NW Passage Skimo Race

Winter!  After a slow start for most of November, winter has arrived in full force the past few weeks.  After wrapping up the fall semester, I was fortunate to make it over to McCall Idaho for the inaugural Northwest Passage Skimo Race.  I opted out of the Friday afternoon vertical race, not wanting to compete soon after sitting in the car for ~6 hours. 

race start (photo: bria)

Fast forward to the next morning, and myself and 50+ other racers were gathered in the starting corral (large and deep field due to the race being a qualifier for the US national skimo team).  Due to the cold temps (-16F at the start), the race organizers modified the start to be just out the door from the lodge.  In order to get to the base of the course’s first climb, the modified start included a ~50 yard dash with skis in hand, followed by a slightly downhill ski/skate to reach the skins-on transition point.  This was a unique but in retrospect fun way to start.  The ensuing climb was STRAIGHT UP a freshly groomed blue square that was particularly brutal.  There were a few minutes where I thought I was going to have to pause to throw up my breakfast.  Fortunately those feelings subsidized near the top as the angle eased up and we skied a short powdery run down the resort’s backside (lakeview bowl). 

sunrise from the base area (photo: bria)

The ensuing climb was short, and featured dual skin tracks at a nice reasonable grade (this would hold true for the remainder of the course).  The sunrise and resulting views near the top of this climb were outstanding.  The second run was again short and deep powder before making the climb to Sargent’s mountain.  The third and fourth descents of the course were the same thousand vertical off the summit of Sargents.  Due largely to bitterly cold fingers, I managed to drop a pole on BOTH of these descents and have to stop, sidestep/wallow uphill in deep powder to retrieve it.

second climb (photo: eric hoff)

At the bottom of the fourth run, I was mis-informed as to where to transition for the final climb and I already had a ski off before being told, no, I should in fact proceed slightly further if I had already done two Sargent laps.  Irritated, I clicked back into my ski and continued down to the correct transition point before throwing skins on for the last time (hoping the glue on my 2^nd pair of skins would hold up).  Fortunately they held and I soon found myself below the course’s sole bootpack section, which proved to be steep, deep and fairly brutal.  Once on top, a short remaining skin brought me to the final transition point, where I made a point of catching the guy slightly in front of me.  The top portion of the final descent was steep and technical but once I was through the business, I hammered down to catch the guy in front of me, skating past him on the final cat-track slightly before the finish.  I ended up 17^th of 52 racers on the elite course which is respectable considering the number of fast folks vying for the national team but also a bit short of what I think I am capable of.

stoked at the finish! (photo: bria)

mens results

A big thanks to Brundage Mountain, the USSMA and all the race organizers and volunteers for all their hard work in putting together this great course and event.         

Rose: great snow and a beautiful course predominately outside the resort boundary

Thorn: damaging one of my new race skis in their first ever race

Bud:  looking forward to some backcountry adventures til my next race (bridger at end of january)

Thoughts:  I opted to race without my HR monitor and in retrospect, I think I was a little light on the throttle on some of the climbs, due in part to the amount of attention I had to pay to try to keep some resemblance of warmth in my fingers

Rattlesnake - McLeod to Stuart

The past month or so has been busy for me.  Due to a combination of school, weather, more structured training for skimo season, and life in general, I haven’t gotten in any real full day outings.

view of the rattlesnake range from atop mcleod

However back in early October, Jeffrey and I were able to get out together for a McLeod to Stuart peak traverse in the Rattlesnake.  Bria was able and willing to drop us at the Finley TH (thanks!) and shortly after she drove away, it dawned on us that we were now committed to making it to our vehicle at the main rattlesnake TH. 

lower finley lake

We ran up the trail in intermittent rain and past where the drainage splits and I was planning on leaving the trail to the north.   Immersed in conversation, I didn’t realize my mistake til we arrived at lower Finley lake.  Rather than backtrack, we decided just to gain the ridge NE above the lake.  Once up high, the terrain was loose, scrappy class 3 to the north but soon eased and we continued up and down a few bumps in the ridge before stumbling across a faint trail up the broad S ridge of McLeod.  This was Jeffrey’s first time on McLeod and my first time without skis so we hung out for a few minutes, taking in the views. 

mcleod is the broad "hill" in the distance - not a very striking peak

nearing the end of the scrappy terrain

After bombing down the S ridge’s talus (reminiscent of the Rut’s technical terrain on lone peak), we decided to forgo the scrappy section of ridgeline from earlier and just bowl bounce our way south to sanders peak instead.  Once we were down in the basin, we climbed a would-be aesthetic ski run before dropping S into the next basin.  We then cut SW to a small lake for a water refill before re-gaining the ridge near Sander’s peak and scrambling up the fun 3^rd & 4^th class NW ridge to the summit.

