Bailing into upper Sweeney Creek

I celebrated Martin Luther King day with Jeffrey deep in the Bitterroot.  It felt like an important time to reflect on race relations in light of the recent election, and it was nice to  have some time in the mountains.

Climbing in the South Fork of Sweeney creek on an impeccable day.
Pyramid Buttes in the background.

We headed out from the Bass creek trailhead by headlamp, waiting for the sunrise.  It is always a big climb to Little St. Joe, but we put one foot in front of the other, eventually summiting a little under three hours into the day.  After skiing over the top via the krumholtz laden west ridge, we ripped skins, and skied a good run north into the South fork of Sweeney creek.  The upper 1,500 feet of powder skiing was excellent, with steep glades and a tree lined gully.  After re-grouping, we made a long westward traverse down to the creek and took an early lunch stop.  It is only a short skin to the base of Pyramid Buttes, and we were climbing into the sun in the Southeast gully less than four hours after leaving the car.  To our surprise, the snow had not baked down in the last day or so, and we were immediately faced with thin shooting cracks as we started up.  After a quick avalanche discussion, we climbed another hundred feet and dug a pit to assess.  Even with relatively reassuring tests in the lower snowpack (CT20Q2/3 at 40 cm), there was enough uncertainty with fresh slabs higher on the peak that we decided to bail.

Good skiing into Sweeney creek.

Not feeling it.

It was a little underwhelming skiing the 20 turn run back to the creek, but live to ski another day. With hours of time remaining, we made a quick push into the headwaters, regaling each other with tales of previous bailing experiences.  Next up was an obvious bowl right at the head of the drainage, so we got to work climbing it.  The ensuing 2,000 foot run of moderate rolling terrain and boot top powder was excellent. With  an extra hour in the day, Jeffrey took a big trailbreaking block, and lead us to the top of an nondescript knob on the Sweeney/Lolo Creek crest. The warm, clear views from the summit were unique, featuring the craggiest of the Bitterroot summits all in a line to the south.  Pretty cool. Anyway, the ensuing run was excellent.

Starting down the low angle upper snowfield on the third run.
Big St. Joe in the background.

We skied the obvious knob for our fourth run.

On the knob! Stormy Joe in the background. 

More good powder skiing.

At this point, we had bounced our way all the way to the headwaters, and a simple 1,000 vertical foot climb put us on the Big/Stormy saddle.  My memory of the run down to Bass creek was poor, but it all skied well.  We had to break trail down canyon a few miles, but soon enough we were back on an established track, and enjoyed the very easy exit down Bass creek to the car.  A touch over 10,000 vertical feet done in about eleven hours car to car at a moderate pace that had us pleasantly fatigued at the end.

Heading home from the Big/Stormy saddle.

Thoughts: We could have probably pushed up Pyramid Buttes, but it was nice to instead do something new.  This is actually a great tour, one I would do again.  It does require moderate avalanche danger, but there are a lot of options, and everything flows, aside from shenanigans getting from the Little St. Joe summit to Sweeney creek.  Skiing in the upper S. Fk is vast and it is nothing short of tragic that there is not a Forest Service trail into the drainage.

Sky Pilot and then some via Gash, 2017

Andrew and I rallied out to Sky Pilot mid way through a period of cold high pressure.  Even after throwing around a few more creative ski tour ideas, it seemed prudent to just go for an old favorite tour.  Just a few days after hearing about Ben's avalanche fatality, I was on edge all day.  But it was good to just get out and feel the bite of cold air and mounting fatigue from a full day in the mountains on which Ben thrived.

Climbing above Bear Lake. Ski options abound. Our third run
is visible on the right margin of the photo. Photo: Andrew

We left the car a touch before dawn, and made the standard tour out to Gash proper.  The established track only went to the standard South bowl cutoff, and I think we were the first party past Gash this year, so it ended up being a full day of trail breaking.

Sky Pilot, from Gash, with the shaded North face beckoning.  Photo: Andrew

From Bear lake, we decided to head straight to the North face of Sky Pilot.  To my surprise, two hasty pits revealed only moderately bonded snow interfaces around 40 cm deep, but we continued up through relatively benign terrain to the base of the face itself and dug a third pit.  Extended column tests failed to propagate, and coupled with other signs of stability, we felt reasonable continuing to the summit.  To my minor dismay, chunky wind slabs skied remarkably poorly all the way down the peak.  Fortunately snow quality improved on the rolling terrain back to the lake.

Skiing to the tarn below the North face of Sky Pilot. Photo: Andrew

I had hoped to ski a second run in the vicinity of the lake, and there was just enough time left in the day, so we simply opted for the safest skiers left tree lane above the lake.  It was a big climb to the top, but we cranked it out, and were rewarded with good skiing back to the lake.  The exit climb was long as always, and I had some biting neuroma foot pain, but we were back at Gash soon enough, and the exit ski was fast and quite enjoyable.  By the numbers, 10,800 vertical feet, done in right around 10 hours car to car.

