Mission Mts.- Mt St.Mary and Grey Wolf Peak

I have been planning a trip to ski in the Mission Mts. since I first laid my eyes on them three years ago while on a climbing trip throughout the Big Sky state. At that time I had never even heard of the Mission Mts., but when I got home I started researching their back country skiing potential. 

Missions Mts- looking North from East St.Mary

The Mission Mts. begin roughly 50 miles north of Missoula and run about 40 miles north towards the southern-most part of Flathead Lake. They rise at an average of 5,000 feet from the valley floor. Mt. McDonald is the highest peak in the range, at 9820 ft.

When I moved to Whitefish, MT at the beginning of this year I had a feeling that I would be putting in an effort to ski in this range. Coming back from Idaho three weeks ago we passed St. Ignatius- the gateway to the Missions- and thoughts began to pile up for when I could make this trip happen. Texts were sent to many Boyz with temptation to ski in the wild arena. The dilemma I am having now living so far north is having all of these epic mountains to climb, but no Boyz to ski with.

My dependable partner from the North, Dan Koestler, was down and we planned on being in the the Missions for Easter weekend. When he called just three days before we were supposed to go, telling me how he was put on the schedule unexpectedly, I texted again, to no avail. I began to make new plans for my weekend off work.

Then a miracle happened. My closest in proximity and most experienced Skier Boy Friend called and said he would go. YES! Thank You Jay Welz! It was a roller coaster of emotions leading up to getting to the trailhead and even after, but while we were in the mountains it felt like we were supposed to be there. The Missions approved of our dedication to exploration.

Happy Easter! Boyz on summit cone of East St. Mary

To enter the Missions from the west side you need a Tribal Boundaries Pass. A three day pass can be obtained in St. Ignatius at the Cenex Gas station for nine bucks. From there we drove up to St. Mary Lake.  On the western edge there is a pull out with a campfire ring and a cairn marking a trail. The road was mostly melted out, but I was happy to have Truckee.

The trail head

Our main objective in the Missions was to ski the West Couloir of Grey Wolf Peak. I had read many blogs from skiing this line and each one sounded like getting there would be a challenge greatly rewarded. After finding the trail we were surprised that it continued up to the snow line and a skinner was already in. We transferred to skis and followed the skinner to where the mountains revealed themselves. Gorgeous mountains shining bright in the sun and bluebird skies.

That approach wasn't so bad. I could have packed a few more brews

Welz below point 8700 ridge

Grey Wolf Peak and it coolers

At 4 pm, we reached the ridge at 8700 ft.  5 hours and 4800 feet of climbing later, we had a look at Grey Wolf Peak and the couloir we wanted to ski the next day. We ripped skins and skied a beautiful large bowl down 1700 feet to the base of the Grey Wolf where we would set up camp. The bowl is north facing so we carved some creamy archs and wiggles, pleased with the conditions and blown away with our position! After setting up camp we climbed back to the ridge for another descent of the bowl before the sun went down for the night. We cheers'd with a few brews and gulped some chai rum then slept under a Big sky of brilliant lights.

Amazing bivy spot

 The next morning we woke to another sunny day and after a quick hot meal we began skinning towards East St. Mary Peak. Because the snowpack was in a transitional stage and we had a good freeze over night we planned to ski the South face off East St. Mary then back to the Grey Wolf coolie which faces west.

Self portrait with the SOuth East Face of East St. Mary

After two and a half hours of following the Easter bunnies tracks we were standing on top of East St. Mary (9,400) and looking North to jaw dropping peaks and faces. The line has big exposure and its above a hundred foot cliff.  We dropped in before noon, a little bit on the cautious side because of the exposure involved. The corn was perfect off the top and getting towards the cliff it changes exposure a bit and was a bit firm. I did not care, what a line! So fun to be hopping down a big face like that feeling so small and vulnerable.

DAmn thats some creamy corn

Welz dropping off the summit cone of East St. Mary

From the bottom of the bowl we booted 1000 feet back up the ridge on the hard crusted west face. In an hours time we were back up to 8700 and looking over at our next objective, which seemed like we would be timing perfectly because the coolie was still in the shade. Shit! Someone was booting up our line. They sussed us while we were climbing or skiing East St. Mary. We were in awe and didn't know what to do.

