Days 32, 33, 34: The Lars Experience

Viking Lars, high on the Pfeifferhorn

So what is the Lars Experience? It's three days of touring with viking Lars. He's a great friend who hails from Colorado, and had been skiing once this year prior to his visit to the Wasatch. This is how it went down.

SATURDAY: Picked up Lars from the airport at 9 AM. He was waiting for me at passenger pick up in ski boots and full garb. Eager? WIth the overnight snow, we went looking for some powder skiing. Found it in Argenta, which provided a couple laps of glorious untracked fun. Then Tradition overwhelmed good sense and we made a stop at McDonald's before continuing the day with a powder run from just down the ridge from Little Superior. It was a great warm up at 6,000 ft for the day.

SUNDAY: I overslept and woke up to find 7 missed calls from JD and Lars and had to rally to the White Pine Trailhead to play catch up. Driving up, I saw them above the trees, entering the Little Pine Chute. Forty minutes later, heart redlined, I caught up. We pushed it around 2,400 feet up the chute before things started to feel a bit sketchy. Up to that point it was obvious the whole chute had slide with a large crown visible along the walls. Above the upper choke, conditions weren't so reassuring so we turned around and got the meat of the couloir in the best conditions I've had it...still not great.

The viking liked it though...


From there we decided to bang around Cardiff a bit and the rest of the day went as follows:

Up Flagstaff and along the ridge to the Hallway. Down Hallway, then back up the drainage and up Holy Toledo and up Toledo Peak. Down Holy Mole, then up the drainage to gain the ridge which we took to the summit of Superior. Down the north face of Superior, then back up for a run down the South Face. At this point, I was sure the viking from the border of Nebraska would be done. Wrong again, he was up for another 1600 feet to break 10,000 for the day. As it was now getting dark and we were without headlamps, we took the most efficient way and ended by skinning up Chip's Run and letting the Snowbird lights guide us back down.

10,000 feet for the day...Lars' first.

Here are the pics:

Lars finds the Hallway:


The Hallway all rimed up:


Who needs that fixed line? Not a viking.


Lars finding sheltered powder in Holy Mole:


North side of Superior:


Bumped into John on the way bakc up:


Lars strutting it on the catwalk


Superior South Face at sunset:


A grinch or a viking?


MONDAY: Perhaps the greatest day of Lars' life? The plan was to ski the NW Couloir of the Pfeifferhorn and for everyone to make it down in time for their afternoon engagements. Lars and JD had to be at the airport at 2, Bart had to be home by 1 to make sure his kids got to school, and I had to work at 2. That meant a semi alpine start and that Lars would be pushed as fast as his weary (but surprisingly fresh) legs could go. The pics can do the talking for this one.

Beautiful morning in the mountains:


Approaching the Pfeiff, Bart charging ahead putting in his trademark bootpack:


On the summit ridge looking for a bypass ramp of snow as the normal entrance was a bit rocky.
We were able to down climb the ridge and enter from the side.

Bart keeping things mellow above the cliff:


Getting a little more spicy:


Lars figuring out how to use a rope:


JD on Rappel:


Bart skiing the lower half of the chute:


Lars:


JD:


Been wanting to do that one for a while.


Then it was up out of Hogum, down Maybird a bit, then up and over into Red Pine. We found this great shot above the lake:


We were back in time to lunch and everyone, sadly (except maybe Bart getting to see his kids) made it to their engagements and back to real life. Monday was an awesome day in the mountains with great partners covering a ton of ground. Love it.

20,000+ feet for the long weekend.

Viking video to come...

Day 31: The Grunge

A recent trip report and the stable conditions inspired brother JD, Adam and me to take a long walk on the Alpine Loop/Timpanooke road in search of...

The Grunge Couloir:
(Photo by JD)

After nearly two hours of boredom, we finally reached what some consider to be the standard access couloir approach. Not having sleds or bikes, I might consider a more direct approach next time.

Adam skinning the approach couloir:


From the shoulder below the Grunge, looking SE toward Timp's other summits:


Booting the Grunge:
(Photo by JD)

Nearing the top with cornices threatening:


As the recent TR mentioned, the exit right looked excessively dangerous...wind loaded, yet to slide, steep, and above cliffs. They were comfortable stopping about where this picture was taken (20 feet from the top). We tried to climb the rock above, but it was too rotten and icy, and our Dynafit boots don't climb as well as we thought (or maybe we don't climb as well as we thought). So it turned out we stomped out a platform likely in the same place they did.


An overnight dusting of graupel and some wind from the west had erased any evidence of prior passage. A pit on the way up and a couple ski cuts convinced us that there would be some manageable sluffing, but likely little else. As reported, crowns were reassuringly still visible.