up this N-facing run where the conversation naturally turned to skiing

scrambling up the NW ridge of sanders peak
(these difficulties can easily be bypassed on climber's R for those inclined)

From there the route was familiar to us both from prior iterations of the rattlesnake traverse as we trended S to Mosquito.  On the summit we bumped into two gals on a bike/run outing and chatted for a few minutes before continuing S to Stuart.   On top of Stuart we divided the last of our water before heading down.  The last few miles felt a little long but soon enough we were down at the car, remarking at how lucky we are to have this wilderness area in our backyard. 

our route from the start, to mcleod, to mosquito

About 24mi/7500 vert in 8:20 TH-to-TH

Approx. splits: 3:10 mcleod, 5:20 sanders, 6:50 stuart, 8:20 TH

Thoughts: this route was mainly easy ridge cruising with very little bushwhacking considering we crossed multiple trail-less basins.  The roughest sections of ridge line are near pt 8291 and the short NW ridge of sanders.  A logical extension for next time is to start at snowbowl, up to point six, N to murphy, descend to finley lakes, then out to mcleod before looping to sanders, mosquito, stuart and down.

Fall in the Bitterroot – lantern ridge, cowboy ridge & fred burr to mill

Despite some busy six day school weeks in September, I was able to get out for a few great outings and enjoy the changing foliage.  First was a lolo peak loop, up lantern ridge and down mill creek.  With the Rut less than a week away, I took it easy, summitting in 2:44 and back to the car in 4:44.  About 18mi and 6000 vert.  Awesome loop, can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get around to it.

looking down on lantern ridge from atop N lolo peak

carlton lake.  looking forward to the typical early season skiing up here in the very near future

On a Sunday in mid-Sept, I tried to sneak in a morning on trapper’s cowboy ridge before a storm was forecasted to arrive.  Bria was unfortunately battling a cold so opted to only join til the saddle above gem lake.  From there I dropped into and crossed the trapper creek basin to the base of N trapper’s SE couloir.  Years ago I climbed N trapper for my first time in late June and with axe/crampons, was able to climb snow all the way up the couloir (including over the chockstone).  This time around I took the slabby out-and-back traverse on the S face to bypass the chockstone before continuing up the fun 3^rd and 4^th class scrambling to the summit. 

changing colors at middle lake 

from the saddle dropping N into the trapper basin (photo: bria)

base of N trapper's SE couloir

trapper peak from atop N trapper

It was cool to read through the various summit entries before departing on the traverse to trapper.  Armed with approach shoes, I did my best to stay true to the exposed ridge (lots of fun 4^th class up to 5.4), but had to vacate it twice (which entailed some route-finding blunders) before reaching the big flat saddle. 

approximate beta of my route at the first prominent point you must vacate the ridgecrest
when traveling S from N trapper (may not be the easiest or preferred route)

a look back at N trapper from trapper's summit

By this point, the forecasted storm had arrived, in the form of howling winds and some snow flurries.  I continued making my way S towards trapper, well below the ridge on the W side.  I mistakenly went too far since by the time I decided to cut up to the ridge proper, I was forced to deal with steep, loose dirt and a lot of slab.  Once on the ridge, I continued up some fun 3^rd and 4^th class terrain to trapper’s summit.  After a quick snack, I began the descent down the main trail before cutting skier’s L at approx. 9000ft to find the baker ridge trail which I took down to baker lake and the car.

There is definitely room for improvement on my route-finding and time on this decent (but far cry from the tetons) scrambling loop.  About 9mi/4200 vert/up to 5.4 but could probably be kept to low 5^th class with diligent route-finding   

A week later, with stormy weather precluding ridgeline scrambling, I set out for a fred burr to mill creek loop, another outing that has been on my to-do list for a long time.  After stashing a bike at the mill TH, I drove to fred burr TH and set off, excited for a day of exploration into a new corner of the bitterroot.  I passed a couple on horseback before the reservoir and didn’t know it at the time but I wouldn’t see another person the rest of the day. 

largest of several buttresses in the first few miles of fred burr canyon

an empty fred burr reservoir

green, yellow, orange and red as the first of several storm cells approaches

Other than a few wet creek crossings beyond the reservoir, the trail was in great shape and made for easy running.  This all came to a screeching halt about a mile before the switchbacks up to fred burr lake.  A microburst wind effect has created a sizeable stretch of horrendous downfall, with countless trees stacked up across one another, forcing me to climb, crawl and shimmy through the mess.  Forward progress was ridiculously slow but eventually the downfall ended just as abruptly as it started and I hiked the switchbacks up to fred burr lake (3:38).  The stretch of trail from here S to lockwood and heinrich lakes was outstanding and by far the highlight of the day. 

the start of the blow down

fred burr lake

looking S to the fred burr/mill divide

looking N to the upper end of fred burr canyon

lockwood lake

Once at the junction with the mill creek trail, I was well behind schedule and had to opt out of the short out-and-back to mill lake and begin the gradual 12mi descent to the mill TH (trail was well-cleared and in overall great shape).  The hour bike ride at the end of the day was a bit rough but couldn’t put a damper on my excitement for a great day out.  It felt extra rewarding to have had such a fun time in spite of the dreary weather - a sporadic mix of sun, rain, hail, and multiple sustained downpours that made for an annoyingly large number of jacket transitions throughout the day.