Thoughts:  I still contend Sky Pilot is one of the great long Bitterroot tours.  It was good to get out for a long day, and finally add an additional run to the tour, which makes it into a full and demanding outing.  It was great to get out with Andrew and ski a lot of stuff. For driving, plan on parking at the end of the snow plowing, about 1.5 miles shy of the lower trailhead.

Glen Lakes - proper tour

I finally made out to Glen lakes for an exploratory tour on New Year's day observed.  This zone has been a ski haunt for years, but without a snowmobile, I had never devoted a day to skiing around the lakes.  With a cold bitter forecast, we set the start time an hour late and headed out layered to the hilt.  Morning motivation was low. In fact, I kind of just wished I could spend the day on the couch with Sam.

Good times on the skin track.

The approach was fast enough.  We parked at a turnout at the end of the plowing (about a half mile past the Big Creek road junction) and skinned up the road a few miles before setting a skin track directly to the broad saddle east of the lakes. To our delight, there was not a breath of wind in the air, and snow conditions were good.  Motivation spiked to normal levels, and would stay high for the remainder of the day.  We more or less followed the summer trail to the upper lake and climbed to the ridge north of the lake. Short tree runs above both lakes are the obvious ski lines, but we instead skied the 2,000 vertical foot northeast cirque below the lakes, which drops toward Big Creek.  We lucked out by nosing our way into perhaps the best moderate line in the cirque, and were pleased to find boot top powder top to bottom.  After a frosty lunch break, we swapped trail breaking leads on the climb back out, and put a track in to the top of the obvious high point west of the lake.  A quick and enjoyable run, followed by a quick skin on our old track had us poised to ski the 2,000' shot again for our third run.  Our line was not so good this time, but I was happy with just skiing another big run with good powder on what we had all expected would be a cold, bitter, generally unpleasant day.

Climbing toward the sun after our first run.

Cold snow, crisp light, fatigue from a day on the move.
Backcountry skiing at its finest.

Andrew starting down the second run.

From the bottom of the run, we decided to climb directly south back to the summer trail (instead of returning to the lakes).  Fortunately, we spent very little time bushwacking, and the climb was quick and efficient.  We did kind of screw up the egress, but never got hopelessly stuck or lost, and were back at the car just an hour after ripping skins. About 7,500 vertical feet, done in a hair over 8 hours at a respectable pace with stops to deal with the cold.

Thoughts:  I was pleased about the relatively good low to mid-elevation coverage and reasonable stability.  Not a bad early season snowpack.  This was also my third day on new powder skis (Black Diamond Carbon Converts), mounted by the good folks at LB snow.  So far the skis are superior to the Huascarans in almost every way.

Runs in red, Approach/Egress in green.

Ski terrain was about what I had expected.  Although I don't think we took the best route, no matter how you do it, the approach to Glen lakes is long, about an hour longer than Gash, and the egress is fairly complex.  The obvious ski runs above the lake are all good, but short.  I think adding the big run into the day, however, makes the tour a lot more satisfying without a lot more effort.  A basic "proper" tour would be to snag a run just past the saddle on the way in (instead of traversing along the summer trail), ski the normal run above the upper lake, make a short climb back north, and ski the skier's left line on the bowl below the lakes, then exit straight back up to your uptrack at the saddle east of the lakes.  Done in this manner, a fit party should be able to spend a long day skiing good and relatively safe runs without too much approaching and egressing.  There are good options to extend the tour into steeper and deeper terrain.  Hidden peak, chutes south into Sweathouse, and chutes north into Big Creek.  With adequate stability and good fitness, look at a map and get creative.  A snowmobile, used efficiently, would save about two hours of approach/egress.

Looking across Big creek to the Heavenly twins.

... And so it begins 2017

Track refilling between laps.  Good to be back on skis.

The first day back in Missoula also corresponded with my first full available day in the mountains in several months, so I went skiing despite a horrendous forecast.  With high avalanche danger, thin coverage, an a desire to simply get a lot of vertical in, I kept it simple and skied just outside the Snowbowl boundary.  The day was straightforward: skin to the top of Point 6, take a standard Jenny Bowl lap, then yo-yo the east shoulder of Jenny Bowl for the remainder of the day.  Although it is out of the way, I enjoy the east/skier's left shoulder for its low angle and generally wind protected skiing.  The weather deteriorated throughout the day as forecast.  By the end, trees were crashing down (one on the skin track, one adjacent to the track, and two in the ski area boundary), snow was blowing sideways, and it was easy to cut the day one run short to finish in the daylight.

Frosty grin between laps.

Lots of tracks, all my own, proper solo yo-you skiing.

The skiing was just OK.  I have had better first days, but I have also certainly had much, much worse.  As predicted, the snowpack structure is poor and bottomless and well below average at the mid to upper elevations.  Nevertheless, it was great to get back on skis and hammer out a respectable day.  Right around 10k vertical, done in about 9.5 hours at an aerobic pace with stops to manage the weather.

