Urban Snowcave / Boarding

Enjoying snowcave in the yard.

First ski & board for youngsters.

Backcountry Montana, Last Day & Images From the Road

Traveling in avalanche country is a switch-back climb from safe area to safe area. I feel vulnerable when traveling across exposed sections. I dug a pit and was checking the snow with my ski poles as I climbed. The snow was fairly stable in this area. I also checked the Montana Avy sites each day. As I'm posting this blog, there are two young men missing near Wolf Creek, Colorado. There were also several DEADLY AVALANCHES across the western USA in the last 2 weeks. My thoughts go out to all that were involved. Don't take the snow for granted!!

Also for being STRANDED in the backcountry, get your self a good pack and carry some basics. Avy Beacon, I use a BCA Tracker. One or two bottles of water and energy drink. Some Cliff Bars,beef jerky, a bag of peanuts. Fire starter basics, a lighter and some matches, some fire starter material. A small folding wood saw is good. I like a metal shovel, with an integrated probe (BCA), because I can melt snow on it if I have to. Compass, flashlight. I also carry 2, two-way radios with extra batteries (if you were stranded, you could put the radio on scan and try to pick up a signal). An extra vest and a pair of clear goggles, in case of dark (night).


I had just posted this post and I found this story on the snowmobilers, it brought back this memory. It kinda hit home.

I just read the story of the 6 snowmobilers that had to hole up in a cabin in Colorado during a storm last week.

Well this is my story. Back in February 2006, my wife and I drive all night, arrive at the trail-head in Wyoming. Well we unload the sleds and head up into the mountains. We head up north onto the ungroomed trails. It gets later in the day and we end up with one of the sleds stuck in a ravine, we double up on the 800 RMK and start back south. It's getting dark and it starts snowing. I switch to the clear goggles as it starts snowing harder. I gave my wife a flashlight to scan to the sides, as the snow became blinding. We managed to stay in contact with the trail. The direct way back to the truck crossed an open expanse where the winds were howling across at 70 MPH. No go. We stayed in the trees, but with the blinding snow it was slow going. I remembered a hut in the area from mountain biking in the area 3 years ago but we would need a bit of luck to find it in those conditions. That flashlight that my wife was using to scan the sides of the trail, that was how we found the hut (I now pack a headlite for my helmet).

We had been out in the blizzard for 6 hours. I jumped off the sled and checked the door, it was open. Unbelievable, it was about 7 ft. by 14 ft., it had a dirt floor and a little wood stove, no wood, but for now, shelter. During the night I had to go out 3 times into the dark and find wood. The second time out I almost missed the hut in the snow on my way back. It snowed 36 inches in that storm. I had my food and water. That is where the metal shovel came in handy because I was able to melt and drink 4 bottles of water during the night. We were at 10,400 feet. My wife got sick during the night, so I had her slowly eat and drink as she went in and out of sleep. I ended up sleeping just before daylight. About 9:00 the next morning we decided to attempt the ride back to the truck. It was still dumping snow as we set out. The snow was coming up over the hood on the sled. It was a crazy ride, wife just kept her head down and didn't see a thing all the way back. Damn near a white-out.

We got back to the truck about noon. Here is the kicker. Our faithful Lab Gunnar was sleeping in our truck. He hopped out took a pee and promptly rolled in the fresh snow, happy as hell to see us. We had been gone from the truck for 23 hours. We went back up the next day and found the other sled. That's a whole nother story.

Wind-blown over my snowshoe trail.

I made my mark on the mountain, it will be covered in the next day or two.

Yeah, this is where I want to be.

The 8oo RMK got the call today. The wind was kicking up a bit with some blowing snow.

The ipod and pillow for 1000 miles, the price to pay for mountain snow.

The Crazy Mountains of Montana. Some day I'm gonna take that exit and go get Crazy.

The Ridge at The Bridge...r

The Ridge Hike at Bridger Bowl...

You youngsters, try to keep up.

Rippin'

Off the top!!

The need for speed...

From the top of Bridger to the bottom. We just gotta do Montana at least once a year.

BRIDGER BACK COUNTRY, MONTANA

After an all night drive Tuesday, 1050 miles, we got in a half day in the resort, on Wednesday. Today I took the sled up into the back country and did a few turns on the board. Here's a few photos. A look at Bridger Bowl from the north.

Stuck on the mountain. 45 minutes later I had it turned around and heading back down.

The start of the hike up.

A look down, from half way up.

The gear. Atlas snowshoes, Black Diamond poles, Burton malolo powder board and Dakine Poacher backpack.

Dropping in!!

BOZEMAN , MONTANA

On January 1, 2008 we head west to Montana. Snowboarding at Bridger Bowl. This was the first mountain resort I boarded at, back in 1999.

To prepare for the mountains back then, we had gone up to a resort in northern Minnesota, Lutsen, it was on the north shore of Lake Superior. 1000 vertical feet. Lutsen was steep enough to scare me, and the runs were long. It's the Minnesota mountain resort. Now I go to the western mountains 4-5 times a winter.

This trip will be both in the resort and I'll take the snowmobile up into the back country north of Bridger Bowl a couple of the days. I explored up there last year when I rode in and snowshoed up to a ridge and boarded down. The snow pack was a little thin last year. It's been snowing good up there this year. Should be great!

Merry Christmas

Enjoy your winter season, it looks like fresh snow covering most of the West & Mid-west. Keep your heads up & be safe.

Tragic incident at The Canyons in Utah. An inbounds avalanche, sounds like quick response saved a young boy, while 1 young man died. Thoughts go out to all involved.

Thanks for all the effort put in by the Patrollers.

Northern Colorado Sledboarding

The first western trip is filled with new gear and expectations. The biggie was the new Polaris 700 RMK. It was awesome!! The 155 length track with 2.4 inch paddles and 140 horses, just plain hooks up when the going gets vertical. The other back country tool was my 166 Burton Malolo powder board. It floated great and it popped over the logs in the trees, that were just below the snow surface. The Dakine pack, Poacher was also a new addition. The framing and capacity, along with some nice inside pouches was on the money. It felt very balanced on my back.

Snowboard rack system on 08 Polaris RMK

Rack on 05 Polaris RMK.

Powder tool, RMK 700.

Nothin' like a ham sammitch and a diet Dew at the end of the day on top of the mountain.

If you look hard you can see Weez in the trees.

Next trip Bozeman, Montana. Early January 08. In the mean time, back to the hill in Minnesota for some Ski Patrol action.

Dang Wabbit!! (Darn Rabbit!!) Ears Pass

This is our December snowmobile and snowboard trip. It is a road trip, we will drive about 2400 miles,west to the Colorado and Wyoming mountains. We like to drive overnight, Sleep in the truck on the way out. On this trip we left Sunday at 1:00 PM, and we were snowboarding Monday afternoon at 1:00 PM, 1150 miles later.Rabbit Ears Pass. Shot from a moving truck.
If you look to the extreme left of the ears (two tall rocks), there is an opening in the trees. that is where I launched my 800 RMK off a 50 foot cliff in the spring of 2005. In mid air I realized the landing was going to be a huge pine tree. I bailed at the last second and rolled down the mountain, the snowmobile impaled the tree, to the tune of $3000 damage. I was able to ride it back to the truck that day and it was a lessen learned. Don't go full throttle up over an unfamiliar ridge. Weez and I rode out to the Rabbit Ears last spring.

The view out the truck window after I poked my head out of my sleeping bag, we had driven 960 miles, pulled over at 3:30 AM. Slept for 3 hours, it was about 7 degrees outside.

A great day in the Mountains!! Good Times!!

Up top Buff Pass.