About 27mi/3600 vert in 7:10 TH-to-TH

Thoughts – I’m a little confused how it took me so long, despite running 90% of the mileage and no long breaks.  Other than the stretch of blow down (a big caveat), the trail was in great shape and definitely recommended for those looking for a beautiful marathon of running deep in the bitterroot wilderness 

2016 Rut 50k (plan B course)

A winter storm warning up high on lone peak the day of the 50k unfortunately prompted a course re-route to avoid the exposed alpine terrain.  The resulting plan B course was much more runnable than I was prepared for and the noticeable lack of big, steep climbs (a strength of mine) further diminished my performance but I had a fun couple hours in the spitting rain regardless (5:16 finish).

hood up, head down (photo: Vo von Sehlen/runner's edge)

Due to the shortened course with considerably less vertical (6500ft instead of 10,500 i believe), I kept my effort pegged a fair bit higher than last year and ran the final 5 miles chasing Jeffrey down from Andesite as hard as my legs would allow but was disappointed to cross the line with “gas still in the tank” so to speak.

steep mud on the africa climb (photo: bria)

congratulating jeffrey at the finish, who bested me by 10 seconds (photo: crystal images)

Despite the dreary weather and the modified course, I had a great weekend with family and friends and am excited to return for another go at the full Rut course.    

Rose: this was my first time racing in true inclement weather, which in a sense was a fun additional challenge that I handled well

Thorn: slipping and sliding in the mud on the africa climb up to andesite

Bud: obviously snow at the Rut got me thinking about and excited for Shedhorn!

Teton Trifecta

Note - life is busy and i'm behind on write-ups.  the following outing occurred in late august.

After a rest day spent largely at the jackson library, I was excited to head up garnet canyon for a linkup of the grand, middle and south tetons.  I ran a few of the flat stretches of trail but otherwise mainly hiked at an easy pace to the lower saddle.  I continued up towards the upper saddle, passing a number of guides/clients already descending.  From just before the upper saddle I could see a bit of a traffic jam before the start of the owen spaulding route so I detoured to the top of the enclosure to warm up in the sun.

typical view from the lower saddle (enclosure on L, grand on R)

top of the enclosure

parties on the OS as seen from atop the enclosure

After a few minutes of warmth and snacking, I headed down into the wind and shade and started up the OS, passing a few roped parties at the belly crawl and base of the double chimney (supposedly 5.4 but felt easier).  I continued up the owen chimney, which provided the most fun, sustained scrambling of the route.  With the wind continuing to howl, I quickly continued upwards, anxious to hit the sun.  After a short break on the summit, I started down and after squandering a few minutes finding the top of sargent’s chimney, I reversed my route, down climbing to the upper saddle. 

owen chimney - most fun part of the OS

looking N to mt owen

Once down at the lower saddle, I refilled water before trending south towards the middle teton, excited to get away from the crowds that gravitate to the grand.  After winding around pinnochio and bonney pinnacles, I downclimbed into the notch before traversing the ledges up to the “room” and scrambling down & west into the NW couloir.  A bit of verglas added some spice to the 4^th class rock that I ascended on the edge of the snow/ice present.  I then scrambled up the crumbling black dike to the skyline to the base of the route’s crux.  About 30ft of steep but heavily featured 5.5 lead to easier terrain above and soon therafter, the summit. 

N side of the middle

lower N ridge of the middle.  the "room" is visible in upper R corner

a portion of the NW couloir

looking back to the grand from atop the middle.
i love how prominent the ford couloir is even in the middle of august

The descent of the SW couloir was a bit of a loose mess but straightforward and quick.  From the saddle, I started up towards the south teton, with my legs feeling the effects of roughly 25,000 vertical in the past few days.  I was pleasantly surprised to have the route and summit all to myself in contrast to the middle and grand.  The descent back to the saddle and down the S fork of garnet canyon to the meadows was seemingly endless boulder hopping interspersed with the occasional sectional of trail.  From the meadows, I ran most of the trail down to the car but would occasionally walk to give my feet a break since I find running in approach shoes doable but not all that great.

S teton from atop the middle

NW couloir of the S teton

All in all a great day out in one of my all time favorite mountain ranges and a good step towards future outings on the grand traverse as well as the teton trifecta with skis. 