Ninemile high points

I have tended to shy away from trails in the Ninemile, citing long road drives, short trails, and poor trail maintenance.  But, by biking from the valley, the peaks of the Ninemile become engaging outings with sub-30 minute drives from Missoula.  Since my poor broken big toe is still on the mend from an unfortunate growler-to-toe accident, it seemed prudent to mix a lot of biking into these outings.  No worries, because I have always enjoyed time on a bike.

Ch-paa-qn + Edith preak road loop
I rolled out from the bottom of the Sixmile road in the dark on a foggy Saturday morning.  By daybreak, I had passed the Ninemile ranger station, and was well up the Edith peak road.  There were a lot of hunters, but I figured a bright blue shirt and blinking bike light should be sufficient to identify myself as a human.  Sunrise was spectacular, especially with the valley shrouded in undercast.  It was fun to grind away at a moderate pace, and I was at the Reservation divide less than two hours after leaving the car,  After a quick transition to running shoes, I ran the Reservation divide trail to the base of the peak, then slip slid my way up through bear grass and frosty talus to the summit.  Ch-paa-qn has one of the most striking views around, especially of the Missions and Flathead valley, and the undercast added to the drama.  A bitter wind on the summit was not sufficient to dampen my spirits.

Sunrise!  It was a lot more striking in person. 

Summit view out to the Missions.

Thumbs up while looking South along the Reservation divide.

Summit view looking down the Ninemile to the Bitterroot and Graves creek ranges.

In deference to big broken left toe, I took my time carefully descending frosty talus to the trail, and made it without a single toe stub.  The run out to the road was fun.  From the trailhead, I skimmed along muddy roads for a few miles toward Edith peak before layering up for the cold downhill ride to Sixmile.  With my mountain bike out of commission, I was on the cross bike, and was not looking forward to bone jarring ride down. But it went quickly enough, and I was soon spinning out the last few miles to the truck.  4.45 at steady aerobic pace.  30++ miles.

Thoughts
Adding a bike component to the outing shortens the drive to 25 minutes from town, and makes it a more fulfilling outing. There are a ton of good road loops in the Sixmile/Ninemile.  Just doing the Edith peak road loop would be a very good 3 hour circuit, but it is only one of many good road circuits. I need to do Ch-paa-qn from the house some day as a grand loop, riding to Ravalli, jamming up to the Reservation divide from the east, and returning to town via the Edith peak and the frontage road.

Three lakes peak + Ninemile tour
I was able to take an afternoon off from a busy work schedule and play.  With peaks of the Ninemile largely below snowline, I decided to park at the Ninemile house, bike a bunch of flat dirt road to the head of the drainage, and run Three lakes peak.  The ride up the drainage was fast and delightful, aside from being chastised by a hunter for not wearing orange (I assumed a biker clad in neon green was sufficiently visible).  After a quick bike to running shoes transition at the trailhead, I started jogging up.  Montana Trail Crew runners cleared the trail last year, and it is still in good running shape.  Soon enough, I had climbed to Burnt Fork pinnacle, traversed the beautiful high single track to the peak, and hiked snowy talus to the west summit.  It was another beautiful day to be out.

Rolling a few miles in.  Three lakes peak looking white in the far distance.
Still a long way to go on the bike.

Cruising the trail out to Three lakes peak.

Looking out to the Missions.

Looking south along the Reservation divide to Ch-paa-qn and the Missoula valley.

The return to the bike was fun, running freely, and chasing the sunset.  To my surprise, the deproach bike was much faster than the approach (I didn't think 500 vertical feet in 20 miles would make much of a difference), and I was back at the car in plenty of time to watch the Cubs crush the Indians to win the World Series.  6.35 at a steady aerobic pace, 50 miles plus or minus.  I can only imagine how stunning this outing would be in early October before the cottonwood leaves have fallen along the creek, and when the larch have just turned brilliant yellow.

Fall in the upper Ninemile during the egress run.

Last rays of sunlight on the ride out.

Back at the car.  Not even dark!  psyched.

Stark mountain + Rennick access road

Looking south down the Ninemile to the Missoula valley from the summit of Stark mountain

After a morning of cheering Leah on at the Elk Ramble 15k, I was able to sneak out for the afternoon.  With limited time before dark, I decided to hit up the Ninemile one last time.  I ended up driving five miles or so up the drainage to the bottom of the Rennick access road and biking from there.  The dirt road to the trailhead is slow and frustrating in a car, but it was pure joy on a bike.  I was running in a little under an hour from leaving the car.  The trail to Stark was also pure joy - basically 4,000 vertical feet of steep but runnable grade from the trailhead to the top.  I did it in a push, and was on the summit well ahead of schedule.  

Dirt road riding to the trailhead.

Nearing the lookout.

A long shadow, Ninemile valley, Ch-paa-qn, and the Missions.

 The run down was faster and smooth, and an uneventful bike ride out had me back at the car about an hour faster than anticipated.  Really nice way to spend a perfect fall afternoon.  I didn't do any mileage checking, but probably a little under 30 miles and 5k vert, done in 3.48 at a bright aerobic pace (I went a little too hard today).