Category Archives: Backcountry Skiing

Glacier Revisited

During their epic 2013 sojourn cross-country, Ziehl and Catherine had the pleasure of rolling through Glacier National Park. Looks like a hell of a place…wouldn’t it be nice to visit some day? Flash forward to Thanksgiving 2014. Kelly and I are sitting around the remains of a holiday feast surrounded by family. My cousin Chris, himself an avid White Mountains hiker, asks whether or not we have any big plans for the upcoming winter. ‘Not really, but we’re thinking about going someplace cool – nothing’s congealed just yet…’, we explain. ‘You should go see Pete in Glacier!’ he quickly suggests. ‘Pete? Who is Pete?’ I wonder, and ‘Where is Glacier, again? I think Ziehl’s been there, maybe…’ My Uncle Terry and cousin Chris fill us in. Pete was a regular dude, commuting in and out of Boston, just the same as everyone else ’round these parts until he’d had enough. He and his wife Lisa pulled up stakes and moved out to the sticks: northwestern Montana. In fact, they found land more or less surrounded by the National Forest. The ‘homestead’ as they like to call it, is basically off-the-grid: well water, solar and gas power, a wood stove for heating. They’re lucky to have a road that goes most of the way to the house; they snowmobile the last leg in winter and 4-wheel it during mud season.

One of about a million switch backs from the highway to the drive way.

Welcome!

The corral for the horses!

The all-important wood shed, the propane tank, a couple of vintage sleds for transportation back and forth between the winter car port and the house, and of course the homestead.

And they have a bunkhouse! Chris, Terry and my dad all confirm that he’s a good dude – seriously hospitable, and apparently harboring and appetite for wilderness fun comparable to mine and Kelly’s. Honestly maybe even bigger than ours… They encourage us to get in touch. Trusty social media pulls through for us. A few phone calls and emails later and we have travel plans! We decided to tack a GNP segment onto the end of our Downing Mountain Lodge hut trip to make for a grand tour of western Montana. The drive from Downing to the Flathead region took the better part of a day, but after a 4 days of climbing up and down mountains we were ready for a scenic ride.

There was much driving…

A bison herd

This pretty much sums up driving in Montana.

Flathead Lake with GNP looming in the background

The photos from the drive can hardly be expected to do justice – it’s just too hard to capture the scale and grandeur of sweeping vistas of the American West without slowing down, hiking around and pulling out a fancy camera with a big lens. Western Montana was no exception and honestly, I was enthralled with practically every second of the drive.

When we arrive in the Flathead Valley, Pete meets us in town in his trusty Tacoma looking every bit the mountain man we’d heard of: wiry, suntanned, cigarette smoldering, boots spattered in spring mud – the real deal. Kelly gets the grand tour of the neighborhood while riding shotgun in the Tacoma as I follow them through the twisting mountain roads leading up to their land. We ditch the cars at a carport nicknamed ‘Camp 1’ and he shows us to our chalet. After settling in we meet Lisa, and go for a stroll around their extensive land with private trails, sweeping views to south, direct access to the National Forest, their private mountain: a little slice of paradise!

‘Camp 2’

Very cozy!

Kelly makes herself at home at ‘Camp 2’

We really had only two days to spend with Pete and Lisa, so we had to optimize. We decided to spend the first day skiing, before we were robbed of any additional snow pack. We, then would spend the second day sightseeing and cruising around. Our timing was was perfect – after some quick consultation with his fellow locals, Pete steered us out to Divide Mountain for a beautiful day of spring skiing on the imposing Divide Mountain. After a stunning drive straight through GNP, a quick jaunt through the Blackfeet Nation, and some brief 4-wheeling, we were at the trail head. We set an easy skin track through a ghostly, burned forest, toward the largely treeless apron at the bottom of Divide Mountain. Armed with super-light Nordic touring gear, Pete and Lisa settled in for a PB&J lunch at the base of the apron, while Kelly and I pushed a bit higher. The snow, only recently emerged from the chilly shade, was at least pencil hard, and a tad sketchy at the steeper inclines. Kelly and I eventually bailed on the climbing in favor of the comfort of steel edges. We enjoyed a couple of quick descents with 270 degrees of spectacular views.

Divide Mountain

Kelly leads the charge on the final stretch

Pete and Lisa chasing Kelly across a scrapey, windblown snow pack.

Pete surveys the lay of the land

Almost there!

Game face!

Lunch time…

The climb… Could’ve used ski crampons. Maybe even real crampons. And a mountaineering ax. Glad I decided to lug all that straight across the country and then leave them in my duffel bag back at the cabin…

After topping out at our respective top-outs, Kelly took two quick runs and I took one longer run before we decided to pack up and head back to the car. Satisfied by our relaxing spring schuss, we cruised and bushwhacked back to the car where we plotted some further adventuring.