We skied down back to camp and decided that the group was either going to wait for the apron to soften up, which would give us time to high five them at the top or they were just going to ski in in hard, scary conditions. So we went up and hoped they were Canadians so we could offer them a Kokanee if we got in their way.

Changing over from skinning to cramponing we waited below some rocks at the bottom of the chute. We began to see some snow pebbles come down through the chute and then some more and felt that the group ahead was descending. Alright, exactly what we were hoping for. We high-fived the gang from Missoula and began booting up the empty coolie above.

Do you think the Easter bunny hid any eggs up here?

Towards the top of the coolie. The terrain in the back ground is point 8700, where we made 3 laps in creamy powder conditions.

After a hour of stepping in and out of the old booter we were on top of the coolie. We enjoyed our position, ate some peeps and looked down the other side of our line to see another beautiful shaded cooler below. Maybe next time? We transitioned and started down this wonderful line. On the left side of the chute there was still dry powder so we hopped down that way and in the middle we got some corn.  By the time we hit the apron it had corned up also, perfect timing for the Boyz! Another amazing line.

Thanks for the Peeps. Now lets ski this line!

Welz dropping into the West Couloir of Grey Wolf PEak

Finding some soft snow in the shade

BAck out into the sun for corn.

PAcking up camp we knew that the hardest wasn't over. To get out we needed to climb back up to point 8700, then ski down the manky southwest ridge and try to find our trail back to the truck. This all was not too bad, mostly because we had spent the past 34 hours in place most skiers don't visit. Many people look up at the Mission mountains and stress how hard it would be to get on top of those peaks, let alone ski fantastic lines. As SKier Boyz, it is our nature to act on the urges of the the unknown terrain that stands above us.

SKiing out of the Missions to finish the mission

Sore feet. This is What we DO!

Getting back to the truck are feet were sore but our minds were at ease. Popping a victory brew we cheers'd to an excellent adventure, 13,000 feet of climbing, 2 memorable lines and a bivy worthy of the effort.

-Jakeums

Falling Waters: March 30, 2013

I knew that I'd be chasing snow buffalo all day - Na$ty, P9, and the Noodler are all super fast. I wanted to go as light as possible, but the location dictated that I bring some prudent supplies: an extra puffy, a pint of water, a pack of Shot Bloks, and some pop rocks.  Lately, most ski outings have been dictated by the Noodler's schedule. His pick-up and drop-off times are firm to the minute. Today we had 7 hours door to door - not a whole lot of time, but I enjoy the limiting hours. I can hang for a half day, but I loathe to think what would happen if I got on the Noodler 14-hour express.

We were heading to Falling Waters, a drainage above the Eagle River Nature Center. Access typically falls into a grey area because of private property issues, but fortunately a mutual friend has land that abuts the park boundary.

Na$ty and P9 had put the skinner in the day before and had a zone in mind: the 6 North facing chutes on the ridge separating Falling Waters and Ram Valley. The plan was to get 2 laps. I've had 4 or 5 days total skiing in Falling Waters, so I had a pretty good idea what they were talking about.

With the skinner already in, travel was fast and I struggled in 4th place. It was mostly sunny and the powder was still fluffy. Sweat stung my eyes. Fatigue stung my legs. And the gassy nature of the pop-rocks stung my intestines. It was a good thing that I was in 4th because that pop-rock gas had me sounding like a flock of geese.

Predictably, we made awesome time and were soon looking up the 1st of the 6 chutes. Na$ty and P9 led the charge up what they considered to be the mellowest gully. The skinner went in as high as possible before swapping to a booter. The 3 buffalo swapped lead position while I managed to stay somewhat close.

Up the Yellow; Down the Blue

The plan was to use the same uptrack for both laps, so at the ridge we took a left and climbed higher to another chute.

Nearing the Ridge

Getting Ready to Drop

For at least 2 years now, the Noodler has carried an insulated skirt in his pack. After borrowing his wife's for some time, Santa finally got him his own: the Montbell Thermawrap.  Just about everyone has questioned his odd choice of gear, but I am slowly being won over based on the advantages. On the climb you sweat like crazy, but quickly freeze on a windy ridge. Long johns are too hot on the up; no base layer is too cold when just standing around. An insulted skirt solves this problem. Most insulated skirts have full-length zippers making it a pain in the ass to get on and off - especially with skis on. The Thermawrap only has one snap at the waist - super easy to get on and gain almost instantaneous relief from the wind where you need it most. Also one snap does not restrict movement like a full length zipper - important in tight couloirs. The Thermawrap also functions as a lightweight compressible emergency blanket.  Strange as it may seem, this could catch on.

