It didn't take long for us to realize that we have just made a great move and are incredibly lucky to be living in such a beautiful area. The mountains surrounding us in Glacier National Park are breath taking and the options where to go are endless.

I had been out on a handful of tours, seeing jaw dropping lines on gigantic mountains, but a summit had been eluding me. I had skinned thousands of vertical feet feeling satisfied with our efforts and decisions, but I wanted to stand on top. This finally happened last week! I went out with my new buddy and solid skier Dan Koestler and we went for Sheep Mt (8569 ft) in the southern part of Glacier Park.

Dan enjoying the sunrise and the mellow skinning 

Leaving our car at 7 a.m., we skinned along the train tracks for about half a mile, having the frightening experience of how close those suckers get, then scooted up the trailhead for three miles. Half of which we could rip skins and ski down the trail.

Soldier Mt. in the Background

From the Ole Creek we crossed easily and began the long climb, 4500 feet to the summit of Sheep mt. The weather was perfect, calm and clear and the sun was beginning to brighten the horizon. The skinning was straight forward and easy, we actually followed a track someone broke sometime last week.

High winds on summit ridge

When we got above the trees, around 7500 feet, the winds we trying to rip right through our gore tex, but the summit was in sight. We added some layers, put on our helmets and goggles and pushed forward. I had to stop before reaching the summit because the wind was piercing through my gapper gap and I got a alpine ice cream headache.

Kid is psyched to get on top a summit

It was all worth the cold effort to stand on top of this summit in Glacier Park. The 360 degrees views from the summit highlighted some potential for mega ski descents. All I can say is you Boyz better be visiting. We decided that we would drop down the west ridge because it looked like more exciting ski options. We didn't know and that was cool. We knew that it was going to bring us into the same drainage we began climbing and that was enough assurance.

Dan descending the west ridge with St. Nick and Stimson in the background
It felt like skiing off the summit of Mt Hood

The conditions off the summit were firm and smooth, good for big mountain descents. We did a little walking over a scoured section and onto a saddle where some softer snow was found.

Looking back up at our ascent (right ridge) and descent route (west ridge)

Dan Skiing through the lower cliff section

good exposure here

We found a way through the lower section of cliffs
The adventure of skiing into the unknown

The best part of skiing new terrain is the unknown you got below you. Our mellow descent route began to steepen and it was obvious we were skiing above some big cliffs. WIth confidence Dan continued down and found his way through a cool amphitheater of cliffs. This took us to an open bowl, 2,00o feet of low angle cream in the trees and we landed on a trail. I couldn't believe we nailed the loop so perfectly.

I guess I will get used to seeing this sight when touring in the Park

Gaelens first time ice climbing
Lake Koocanusa

= Jakems