With plenty of strong daylight ahead of us, Pete brought us on a quick tour through a few nearby attractions. We hoped to go home via the Going to the Sun road – allegedly a spectacular traverse back through the park – but when we got there it was still choked with deep snow. Kelly and I wrapped up the day with a supreme BBQ feast and a can (or two) of Mountain Man Scotch Ale.

…I mean after all, the website’s called One Water, One Coffee, One Beer…

On day two with Pete and Lisa we woke to even milder temperatures and a bit of drizzle. Having filled our appetite for hiking, skiing and general toiling we went for the grand tour. Again, Pete and Lisa served as expert personal tour guides, stopping periodically to fill us in on all of the most interesting features of the land.

Pete and Lisa lead the way

Moose country?

The Flathead River – sparkling glacial water!

Deer country!

Thanks again for the great memories Lisa and Pete! We can’t wait to come back!

Overkill!

This represents the first ‘lengthy’ video I’ve done in quite a while. After roughly a year of considerable slacking, and the associated accumulation of interesting footage, I decided enough was enough. No point in owning two GoPros and two expensive point-and-shoots without ever doing anything cool with the footage. In the end, this video uses on the the Hero 3 Black and HD Hero footage – the rest of the stills I’m saving for subsequent projects.

One of my goals for this project was to collect up all of the clips which were cool but did not really warrant a standalone treatment. Additionally, I really wanted to focus on quality over quantity. I settled on a thematically appropriate soundtrack which was only moderately long and lent itself to the ‘story’ being told. With the intent of producing what is essentially a mashup of miscellaneous old footage, a moderately long soundtrack should let me cram in a lot of random stuff without feeling the need to add filler or fade out the music after I’ve run our of exciting footage. The numerous ‘false endings’ provide the ability to naturally segment the clips and offer some periodic changes in tempo. Also, it’s Motorhead. Seriously, there is not enough classic heavy metal in action sports or pop culture, or really anywhere…

Montana Lodge Life

The plan was hatched before the East got pummeled with snow and the West had one of the lowest snow years on record. In a way, it worked out. Sweeney and Kelly flew out and Catherine, Dylan, Atlas and I met them in Montana for some hut living, hot tubing, warm weather, and spring skiing.

We had a 8.5 hour drive from Seattle across the state, through Idaho and over 3 mountain passes. With Atlas still only 6 months, it was our first long trip with a dog in tow, and while he did well, it’s a bit different road tripping with a dog. But this story is about spending a few days up on a ridge with friends in western Montana, and doing some skiing, so let’s focus on that. Unfortunately Dylan and Catherine had to work part of the time, but we all got to enjoy the views and the hut amenities.

Dawn on Downing Mountain from our motel.

Sunrise on Downing Mountain Lodge from Sweeney’s goPro.

We met at a motel the night before, and it was great to see old friends again. The next morning, Sweeney, Kelly and I drove up early to ski until the hut was open to us. Catherine and Dylan took care of the pup and met us after.

Usually, there’s several feet of snow blocking the road for the last 1.5 miles to the lodge. Not this year. We drove up, and still had about a half mile hike to the snow each way. Behind us, the avalanche basin and upper zone glistened in the midday sun on the upper mountain.

Skinning commenced in the base of the gully and we set a steep track up. Luckily the snow had plenty of time to consolidate and the Low danger meant we were mostly concerned with timing the corn right. Day one was mostly a quick up and back, following the skier’s right side of the gully where some lightly crusted powder lay. The hike out was what made it unique.

That evening we all sampled Montana brews, and enjoyed the hot tubs and dry sauna and sunset over the valley below. We let Atlas outside on a long lead but as he’d never been ‘off leash’ outside a dog park, we kept an eye on him.

Day Two

We set out sights a bit higher for the second day, and skinning up past our previous days top out over the looker’s right shoulder and neared the summit ridge. Up there we found cool lines and some powder. Sweeney wanted to push on, but Kelly and I were content to hang out. I found myself in especially rough shape after being sick for months.

Sweeney got the best views as he pressed on a bit higher than us, all around were snow capped peaks and enough lines for a lifetime.

On the descent we found some variable powder, then snaked through trees in the burn zone and back out to the main gully.

We were hoping to make an afternoon group jaunt with skis, skins and snowshoes, but because of the lack of snow we instead took short walks on old logging roads and hung around the lodge.

Day 3

The last day I was pretty beat. Sweeney, Kelly and I make the trek up once again, first to our ski cache, and then following our day old skin track. The day was warm and I wanted to maximize lounging, so I turned around and did my best to make the most of the pristine corn for one last run. Sweeney and Kelly followed suit not far behind after they’d gained a few hundred more vert. They still had a whole second half left of their trip. After one more day at Downing Mountain they were headed to Whitefish.

Catherine and Atlas greeted me at the lodge. After we said our hellos and were headed inside, Atlas spotted a crow, and took off exploring for the first time. We were a little concerned at first, but he came back when called, and after handing out treats to everyone, we turned it into a fun game. By the afternoon he was playing fetch in the yard and was good and beat from romping about in the open spaces.