P9 in the Crux

The Noodler and the Thermawrap

The low density powder was shin to knee deep on stiff wind board. The steep walls of the couloir improved visibility and the skiing was excellent. Once on the apron, this shot pulls the skier to the left and out of sight from those waiting on top. So we waited and waited until we were sure we weren't dropping in on someone.  Radios next time!

We quickly retraced the uptrack but opted to drop off the south side of the ridge directly into Ram Valley. The idea was to get better light and take a more direct route to the vehicle. By the time we were ready to drop-in, the light had gone to shit. P9 graciously volunteered to Guinea Pig the route and put some features into the featureless void of white below us. Coverage was much better than expected and the run seemed to go on forever.  Even with P9's tracks, I took it slow and finally made it to the safe zone which was only about 100' from the skinner. 

The route back to road was straight forward with boredom alternating with unexpected excitement. Down gullies, over tundra, around boulders with the occasional alder face whip for good measure. Back at the vehicle, we pulled the beer from a snow bank. Typically the Noodler is so pressed for time that he militantly forces us to chug our post-tour beverage, but our south side short cut had saved precious minutes allowing for some down time. It was a nice change of pace, but I knew the Noodler was thinking we could've gotten another half lap somewhere.

Photos from: Noodler, P9, Na$ty, goggle-earth, and maybe me.

 - U.K.

AK Update: March 23-27, 2013

I had a long weekend starting early Friday afternoon. Plans had been made and schemes had been hatched. Per usually, Mama Natura pulled a fast one, fooling even the most seasoned of weather guessers. Right up until the morning of departure, the weather guessers were confident. But our "ground truth" campaign at Hatcher Pass reveled the horrible truth. The sneak-attack blizzard rendered the road impassable. Visibility ranged from end-of-hood to 50 yards. The wind was gusting and 4' drifts occupied the road right next to bare black top.

The forecast was wrong, the now-cast was wrong, but at 2 PM the updated hind-cast was right on! The storm continued through the weekend into Monday. 2'+ at Hatcher and it was the biggest dump of the year for Anchorage.

By Monday it was winding down, so I made my way South to check out the relative safety of Dog Shit Ridge (aka Tincan). The deep pillowly tree lines are excellent for storm skiing. The trees of Tincan are one of the easier places to manage terrain at Turnagain Pass.  The top 6" of storm snow was reactive on steep rollovers, but the skiing was fantastic: steep and deep with the trees trumping the flat light.

Tuesday was the blue after the storm. Below zero temps greeted the morning commuters. The mountains above Anchorage were the whitest they have been all year. In the Front Range wind is much more important than snowfall when building base. Protected bowls will be 10' deep while faces will only hold snow until the next wind event. The weekend storm brought little wind thus tempting skiers onto the poorly covered faces.

Our ski posse generally gets off work at 3PM thus giving us a huge advantage over the 9-5 crowd. I've come to expect empty trail heads and untracked mountains. Tuesday was no different. The Noodler and J put in the skinner. S was 3rd, and I struggled to keep up. The sirens were calling us to the faces hoping to dash our skis against the rocks, but we resisted. We opted for a great bowl just west of the summit Mountain Harp. Ridge temps were still in the low single digits late into the afternoon, but the powder was sublime and the early evening sun was magical.

Mountain Harp - West Harp Bowl on the left
(April 2011)

By Wednesday, the siren call was too much to resist: Mountain Harp from the top was the objective. The summit gullies have a narrow "good coverage" zone. Rocks would be lurking just below the surface hoping to dash our skis, but the call could not be ignored. That is, unless, you inadvertently left your skins at home. The sirens were quickly drowned out by a string of curse words. 

Team 3PM set the skinner, while I decided to put in a booter rather than mope around. The booting was less painful than expected.  I was well behind, but my goal was "90% Gully."  This shot typically has much better coverage than the summit shots. 

Mountain Harp is best approach via the long curving ridge that starts out heading SE and finishes with a NE push. The ridge is typically wind blasted and booting isn't really all that worse the skinning.  Even if you do remember your skins, expect to boot about 1/3 of the wind swept ridge.

