Images from my Minnesota 7 Day Remote Winter Camping Trip / Four Wheel Camper / Part 3

 

Skier Avalanche Fatality, Henderson Bench, Cooke City - 12 Dec 2016

Sledboarding Colorado Mountains / Nine Year Flashback 2007 / Snowboarding the Backcountry

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Chasing the snow storms was how we rolled 9 years ago. We had been in the sledboard game for 3 years, with 10 years of snowboarding under our belts, we kept pushing the bounderies.

Back in 1999 we started to head to the mountains from the Midwest. By 2002 we had taken an avalanche course in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The backcountry was our drug, best served with storms and driving through blizzards that just added to the adventure. 

 The town that caught our attention early on was Steamboat, Colorado. This was a big resort town, but also the appeal was the main town which still felt like a cowboy town. Nothing beats a good snowstorm in Steamboat.

 The goal 9 years ago was to hit the early season storm as it was dropping fresh powder in the surrounding mountains.

We went all in with the sled part of the backcountry adventure, 2 long track mountain sleds, enclosed trailer and 3/4 ton pick-up. 3 years into this adventure, we had replaced one of the sleds with a new 2008 Polaris RMK with a 155 inch long track. We still had the original 800 Polaris RMK 159" track.

The system was to have both sleds, ride both down the mountain and park 1 sled. Then Weez would sit in front and hold onto the bars while I stand and drive back up the mountain. Unload the boards and the snowboard down the mountain together. arrive at the parked sled, load up and roar back up. Sometimes we would use a waterski rope and I would pull Weez back up the mountain behind the sled.     

 The White Room... look close and you can see Weez in the trees.

 Riding the Polaris Mountain Sleds... awesome terrain and scenery... fresh powder.

 Living the rock and snow life... Our own mountain for the day, nobody else out there... Yee Haa!!

 Backcountry mountain weapon, Polaris 700 RMK 155"/2.4" paddles.

 Took a break from the backcountry 1 day and hit the Steamboat Resort on the boards.

The trip was all part of the big Adventure...East of Omaha heading into Des Moines, Iowa. 

Brapppp On!!

Backcountry Snowboard / Ski Trip to a Cabin in Colorado Mountains with a Stop-off in The Snowy Mountains of Wyoming

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First day on the snow in the mountains on our snowboards was up in Wyoming at a resort in the Snowy Mountain Range. Good chance to get acclimated to the altitude and get the snowboard legs going.

 Two good days in Wyoming with a moonlight night to cap it off.

160 Mile Drive to Our Destination in Colorado

 This backcountry trip was human powered with snowshoes and snowboards. It was 3 days at over 11,000 feet in a cabin, carry everything we would need on our back. 

 Back at the cabin after a very good day of slaying the powder on our snowboards and skis.

The view from the deck on the cabin, a few natural avalanches on the mountains. Found powder without getting into the avalanche terrain.

Good day in the mountains!!

Montana & Utah Avalanche Fatalities / January 21 & 24, 2016 / Snowmobile / Skier

http://www.flatheadavalanche.org/sites/default/files/20160124_swedecreekavalaccidentreport_final.pdf


This is a very good report that helps one understand a bit more of what happens in the moments right after things go terribly wrong. This is a second avalanche and report that happened in Utah. Both valuable sources of info. RIP and condolences to all involved. Be careful out there in the mountains...


 https://utahavalanchecenter.org/avalanches/26182

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Photo from my trip to Colorado this week, the view from our backcountry cabin. Notice the natural slide on the slope. These are east facing slopes which are the wind loaded aspects. Storm a few days ago with big winds loaded the east facing mountain.

This is a link to the Colorado / USA Avalanche site that is also a link on my blog site. Check it out.

 http://avalanche.state.co.us/accidents/us/

I am using this information for myself as a learning tool. We just returned home after a trip into the backcountry mountains of Colorado. We encountered slope situations and I like the fact that we quickly discuss our next move. One can not be correct 100% of the time...but you better be correct in each decision that you are making at that present time so you can come back alive.  

Cooke City, Montana / Backcountry Sledboard 2015 / M8 Cat & RMK Pro 800 / Burton Fish Pow Boards

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Cooke City is a snowmobile town in the winter. Park out front and ride from your hotel to the trail out of town and into the mountains.

 Getting some snowmobile riding in before the boarding. Had a good snowmobile ride yesterday, getting a feel for the sleds and snow conditions. We were up near Daisy Pass, found some good drops for the snowboards, so game on...

 Weez dropping out of the trees and heading for the sled.

 We had to pose for the sledboard pictures after a very good day in the backcountry on the sleds and boards. The other sled was up top waiting for us.

Each run consisted of both of us riding our sleds down to the bottom, leaving one there. Then Weez would climb on the sled, sit down and hold onto the mountain strap on the handle bars, I would stand behind her. It was a wild ride, climbing back up the mountain on the sled. She really must trust me because I'm on the gas all the way. then we would board down and repeat the ride back up.

 The final drop down to the the sled was steep and powder.

 It was a blast to get back on the sleds and ride the mountains. The final day we rented an Arctic Cat M800 / 153 inch track and a Polaris PRO RMK 800 / 155 inch track. The sleds are about 160 horsepower...they rip!

 We finished the trip off with a ride up the trail, not ready to give up the riding and being in the mountains. Mountain cabin with Elk antlers and thick blanket of snow.

Main street Cooke City, Montana

Sledboard on!!