Just before this pic was taken, I made a rookie mistake and dropped my pole. It tumbled down the chute and around the bend left before stopping, giving me the privilege of skiing the top section with a pole in one hand and an ice axe in the other.
(Photo by JD)

It just felt better to hold something in my right hand, hence the axe.
(Photo by AO)

JD getting grungy:


AO getting started:
(Photo by JD)

Nearing the choke:
(Photo by AO)

Exiting the bottom of the couloir:
(Photo by JD)

AO milking the apron:
(Photo by JD)

From there it was still a few thousand feed to silky apron skiing to some trees to getting cliffed out to finding the secret passage, to some major bushwhacking, to the road and cars. Awesome day.

124,900 feet for the year

Ski Touring on Rogers Pass

I've had a man-crush on Greg Hill for a long time. Greg might take a bit of flak for being a self-promoter, but his publicized adventures have been a source of inspiration for me. Thanks. For that reason, I was excited to ski at Rogers Pass -- an area that Greg frequents -- and to get a glimpse of the mountains and skiing possibilities in that area.

Monday at the Pass greeted us with bluebird skies. Reiner Thoni of Revelstoke and the winner of the 2010 Selkirk Classic, joined a Salt Lake motley crew of me, the Dorais bros., and Bart (the token white guy), along with a Jackson trio of Cary Smith, Zahan, and Nate Brown.

Reiner, rocking the Team Canada skinsuit on a Rogers Pass Tour:

From 2010-12-07

Most of the crew skinning up a ridge to 8812 Bowl (the massive pyramid peak in the background is Sir Donald and hasn't been skied):

From 2010-12-07

Photo credit: Bart

Nate Brown bringing some "style" to the backcountry with jewel-studded shades and a bit of skin:

From 2010-12-07

We spent the first few hours and 6k of the day skiing Video Peak and the 8812 Bowl, both popular runs at Rogers Pass. From the tops of these runs, we saw lot of mountains, glaciers, and ski potential. Unless skiing and adventure got old, that area of the world could hold a person's attention for a long long time.

From 2010-12-07

8812

From 2010-12-07

Video Peak

From 2010-12-07

And a view of both from Mt. Cheops:

From 2010-12-07

At the bottom of 8812, we said goodbye to the Jackson Trio who had to go home, and headed up to Balu Pass and Mt. Cheops.  One of the striking features of the mountains at Rogers Pass is the relief.  As a point of reference, SLC sits at around 4500 feet.  So does Rogers Pass.  Here is Cheops:

From 2010-12-07

We tagged the Cheops summit, skied down to the shoulder, and entered into a couple of chutes.

From 2010-12-07

Photo credit: Bart

The one that I chose, with Bart's assurance that it "went," cliffed out. We booted back out and skied a nice run down to the valley to meet our other compadres. From there, we skinned up and went back up to Balu Pass, trying to squeeze out 1500 vertical to make it a 10k day. We got about 1350 feet, and that was more than good enough. Celebration - 9850 vertical feet, some classic Rogers Pass runs, and getting dark fast:

From 2010-12-07

From Glacier to Glacier (Montana to British Columbia)...A Pilgrimage

(The crew on the summit ridge of Mount Cheops, BC)

Just got back this morning after an all night push from Roger's Pass in Glacier NP, British Columbia. Brother JD, samurai Jared, the original Bart G and I left SLC last Thursday and went on a whirlwind tour of some of the most inspiring and breathtaking terrain in North America.

Here's the quick and dirty.

• 6.5 days total
• 2012 miles driven
• 5 days skied in 3 different ranges
• 26,000 vertical feet logged
• 4 summits tagged
• 2 summits abandoned for fear of possible death
• 1 gorgeous backcountry ski mountaineering race completed
• 1 pair of skis destroyed
• 1 night in Kalispell, MT
• 1 night in Golden, BC
• 1 night in the Meadow Hut in the Esplanade range
• 2 nights at Roger's Pass
• 1 night in the car...driving
• Overwhelming quantities of flatus

And here's the long picture version.

PART I:

We woke up Friday morning itching to ski in Glacier NP (in Montana), but had been warned by the locals that the snow was thin, the approaches heinous, and the weather miserable. To the park we went.

At the head of Lake McDonald stands a relatively smallish peak called Mount Stanton. Small by total elevation that is, but decently large by total relief of over 5,000 feet (which was a theme for all the mountains we visited).


Heading up into a large slide path on Mount Stanton with Lake McDonald in the background. (Only took ~4 miles of flat skinning to get here)

Feeling vulnerable, we broke a track up a forested sub ridge that turned into a rime iced old burn.





After punching it above the trees, we became lost in the clouds and entirely too exposed near the starting zone of a huge slide path. Only 500ish feet from the summit, we turned it around and enjoyed ridiculous powder through the above pictured trees...way too early in the trip to try and get all radical.

PART II:

From there we made our way to Golden, British Columbia, where the next day we were flown into the Meadow Hut, nestled way back in the Esplanade Range.

From the Heli on the way in


The Meadow "Hut" with Mount Cupola in the background.


