Category Archives: Backcountry Skiing

Yankee Boy Basin 13er Ski Descents

      2 Comments on Yankee Boy Basin 13er Ski Descents

With several feet of new snow falling up north and the ensuing avalanche issues still fresh in our minds, our group decided to head down south to ski in Yankee Boy this past weekend. With good coverage and a low CAIC rating, the excellent weather forecast is what put us over the edge. The San Juans are indeed a commitment to drive to from Denver, but with a combination of factors as perfect as we had, pulling the trigger was an easy call. For years Brian and I have looked forward to skiing some of the lessar-known lines in the basin. Keep reading…

Kicking Things Off in the Southern Mountains

      No Comments on Kicking Things Off in the Southern Mountains

Brian, Rick, and I decided to load up the car with gear and drive down to the San Juans this past weekend. We were not entirely sure what we’d find in terms of snow stability and coverage, but we managed to talk ourselves into taking the plunge. Tracking the CAIC reports and weather the week prior to our departure helped somewhat, but it’s nearly impossible to drive 350 miles to go ski steep terrain in March and feel totally confident about your decision. That said, we did have some reliable local beta that seemed to be giving us a green light. Keep reading…

Insights into the Pacific Northwest: Good Snow and Bad Weather

      No Comments on Insights into the Pacific Northwest: Good Snow and Bad Weather

width=600

Six of us pulled into the Paradise parking lot on June 2nd, eager to gear up and approach Mount Rainier for a ski attempt on the 3rd. The previous night we had sat on the porch of the Whittaker Bunk House contemplating our future as rain pelted the roof over our heads for hours on end. Skeptical moods were only reinforced when we arrived at a socked in Rainier Rainier Ranger Station and received reports of heavy weather/precipitation over the previous week. Read more…

Fletcher Mountain: Northeast Couloir

      No Comments on Fletcher Mountain: Northeast Couloir

Marc and I set off from the gate at the same time as the previous weekend, intent on skiing Fletcher. With the approach through McCullough fresh in our minds we were able to make good time to treeline. Following our skin/ski tracks from the weekend prior, we wound our way up though numerous hills and rolls until we were greeted with a full on view of Atlantic. Keep Reading…