About halfway up the ridge, the winds became quite noticeable. The skinner set by Team 3PM just 20 minutes prior was erased in a few spots. It had obtained the "etch-a-sketch" reset that Romney so desperately needed.  At the 90% Gully, the wind was really ripping and I knew Team 3PM would be dropping in soon. I kept peeking towards the summit while I prepared to ski.

Then it ripped.  It started slowly but quickly accelerated.  The powder cloud was billowing.  It started from a single point but completely entrained all the new snow from both summit gullies. Shit.

I watched closely for signs of skiers as the slide grew, roared, and subsided. I didn't see anyone. I quickly finished my transition so I'd be ready to boot to the summit or traverse into the debris. I was constantly scanning the path and the summit, but I still didn't see anyone. Scenarios raced through my mind.  Are they OK?  Is someone hurt in the rocks near the summit?  Did I miss someone in the slide?

I knew the top of 90% Gully would be as sensitive as the summit gullies. I was still on the wind blasted ridge ready to boot or ski, but I needed a better idea of what was going on in the 90% in case I had to drop in. I approached a dumpster-sized boulder on the ridge that separated the wind scoured from the wind loaded.  While still safely behind the boulder, the wind lip sympathetically let loose and quickly propagated higher up the wind loaded side of the ridge. I half expected that to happen and was glad with the conservative approach. 

The slope below me was now much safer than it was 5 minutes prior, but I still wasn't psyched to ski it.  Finally a skier emerged off the of the summit casually skiing the debris. There was no rush and he was linking good turns and occasionally stopping to examine the snow.  When he got out onto the untouched snow and started wiggling, I knew they were alright. 

I busied myself knocking cornice chunks down the 90% and was gaining more confidence in the gully. I got the attention on Skier #1 who was in the "safer" zone below and I dropped in. The debris was soft and made for good turns, but it is always scary when the tongue of debris ends and you're plowing the virgin snow. I kept my speed up and was ready for a high speed traverse into the shark soup if necessary.  The angled eased and the turns got quite good.



Summit Gullies - Middle
90% Gully - Right

MB was skier 1 and he filled me in on what happen on top. Team 3PM was concerned about the wind and contemplated walking down the ridge. But there were small cornices and slope cuts that could be tested safely. Check out the write-up from one of the Summiters. Click here.

Everyone descended safely to the rendezvous.  There were a lot of sharks lurking off the summit gullies.  MB and B opted for a 2nd lap, but the Noodler, J, and I had to head back to A-Rage.  We enjoyed the low-angle, stress-free turns on the exit. At the car, we dug the 22-ounce beer out of the snowbank, blasted it back, and made plans for tomorrow. 

Incident write-up is from the observations section of the new Anchorage Avalanche Center (AAC)

http://www.anchorageavalanchecenter.org/

 - U.K.



Pioneer Mts and Yurt

I love taking trips and adventuring into new mountain ranges. Its just that in the winters its easy to get wrapped up in your local skiing arenas. You are familiar with the weather and snowpack, you like to have dry socks and boot liners and its expensive to rent backcountry yurts and huts. This past week Gae and I met our Salt Lake Serious friends in the Pioneer Mts., just north of Hailey, ID. We celebrated with two buddies who turned 30, skied some peaks, harvested some corn, inducted a new member and made delicious and nutritious meals with IPAs and whiskey. 

Skiing on Mt Stanton to the beautiful Lake MacDonald in GNP
I don't want to leave!

When we arrived to meet the team at Shortys Diner, the stoke was as high as the atmospheric pressure outside. Sun Valley hadn't received any new snow on top of their below average base in a couple weeks and it was starting to look more like late Spring than Late Winter. 

We met our guide Ed, from Sun Valley Trekking at the Junction of East Fork and the Highway. He showed up with a sled to tow in our packs and food, it costs an extra 50 bucks for this service and its totally worth it. Gae and I also brought our snow machine, Sleddy, down so we packed heavy and very disorganized. This was obvious when Salt Lake Serious began placing shopping bags into Ed's sled and each of their packs were over 100 pounds. If Kevin and Chris didn't climb the North Face of Cobb I would be razzing them more, but they did use some of the hardware that was hauled in. I do believe a case of beer would have been more useful than most of the gear not used.  

Gaelen reaching the Pioneer Yurt after 5 mlles of skinning. Home Sweet Home!