Our group joined 10 others (many of the fastest in Canada and the US) as we were gathering for the first annual Selkirk Classic ski mountaineering race. Put on by Golden Alpine Holidays, the race is held entirely in the backcountry and runs from the Meadow Hut, over Mount Walkabi, along Paradise Ridge, up Mount Cupola, over Sun Bump and Corn Peak, and down to the Sunrise Hut. Our first afternoon, we toured out of Meadow to get a feel for the course and to check out the scenery.

Paradise Ridge


Zahan, Jared, and Bart nearing the summit of Cupola


Jared with Mount Sanford in the Background


Alpenglow on Mount Cupola, highest peak in the Esplanades, with the Rockies across the Columbia Valley


Alpenglow on the Selkirks


The race the next day was a good time with many of the racers from the US and Canadian national teams participating. Jared nearly pulled it off with a 2nd place finish, being edged out by Reiner of the Canadian team. Bart was a solid 4th. I was a meager 7th. And, Jason was 11th or so. I think I'll be back next year too as it was super fun.

Looking at this picture, you know there were some fast people in attendance.



An exciting flight out, buzzing ridges TGR style before banking hard through the cloud deck and back to Golden, brings us to...

PART III:

From Golden we headed up Roger's Pass for our pilgrimage to Mecca. Joining forces with the Jackson crew of Z, Nate, and Carey, we convinced Revelstoke local Reiner to spend a day showing us around. We ended up putting in a Greg Hill style day, skiing Video Peak, from the shoulder of Peak 8812, Mount Cheops, and one last lap up Balu Pass to notch a 10,000 ft day.

Here are the pics:

From the summit of Video Peak with 8812 and Ursus Major in the background


Skiing on Video Peak


Bart got a new camera and has become Ansel Adams overnight. Here he is on the summit ridge of Mount Cheops, probably explaining to us the finer aspects of photography.


Jared booting out of a couloir on the shoulder of Mount Cheops after he and Bart tried to get radical and discovered it cliffs out.
(Photo by BG)

The amazing Selkirks


The next day we awoke to cloudy skies, and knowing we had a long drive ahead, we decided to still try and make the most of our time and headed up the Hermit drainage. We hoped to catch a glimpse of Mount Rogers, Swiss Peak, Mount Sifton, and Little Sifton but the weather looked sour. Since we were lacking in glacier gear, and fighting poor visibility, the plan was to summit and ski Little Sifton. It almost went as planned.

Low clouds obscured the high summits.


Feeling for the summit of Little Sifton.


I tried to put a boot track up the final hundred feet, but a large cliff to my right and a 3 foot wind slab over some nasty facets dissuaded me. We turned it around from there and laughed for 5,000 ft of powder and pillowy features en route to the car and 16 hours later, we pulled into my driveway still laughing...

...particularly thinking about this picture that Ansel Bart shot on the way home.



I'll make a video of the trip over the next couple days that should give a different perspective on the areas.

Selkirk Classic

Andy, Bart, Jason, and I traveled north, far north, to attend the Selkirk Classic, a race put on by Golden Alpine Holidays.  We got ourselves to the town of Golden, British Columbia and then GAH flew us to the Meadow Hut in the Esplanades where the race was held.  The view on the flight in was astounding:

From 2010-12-05

The expanse of the Canadian Rockies makes the Wasatch, well,a bit small.

From 2010-12-05

We arrived at the Meadows Hut on Saturday and GAH guide -- "Russ" -- gave us a nice preview of the race course, and more importantly, the Esplanades.

From 2010-12-05

Although the high pressure created an inversion and overcast skies in the valleys (which sit at about 2000 feet), above the inversion, the weather was perfect and afforded us 360 views of the Selkirks.

From 2010-12-05

On Sunday, for the race, we had great weather again. Because of the logistical issues, the race was capped at 14 racers. Several racers from the US were able to attend as well as racers from the Canadian National Team. At 9:00 am, we lined up in our skinny suits, and we were off. Unfortunately, because I was frothing at the mouth and staring at a skin track, I have no pictures.

On the first climb, a group of five or so got off the front and summited about the same time. Me and the BG were in that group. Unfortunately, several in that group crashed on the bony first descent, giving me and Reiner a slight gap. At the transition at the bottom of the first descent, Reiner got out first, and held the lead until the end.

Finishing order went something like this:

Reiner Thoni
Me
Cary Smith
Bart
Pete Swenson
Andrew McNabb
Andy Dorais
Melanie Bernier
Zahan Billamoria
Nate Brown
Jason Dorais

I was happy with the way my race went. The pressure was on the whole time, and I feel like my training this summer and fall is kicking in.

More than anything, it was fun racing in a new and unique venue. The course was very "Euro" in that it was 100 percent in the backcountry with some fun skinning. We were all very impressed with GAH and their hospitality, and as you can see above, the terrain blew us away. Future home of a North American Pierra Menta?