Bass to Sweeney (x3)

Three different ways to traverse from Bass creek to the Sweeney trailhead.  Although I content Bass to Lolo is more definitive ski tour, Bass to Sweeney is a great outing with many variations, and much easier to shuttle.

Ben making good time near Duffy Lake

3/2:  It felt a bit spicy to cast off just a few days out from the largest avalanche cycle of the year, but both Ben and I surmised avalanche danger would work out, and it did.  We had a couple of morning hiccups, and weren't walking out of the trailhead until after 7 am.  Not surprisingly, by employing my route knowledge and Ben's fitness, we made up a good bit of time and summited Big Saint Joe in good spirits.  And after skiing an icy North face, Ben's assessment was that falling posed a significantly higher risk than avalanche.  A few hours of enlightening conversation got us to the Pyramid Butte col for the most avalanche exposed run of the day, which went smoothly.  We rolled down to Duffy Lake and made a high flat traverse before climbing to the West ridge of Sweeney.  Not caring to engage the craggy West ridge, we instead opted for a corn run in the safest corner of the bowl South of the peak (most of the bowl had avalanched, D3 a few days prior), then climbed to the East / skier's summit.  We did not go the the true Sweeney Summit.  The exit was quick and we returned to the car at dusk.  It was a treat to share this day with Ben.  And the tour was most excellent.  Recommended.

Climbing out of Sweeney Creek with our Big Joe run in the background.

Ben on our final high point.

Buddies.

3/22:  I returned a few weeks later with Leah to repeat the tour, but with lower avalanche danger, we intended to summit East Pyramid Butte and ski the complex Northeast face.  Our first hiccup of the day came when the creek crossing was too icy to cross safely, and we made the dumb decision to take the summer trail.  An hour and a half and hundreds of down trees later, we were back on track on the normal climb up Big Saint Joe.  The North face was icy and tested our edges and exposure tolerance.  It was nice to get to the bottom of the run, eat lunch, and cast up Pyramid Butte in the pleasant sun.  

Pyramid Butte Northeast was fun - not great snow, but safe.  The back end of the day was long.  Leah's high gravity day caught up with her, and getting back to the Sweeney ridge was a slow Snickers-fueled grind.  Responding, we cut off the climb to the summit of Sweeney and climbed just high enough to eke 10k out of the day before cruising out.

Leah starting down Pyramid Buttes.

7/19:  I used the day as a recon trip for a planned Lolo to Sky Pilot traverse.  I decided to minimize car driving, and bike shuttled from the Bass creek trailhead to a safe distance above houses on the Sweeney road before stashing the bike and cutting switchbacks on the road on foot.  It worked quite well, and coupled with a downfall free trail (thanks Selway-Bitterroot Foundation and Forest Service trail crews), I made excellent time to Holloway lake and the summit of West Pyramid Butte.  My primary goal was to dial the ridge to Stormy Joe in, so I took my time and was elated to find a very smooth line all the way.  The egress from Stormy Joe was enjoyable, with a quick stop at Bass lake and romp out out on the Bass creek trail.  This is a good enough summer outing that I'll probably do it again.  

Stormy Joe to West Pyramid Butte route tidbits:  With care, the ridge can be navigated at 3rd class.  It is easiest to go North to South and climb the most difficult terrain.  The South ridge of Pyramid Butte can be negotiated with detours just off the crest on both sides.  There is an intermediate peak where a bypass on the West through a bolder field is much easier than staying on the crest.  The North Ridge of Stormy Joe is craggy, but can be bypassed by detouring off the ridge around 8,700 feet where it gets steep on the West side to a small col on the West face.  From the col, a ledge can be traversed into the primary gully system, and it's easy scrambling to the summit.  Maybe a bit scrappy in spots, but all very safe and technically easy.  

Stormy Joe North ridge bypass.

Trapper Grand Slam

Looking to Trapper from my skiing high point on North Trapper.