Knowing that it was going to be a heavy haul for Sleddy, we didn't double and Gae walked in with the Serious crew. After three miles, Sleddy was tired and over heated on the trail. Ed came back for our second load of gear. I replaced the spark plugs, my extent of mechanics and she revved back up and I met Ed and our heap of food and beverages one mile below the Yurt.  

Because of restrictions you are only allowed to snowmobile to within one mile of the Yurt this time of year. The sun was Hot at this point and my buffalo tendencies had me maxing a sled load by ski of about 150 lbs up the last mile and 1000 foot vert climb to the Pioneer Yurt. What a bitching idea. 3/4 of the way up I dumped a food box and continued. 

The Yurt is beautiful. Its 24 ft. in diameter with a two burner stove for cooking and a wood stove for heating and drying. It is stocked with plenty of kitchen supplies, games and maps/ books to look at and plan from. It sleeps 10 comfortably in bunk beds, we had 9 in our group. There is also a Sauna located next to the Yurt with plenty of wood to be used. Entering the Yurt I was pleased to be left some H2o in a kettle that I guzzled down and headed back out to get another load of supplies. The rest of the team was on the final stretch when I was skiing down. They each asked me how much farther and I reassured them they were close. Kevin met me for the final tow and we were moved in for four nights! 

Some of the food we brought, 84 eggs not included.
Ed told us we brought more food than any other group that year

We settled in and got some beta from Ed. It looked like we were in for some big lines in corn conditions with a low snow pack. It quickly became five p.m. and we headed out to get some skiing in before dinner was made. We chose ELk Lips, a run directly behind the Yurt. It was a 1,200 foot climb that took about a hour to ascend. The scenery was breath taking and we were all excited to be there with each other playing in the mountains again, Happy 30th birthday Mark!

BOYZ Life is the Good Life!

On our way up to Elk Lips with the Yurt below.
Mt Hyndman on left and Mt Cobb on right

Beers were cracked back at the Yurt and DInner was cooked by the birthday boy. We began talking about the next days objective because they were all looming above us. Why not begin with the tallest in the range? Mt Hyndman, 12,008 ft in elevation. It was going to be sunny, so we planned for a early rise to ski the 1,500 foot gullies off the summit facing south to south east. 

Hyndman Peak and its South facing chutes
The Dorsal Fin in the the background on DUncan Ridge

We left the Yurt by 7 a.m. and started to the saddle between Old and New Hyndman until we were directly below the chutes. We climbed and descended Hyndmans S face with a group of six. Three Gmitros, including their Dad, Art and myself, Cambell and MArk. The climb took way longer than imagined. The booting sucked and because we wanted to stay off the face we were breaking through most of the time between rocks and snow. Kevin tested out his new ski crampons and skinned the entire 38 degree face, impressive. 

Chris after sending a boulder problem during the climb, so Serious

It was sunny but some clouds and a breeze kept the top of the line from corning up. We waited and inducted Mark into Skier Boyz, this is what we do! Then some clouds began to form around the sun and figured it wouldn't get any better so we dropped in. It was a little firm on the top but we managed to harvest some corn for about 3/4 of the run down. 

Mark shredding Hyndman after his induction to Skier Boyz

he had tears in his eyes when he was quoted

"best day of my life"

After a little lunch back at the Yurt we motivated, went back out and skinned through some deep mank to get to the top of Little Duncan for an afternoon corn run.

Afternoon Corn Harvest in Little Duncan Bowl

Next Day, Mt. Cobb of course, the ranges 2nd highest summit, 11,800 ft. It has a beautiful plumb couloir facing south splitting the summit cone. From below it was hard to tell if the line was even filled in enough to make it worth it. Because of its setting and our eager attitude we gave it a climb. 

Because of the corn delay we left the Yurt much later in the morning. Chris and Kevin went for the ascent up the steep North Face (5.7+) while the sane portion of the group climbed up the fun west ridge (class 4). This climb was as difficult and longer than Hyndmans S face and our group became scattered on the mountain. After the initial climb Gae decided to ride down and I caught up to Cambell and Mark almost on the ridge proper. It was a classic climb. We walked on a summer trail for a bit then went right for the rocks, climbing up some great granite, chock full of hand jams and jugs. It was a magical climb in a great position in the mountains. 