Day 4

We let Atlas tire himself out a bit as we packed up for the long ride come. We chased the sunset across Washington, where it beat us to the horizon near Ellensburg. After the long drive, we felt good to be home.

Here’s a short video of some of my skiing footage from the trip. Sweeney has much more, and everyone snapped some great shots of the trip.

Good Karma

Over the weekend Karma payed dividends in the form of the ol’ white gold! It all started with getting Xterrible stuck in a ditch on a snowy roadside somewhere in Vermont…

…As we arrived at the trail head, as described by a friend of a friend, we attempted to pull onto the shoulder and out of the road. I flipped on the 4WD and crept into the half foot or so of fluff on the edge of the road…only to be promptly pulled into a ditch immediately beside the road. Strongly suspecting I’d just sabotaged our day, Kelly and I exchanged dubious glances as I threw it into reverse and vainly tried to pull out of the snow. No dice. We shoveled a bit. Also not helpful. In a last-ditch effort, Kelly took the wheel while I pushed. The notion of me pushing a 5000 lb car is pretty ridiculous, but the idea of three of me pushing a 5000 lb car begins to sound plausible. If only there were two more of me…

Right on cue, two burly snowmobilers emerged at the trail and took notice of our plight. They strolled over and with one big heave between the bunch of us, we had the car back on the road. We thanked them profusely, cleared out a proper parking area, and started getting our gear ready for the tour.

As we concluded our gear harmonizing, a jovial ski-bum looking fellow rolled up in an old Toyota T-100 truck and introduced himself. Turns out this guy was also here to explore the unknown stashes that were thought to lay somewhere in the woods beyond. We teamed up with out new touring partner Zach, and the blind led the blind into the woods.

We followed the snowmobile trail into the forest; an easy skin after maybe a dozen snow machines packed it out for us. After 30 minutes or so we came around a corner to find a couple of sledders trying to drag a their machine back onto the trail, where it had apparently slid off. Sympathetic to their plight, Zach and I put our backs into it, and between the four of us had the sled back on the trail in a jiffy.

Having balanced our pool of Karma we traveled deeper into the woods in search of the elusive powder stashes. After a series of fortuitous educated guesses we happened across the elicit goods! We set a skin track up one of the best looking pitches and indulged in several laps of powdery euphoria.

Update: video now available here.

Gear List

POC Synapsis 2.0 Helmet White, S

POC engineers backed up with ultralight shell of the Synapsis XP Helmet with APB technology that provides supreme protection in a feathery 13oz package. A new turnring adjustment system allows you to dial the fit of the 2. 0 to your liking quickly and easily. Two oversized vents allow fresh air to enter and circulate your lid so hot-headed shredders can send cliffs or throw down in the park in cool comfort. Ballistic APB places a layer of pentration-proof Aramid between the molded shell and liner, allowing for a thin outer shell that’s both ultralight and protectiveAn EPS liner provides single-impact protection that keeps your head safe without weighing you downOptional visor is included for keeping the sun out of your eyes or looking wicked gnarly

GoPro HERO4 Black Edition One Color, One Size

If you take a look at the tech specs of the new GoPro Hero4 Black Edition camera, and then give us a call to point out some mistakes we made in the numbers, because you simply don’t believe them, we won’t be entirely shocked. The new Hero4 Black is the most advanced camera GoPro has made, and it boasts capture capabilities that rival cameras that cost ten times as much. The 4 is an eye-popping evolution of the already-impressive Hero3+ camera, and that’s where engineers started when they really wanted to knock it out of the park, and then some. The Hero3 and the 3+ were incredibly capable cameras, indeed, but the new Hero4 generation takes things to the next level. A lot has changed, but some basics haven’t, such as the overall dimensions of the camera. Exterior dimensions of the camera itself and its cases are all virtually unchanged. The Hero’s fantastic, wide-angle, six-element aspherical lens (f/2. 8-6. 0) also remains unchanged, ensuring the same stunning clarity and scope of your photos and videos, at virtually any light level, as we came to expect from the 3. Three field of view settings — ultra-wide, medium, and narrow — grant you an unmatched selection of perspectives. And for those lower light conditions, GoPro introduces new Night Photo and Night Lapse long-exposure imaging modes. Those mesmerizing time-lapse pictures of the stars trailing through a dark sky, or the rivers of headlights and taillights that form when capturing an urban scene at night? They’re yours to take now. Customizable settings for exposures of up to 30 seconds — whether taken individually or in Time Lapse mode for successive hours or exposures — mean you can capture an almost unlimited range of time-lapse events with the utmost precision. Also new to the Hero4 is its sound-capturing abilities. GoPro fielded feedback from audiophiles and everyday users alike to fine-tune the Hero’s microphone, which now captures far greater fidelity and boasts almost double the dynamic range of ..