2/7/2026:  I returned to Trapper for the Grand Slam, linking Oh My God chute, North Trapper Southeast face and gully, Trapper North gully, and the Gem Lake couloir.  With a proper early start, I was on top of Oh My God at 9 am.  The entrance cornice afforded easy-enough entrance on the skier's right margin, and the chute skied well.  The climb to North Trapper and ascent was smooth, and I summited at 11:40, excited to get off the mountain before it warmed up more.  Skiing was a bit overcooked but good, and I linked turns from my skis on point to the base with the exception of the choke.  I think I was tired from Rando Radness, and the rest of the day was good but slow.  

Looking back up the Oh My God chute.

Trapper was fun, the climb up the Gem Lake exit was slow but uneventful, and the climb up the Gem Lake couloir was OK.  I didn't like spending so much time under the huge hanging cornices in the couloir, but was sufficiently motivated by completing the grand slam to just do it.  Soon enough, I was stepping in just under the corniced entrance.  The couloir skied well, and the exit to the road was good until I hit mushy and eventually isothermal snow around the trailhead.  Soft snow made the egress slow, and it wasn't until dark that I returned to the car, very tired but totally fired up by making the most of a very lackluster January dry spell.

Following my old bootpack from two weeks prior up the Gem return couloir.

In the Gem Lake Couloir.

I think the Grand Slam is a cool and challenging link up, but the objective hazard associated with glide avalanches on North Trapper and cornices in the Gem Lake couloir, challenge in getting North Trapper done with safe conditions, and sheer length will likely keep it from being a classic, or a tour that people do often.  Exact stats are lost to poor memory, but 10k and done in about 12 hours car to car.

Preamble:  1/19/26:  I did a similar tour without the Gem Lake couloir and with a run in the Gem Lake return couloir, which lit the spark for the Grand Slam.  The highlight of the tour was discovering that North Trapper was in fine condition in January, and skiing it with perfect corn conditions from 150 vertical feet below the summit (I climbed to the summit without skis).  

Ready to drop in on Trapper, with the North Trapper run in the backgound.

Warren Peak, Southeast Face

The Southeast gully is the central gully that leaves the looker's left skyline
about 300 vertical feet below the summit.

5/20/2025 After years of Warren Wallowing in the same manner, I've taken to trying a few new things.  For the 18th annual Warren Wallow, conditions lined up for a good mid-week excursion, so I rallied early with the intent of skiing the Southeast face down to the West Fork of Fishtrap Creek.  It is hard to get eyes on this face from anywhere, so I just rolled the dice and hoped it would be in condition.  The approach to Edith lake and ascent of the Southwest face all went smoothly.  I was grateful to have reasonable visibility to snag a good view of the line from the South ridge, which allowed me to confirm there was snow and scout an entrance around the cornice.  From the summit, I navigated a sharky line down the wind swept upper Southwest face, then traversed hard skier's left to the upper Southeast face.  The rest of the run transitioned from ice to something resembling softening corn. Great run and mostly good old fashioned fun skiing. 

Looking down the Warren Southeast face run.

I noted that Southwest face of peak 10,259 (the beautiful craggy one above Warren lake) was also well filled in, and had enough time to go have a look.  The climb was easy, and I ended up skiing the face from the summit, which was also most excellent.  From the bottom, I climbed back to the obvious broad saddle north of McGlaughlin Peak and exited by Edith lake.  A clean transition to running shoes below the lake made for a reasonably quick exit.  It was really fun to do something new on Warren, and I spotted yet another new line that piqued my interest.  Fodder to keep using the Warren Wallow as a way to further explore this mountain.   

10,259. I skied the obvious central gully.

Minor note: I exited along the South shore of Edith lake.  Getting around lakeside cliffs was just tricky enough that I think the summer trail on the North side of the lake is preferable, even with annoying intermittent snow.  