A new Skier Boy in his element
Stoic is an understatement

A future SKier Boy also loving life!
Mt. Cobb West Ridge

We got off the ridge and descended a sneaker chute into the S chute proper, then finished the climb by booting up the final 500 feet to the summit. The snow in the chute felt solid and booting up was easy. As we figured, there was not much snow near the top, but we hacked our way from the summit with skis on till a twenty foot rock section blocked our complete free descent.

Mark navigating the low snow in the upper chute.
I was happy to see him not try to split ski down this line.

From here the couloir was amazing. Best I have skied all season! Its a beautiful line looking straight down 3,500 feet to the valley floor. After the initial chute we followed gullies all the way down to below the Yurt. It was a manky skin back to our yurt, but well worth the effort to send such an aesthetic ski line.

Oh yeah! Dragging the Knuckles

Cambell Scott negotiating the choke with style

 After sending the North Face route, team Buzz Kill was seen descending from the summit down the chute at about 7 p.m. Chris avoided being caught in a big wet avalanche he set off in the bottom of the run. We cracked beers and ate a 14 veggie curry dish and planned on skiing as a group the next day, at least for one run.

The Yurt and its amenities

Kevins stuffed peppers, Yum!

This was fun, but next year lets go to Montana!
- Kid Bufo Hucks with whippet Jakems

On our final day we broke up once again, choosing on harvesting corn in various chutes. We did All meet up on top of the Peanut, a line we had been looking at for days for a final lap on some firm snow. At night Kevin made stuffed peppers, we finished the booze and toasted for Chris's birthday and a great trip! 

The Pioneer Yurt is a special place for mountain connoisseurs. There is plenty of powder skiing if you have those conditions and big mountains of course.  

Penguin Peak: March 19

The calender said it was the last day of winter but Mama Natura was not even close to releasing her icy grip. Yes, the sun is higher and the days are longer, but the cold air remains decidedly wintry. This week pre-dawn temps have been in the low single digits due to the high pressure sitting over Anchorage. The longer days and big blue skies have worked wonders in people's attitudes and moods. Our hibernation has ended, but it will still be a long time until the flowers bloom and the trees bud.

Until then, we ski. 

The Noodler wanted to ski Penguin Peak - a 4,000' mountain starting at sea level with incredible views of the Turnagain Arm.  To get to the trailhead, drive South out of Anchorage on the Seward Highway and turn left on Konikson Road in Indian.  Follow Konikson about a ½ mile until you reach the Chugach State Park Trailhead. 

Skin up the snowmachine / ATV trail for 0.7 miles and turn right on the Penguin Peak Trail. 4,000' later and you will be surveying the entire Turnagain Arm. There's some Class IV skinning with stubborn willows constantly goading you into a fight, but the harassment is short-lived.  After about 400 vert, you break out of the willows and into a nice gully.  The approach is not too steep, hardly requiring any switchbacks, but you are definitely climbing up a huge slide path.  The danger comes from high above on the climber's left. 

Eventually, we got above tree line and the views began to dramatically improve.



The Noodler Breaking Trail on Penguin

But as the views improved, the wind increased. There wasn't much snow available for transport, but it was getting cold. The weather station recorded a temperature of 3° F with sustained 20 mph winds which translates to a -20°F wind chill - hardly spring conditions.  The Noodler busted out his down skirt and for the first time ever, I was jealous of his odd choice of apparel.   

The climb tops out at a false summit about ¼ mile from the true summit.  We were getting sand blasted by cold snow.  The true summit was not in the cards today.

The Noodler Getting Blasted Near the False Summit

We transitioned quickly and began the descent.



The Turnagain Arm from Our High Point

The snow wasn't awful.  There was a mini-crust that was easy to blast through. There was some sastrugi, but its wind sculpted features were easy to pick out and avoid.  We were still getting pounded by the frigid wind 1,000' into the descent, but as was dropped over the rollover the wind dissipated and the snow quality improved dramatically.

Undisturbed recycled powder made for A+ turns for the next 2,000'.  Angles in the low 30s and awesome snow allowed for smooth, flowing, boot-deep turns.  Big turns, little turns, fast slow - all effortless. Control for smilers can't be bought, but we did have to rein it in for the bottom 1,000'. 

We opted to stay skiers right to avoid the narrow-ish gully that we ascended through the willows. The idea was to pick our way from open spot to open spot and enjoy excellent skiing back to the ATV trail. This strategy worked excellent - last year with record snow. This year it is a bad idea. 

