Ever since I wandered into this rare area of the Beartooth Mountains I have wanted to come back.
This time around I enlisted Doug Shepherd to join me on a mission to complete a route that has been on my bucket list for many years.
A long snowmobile ride and a long approach on skis will bring you into the heart of the beartooths. This place is unlike any other place I have been in the U.S. and always amazes me in its size and remoteness.
Doug and I were loaded down with full packs for a big day of climbing and skiing.
Ski tracks in an untouched landscape
Snowmobile tracks in an untouched landscape
We had big plans to climb an ice route, but with a fresh blanket of about a foot of snow the avy danger was a bit too high. In order to get to our objective we had to traverse below some very big couloirs so we decided to bag our initial objective and just get out for a great day of skiing. We ditched our packs and began skinning up a very cool peak.
The views were good
Doug taking in the views and checking out the possibilities
Doug and I psyched to be out together and enjoying some good turns
Myself enjoying the fresh powder and incredible conditions
Doug heading back to the sled after a good day
Love this place !
After a good day of skiing and a long approach its good to see the sled at the end of the today to take you back home the last miles.
Sometimes you start the day with your eye on a big objective, but its always important to keep your options open. We took the time to get back into this area and were a bit bummed that out objective was not going to happen, but we suddenly realized there was amazing ski conditions all around us. Its hard to have a bad time when your in the mountains.