Holland to Holland traverse on skis (V2)

This was my best ski day of 2025.  The idea was to repeat my 2016 traverse in the other direction with better ski lines.  As such, when the persistent January facet layer finally settled down, I rolled out of town extra early, dropped a bike at the end of drivable snow on the Rumble Creek road, and was trudging from the Holland trailhead by 5 am. From Holland lookout shortly after first light, I made a traversing run North, then scrapped my way up the South Face of Woodward.  

Looking back at toward the Holland lookout from the Woodward climb.

To my slight surprise, shallow slabs caused some concern, and the North face of the peak did not look as well filled in as I had anticipated.  However, it seemed reasonable to proceed down the North gully, albeit with some additional scouting and careful choice of entrance.  The fall line goes way way down to Woodward lake, and I cut a full run very short by traversing at a logical point to keep 'er moving North.  Soon I was walking across Rubble lake on my way up to point 8,485.  I skied the Northwest gully, which was quite scoured but safe and a nice run.  The next few hours were spent crossing the crest, making a short East facing run, and climbing Buck.  

Woodward was nice.

Looking back at the 8,485 line.

Up Buck.

My tour plan was to ski the North ridge of Buck, but recent crowns on similar aspects raised concern. Nevertheless I decided to start down and get a feel for conditions.  Just 50 feet into the run, I came to a point where I would have to commit to the exposure of the line, and I simply had a gut feeling that the North face line didn't feel right.  So I sidestepped up and out and enjoyed a nice rip down the South face.  No idea if my decision making was "right" or "wrong", but I have no regrets.  Maybe it was the wind or accumulated elevation or simply accumulated stress from a crappy few months in politics, but I kind of cracked on the climb up Holland and barely drug myself to the top.  

The rest of the day was great.  Holland skiing was completely wind hammered but still good fun, and the climb over the crest and ensuing run was nice.  I did try skiing as far as possible down the South Fork of Rumble creek instead of following the customary summer trail egress, but the downfall choked traverse back to the summer trail was interesting, and I would have been better off sticking with the normal route.  

Heading home.

Soon enough, I was capping the day off, biking back along the highway with skis on the pack.  With a big enough grin that drivers probably thought I was certified crazy rather than in a state of bliss from a hard, magical day in the mountains.

I think this is one of the best long tours around.  Iconic mountains, good skiing, and committing and challenging enough to feel like an achievement.  It would be cleaner and more modern with the North face of Buck.

Ward 3 (8,799) North and other diversion

The conceptual framework for the day was to ski Bitterroot peak to creek runs before low elevation snow melted, and I was excited to share it with partners.  When the response to a 4 am meet up was greeted with enthusiasm, I knew we were probably in for a good day.

A few hours later, it was go time, and I found myself chasing two headlamps as they faded up into the darkness.  Clearly, I had my work cut out trying to keep up.  We summited Ward at 8 am sharp, and pieced icy snow strips together down the South face, exiting skier's right a bit early in order to traverse as far up drainage as possible.  Another good push put us on top of the BRIBE as the South face just started to soften into tepid corn.  The ensuing run was delightful.  

Climbing to West Camas with our first run in the background.

Even with the proper early start, the climb out of the North Fork of Lost Horse creek was hot, and we arrived back on West Camas a bit cooked.  On the return, we took two fun short runs (North face of West Camas and the upper Northeast face of the Fin) before casting off down the 3,600 vertical foot skier's right gully on Ward 3 (8,799).  To my immense pleasure, the run ended being really fun with decent snow top to bottom, a variety of interesting terrain, and a bit of wrangling in the brush down low to give it the Bitterroot seal of approval.  

Last up with the Fin in the background.

Mid way down the Ward 3 run, as things started to get interesting.

We took a good break in the warm sun at Roaring Lion creek.  The exit ended up being quite horrid.  It appears that the trail has not been cleared in several years, and constant, heavy downfall made for a slow skins-on exit with lots of acrobatics to negotiate down trees.  All in all a great way to wrap up what ended up being a short but quality period of excellent skiing with lots of low elevation snow.