We worked our way down, but quickly realized our error. The willows were getting thicker and the Devil's Club reared its ugly head. Fortunately, we were able to traverse back into the ascent gully. It is just wide enough to make ridiculous hop turns or slide slip - if you are feeling rational. 

When ridiculous hop turns are an option, rational thoughts are hard to find. From the ATV road it was about 5 minutes of skating, double poling, and coasting back to the car park.

The Bottom Third - The gully is in the Sun Shadow Line

There are plenty of options from Penguin Peak and given the weather we stuck with the mellowest.  Hopefully we get a chance to return soon to attempt some of the steeper lines in the this area.

 - U.K

OhhhhVANdoh

You might have heard of moon beam aka ohhhhhhVANdoh. You might have had the pleasure of a ride in this luxury motor coach. But for those of you not familiar with this fine automobile, here you are my pride and joy. A 1991 Toyota Previa. OhhhVANdoh has a mere 219 k on it. It also sports a futon mattress, 2 large pull out dawers, a picnic table, a bench for 2, a dash board for cooking, a full kitchen, a library, and a spice cabinet. Pretty sweet eh? Jealous? I bet you are.

Recently the catalytic converter go clogged and luckily I have a helpful neighbor with a welder. Made this job easy, about 1 hour of cutting and welding. I put in a new oxygen sensor today and am looking for a used oil pan now. Just a little spring maintenance before I head out on the road for the spring/summer/fall.


I bought OhhhhhVANdoh for $1100 and a batch of buttered chicken about two years ago from a friend of Purple Man Woman. Put about $1000 in parts into it and shes been running great since then. New radiator last summer, now a new cat/flex pipe for around $150. Big whoop. Hopefully she keeps running well this summer. Fingers crossed.

Being the happy owner of a mobile home is the essence of being a ski/climbing fanatic and feeling comfortable about not having much in the terms of fancy material goods and other things that don't really matter in the long run. Having the ability  to play in nature with your friends more often that not, no better feeling. I feel really fortunate to live the life I live and be a part of such a great organization, SKIER BOYZ!!! So if you see me cruising around in OhhhVANdo, honk or stop by to say hi.

Lar's Big Win and New Bindings

When Lars isn't travelling the globe competing and winning big mountain ski comps, he is hard at working getting his company off the ground.  Most recently Lars won the FWT in Kirkwood.  And in 2013 alone, Lars and his business partner / brother, Silas, have competed in Revelstoke, Courmayeur (Italy), Chamonix, and Kirkwood.  And Silas is no slouch either, having won at Snowbird last March.  You also might find them in South American, where they compete and win there too.

I was fortunate to witness the madness at Snowbird last year from the Green Mountain Freeride VIP booth. Lars was injured and couldn't compete, but Lars took as much joy watching Silas as if he had won himself. As did all of GMFR and the Skier Boyz. Si was mobbed and all shared in his triumph. 


The VIP Booth

So it's obvious that these globe-trotting ski VER-Monsters know what they want out of high-performance gear. They're not lycra-clad "faster on the way up than on the way down" "sacrifice weight for performance" ski-mo racers. The CAST founders are decidedly faster on the way down, and can take more air in one run then I'll get in a month. So whether in the backcountry or at the top of a FWT run high in the Alps, they need gear that is predictable they can trust for big sends.

Despite their grueling schedules that take them from continent to continent, they have found time to design, create prototypes, and test a new backcountry binding system. The Chickering-Ayers brothers like gaps, and when they sussed out a gap in the market, they pointed it. Along with Matt Cherouny, the brothers have poured their heart and soul into this project.

The CAST system aims to meet the high level of performance demanded by top athletes while shaving weight from the touring set-up.  The CAST SI&I touring system meets these goals. But going from prototype to production is a big step; so enter kickstarter. CAST is ready to ramp up production and is looking for help, but they are not looking for a handout. This is your best chance to get your hands on the CAST set-up before anyone else.

The bindings are tough to explain, so check out the video on kickstarter to see the ins and outs of this system.

Congrats on the CAST system and good luck with the campaign!

 - U.K.

For more information, please visit CAST at:

• http://www.facebook.com/CASTtouring
• http://casttouring.com/
• http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/299047004/siandi-alpine-ski-touring-system