Stats: about 16mi/9200 vert/up to 5.5 difficulty/9:30 car-car

Approx. splits: 2:30 lower saddle, 4:12 grand summit, 6:20 middle summit, 7:25 S summit, 9:30 TH

Rose: the joy of moving through the mountains unencumbered by camping or climbing gear –  running, hiking or scrambling as the terrain dictates, surrounded by beautiful landscapes

Thorn: endless boulder hopping down the S fork of garnet…never again without skis

Bud: I need to get my act together and get down to the tetons for some skiing this winter/spring – its unbelievable how stacked the range is with outstanding ski routes

Tetons

After dropping Bria off at home in Idaho, I headed to the Tetons for 5 days of adventure as the number of days of summer freedom were quickly coming to an end.  I had earlier decided not to connect with random partners off MP for the trip and instead focus on a number of quality scrambles and easy solos.

Day 1 – cascade canyon to paintbrush canyon loop – 19mi/3800 vert/4:36

I had wanted to run the teton crest trail during this trip but didn’t feel as though I had been running enough in recent weeks for my body to reasonably handle the 40 mile distance.  I opted for the classic cascade to paintbrush loop instead.  I took my time, enjoying the scenery and wildlife (3 pairs of moose) along the way.  With shorter breaks at the lakes and running more of the climb to paintbrush pass (I’m blaming a week at sea level beforehand for the amount of hiking I did), this would easily clean up to a 4 hour outing.  Highly recommended.

took a minute or two of yelling/clapping to get this pair to vacate the trail

not your typical view of the grand

lake solitude.  was pleasantly surprised to have 10+ minutes of total solitude
while stopping to stretch and re-fill water 

paintbrush pass

Day 2 – E face of Teewinot – 7mi/5600 vert/low 5^th class/4:40

I relaxed the next morning as some stormy weather blew through before spending an enjoyable afternoon on Teewinot.  I got off-route near the top and scrambled some steep, exposed terrain up the W side of the middle summit before making an exposed traverse to the N to gain easy terrain to the true N summit.  Proper route finding and more running could easily clean this up to also be a 4 hour outing.

view from the TH once the storm clouds had passed and I started up

other than my "detour" up the middle summit, this was the 20ft. crux of the route (climber's R of the prominent gully
at roughly 11,500ft).  felt low 5th class to me.  have read sources between 4th class to 5.3

beautiful view of the N face of the grand and mt owen (makes me excited to return for the cathedral traverse)

Day 3 – Mt Moran CMC Route – 15mi/6200 vert/5.5 difficulty/9:00

Although most people access the CMC Route via canoe/kayak across leigh lake, a few internet comments  and a quick glance at google earth suggested a bushwhack alternative wouldn’t be too bad.  I ran the initial 4 miles of flat trail to bearpaw lake before turning W off the trail (100ft past the small footbridge) and following intermittent game trails and some bushwhacking up to 7800ft.  I then began a long sidehill traverse onto and across the S face to reach the approach gully (1:50 from TH).  More detailed bushwhack beta on my MP comment here.  I then continued up the trail, past the CMC camp to the top of drizzlepuss (4 hrs).  I stashed my bear spray and some water before tightening my approach shoes and beginning the approx. 200ft downclimb N from drizzlepuss to the notch below the CMC route.  There were 3 short sections of 5.4/5 terrain that got my attention but easily dispatched with good jugs and sticky approach shoes.  I then climbed a short but steep L-facing corner to a rap station before traversing climber’s R around Unsoeld’s needle onto the CMC face. 

sunrise from camp.  this view never gets old.

S side of moran from S shore of leigh lake

CMC face

The face is so wide dozens of variations would be possible but I trended up and R towards the prominent dike for about a thousand feet of low 5^th class terrain with occasional harder sections and frequent small ledges.  Super fun.  Once on the broad summit ridge I talus hopped to the true summit (5:15) for a food and water break.  I descended via far skier’s R side of the face on a mixture of 3^rd class trail, cairns and some 4^th–low 5^th class downclimbing.  I wrapped around Unsoeld’s needle on the E side again before downclimbing into the notch (via the same short, steep L-facing corner) and then up to the top of drizzlepuss. 

leigh lake from atop mt moran

falling ice glacier from atop the CMC face

thor peak.  hidden couloir

With the day’s soloing now being me, I sat down to relax and finish my water before crusing down the trail past the CMC camp (6:45) to the point in the approach gully I had hit the trail at about 7800ft.  The off-trail bushwhack back to bearpaw lake was quicker and easier than the morning since I knew what to expect.  I soon found myself dodging tourists on the trail around leigh and string lakes, arriving back at the TH right at the 9 hour mark, stoked on an outstanding day in the mountains, with a fun mix of running, bushwhacking, scrambling and climbing in a gorgeous setting.

water refill below the falling ice glacier

Stay tuned for part II about my go at the teton trifecta (linkup of the grand, middle and south tetons).