Tornak Hut – Sun Valley Trekking

Early December Report from Coyote and Tornak Huts

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Dec 152017

Morning beacon check on the way out of Coyote en route to Tornak Hut

We are just returning from a hut to hut tour between Coyote Yurts and the Tornak Hut. While the valley approaches are relatively thin snow, it is quite supportable and allows for quick and easy skinning. Once above 8500′, the snowpack gets deeper and we were finding good to very good boot-top powder skiing on cold aspects (East-North-Northwest) and even skied a run of corn on the south bowl of Fox Peak. Yep, corn in December! The Thanksgiving rains, early December powder and the past 2 weeks of high pressure (with inverted temperatures) have made for some of the most unique early December ski conditions we have seen. The snowpack and ski conditions resemble spring-just thinner. It’s not really a bad thing, although we would welcome a 3 foot storm of cold smoke! Skinning is easy, the pack is supportable and the stability is generally good. We are seeing snow depths of around 1 meter above 8500′ in this zone (on cold slopes) and around 50-60cm of supportable melt/freeze (corn!?) on warmer aspects. Both Coyote and Tornak Huts are looking great and awaiting more skiers to enjoy their cozy confines. The new sauna at Tornak Hut is fantastic! Laying on the top Sauna bench while gazing out the window and catching the alpinglow lighting up the Boulder Mountains is quite a way to top off a ski day. Come on Up!

Shadows in the burn

Spooning them nicely

It’s a powder skiing palyground out here!

Ridge running

arcing through fields of untracked pow

Laying into smooth powder

Backcountry Art

Climbing toward the mighty Tornak Peak

Climbing the “American Direct” on the mighty Tornak Peak

Izzy, stoked after a mixed ascent

The team atop the mighty Tornak Peak

Enjoying a hot lunch at Tornak Hut

Wolverine tracks atop Fox Peak

The Pioneers dominate the view south

Jess, conducting some baseline stability tests

Sampling the East powder on Fox Peak

The Grouse are numerous in this area

Ski track, and the Coyote Yurt visible on the point

ah, the burn creates some striking textures

Evening light on the tour back to Coyote Yurt

Sunrise at Coyote Yurts

Morning light at Coyote

Where to next? Let the signs point the way!

Practice, practice, practice is the only way to become truly proficient with avalanche rescue

Tracks in the Burn

Morning powder off the point of Coyote

Who says Tele is dead? Miles sure doesn’t think so!

Diploma in Mountain Medicine training at the Coyote and Tornak Huts

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Mar 242016

Practicing a technical sled lower of a patient utilizing a “drag bag”

What a great week we had at Tornak and Coyote huts with a group of doctors from Wilderness Medicine Society. 7 doctors, all graduates of the Diploma in Mountain Medicine program, joined SVT guides (Joe St.Onge and Chris Marshall) for a week of mountain medical and rescue training. The first 2 days saw an “atmospheric river” dump 2′ of snow and create perfect conditions for stability evaluation and deep powder skiing. It was a real honor to spend a week training, skiing and enjoying the deep mountains with such a motivated and talented crew of docs!

A beautiful run down the South Bowl of Fox peak

The team nailed a great response to a surprise avalanche rescue scenerio

Shadows and powder in the burn

DiMM in the Mountains

A Coyote (yurts) in it’s natural setting

#puremountainstoke

SVT guide, Joe St.Onge, testing the ski quality of the new storm snow

The team, on top of the mighty Tornak Peak in the storm

SVT guide, Chris Marshall, leading the morning briefing

Billy, finding the goods off the mighty Tornak Peak

What a setting!

The team on Grouse Point Blank

Nick, breaking trail toward the summit

Jamie, track setting toward the sun

Dr. Scott breaking free

Climbing through the sun

Getting ready for the morning run off the point in front of the yurts

Stephanie, flying the DiMM flag

Sled rescue briefing utilizing a custom-made sled/shelter

Chris demonstrating how to build an improvised rescue shelter…

testing the improvised rescue shelter

Steph leaving the cozy cave

Practicing a technical sled lower, utilizing a Brooks Range Sled

Steph demonstrates how a munter hitch backed by a prussik (with a ski anchor) can effectively lower a patient down a steep mountain slope

Doctors will be doctors: burying Billy for an hour while measuring his decent into hypothermia

the proof: a drop in temperature when buried for an hour

Billy, rising from the grave

Homework, prepping for the next days tour plan

The view from the point in front of Coyote Yurts

Surrounded by beauty throughout

Course debrief on a summit

Jim, feeling the stoke!

The Next Generation of Backcountry Skiers at Tornak Hut

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Feb 202016

The Rendi family, Paul, Mara, Andersen (8), and Karsten (12) came east from Washington for a backcountry adventure at Tornak Hut with guide Chris Marshall and intern Chris Cullaz. Andersen and Karsten slayed it, touring for the first time and ripping turns around Moonlight Basin and off the Mighty Tornak Peak. Ullr must have been pleased as 6″ of Idaho powder fell overnight on the 2nd night! Good times were had by all, and between the powder turns, playing dice in the warm hut, digging tunnels in the snow, and the Mighty Tornak Peak twice, there were plenty of smiles to go around.

Family stoke!

“These are the moments we live for as guides; watching the stoke blossom in a younger generation, for something that is such a big part of who i am, was incredibly special to me. I was constantly inspired watching these boys try something hard for the first time, push through the challenges, and and let the smiles on their face show their stoke!” – guide Chris Marshall

Leaving the hut for a powder day!

Chris gets a break as Andersen takes to trail breaking up front.

Pure powder stoke

Karsten finding some soft snow in the north bowl of Tornak

Carving turns in fresh pow

Paul farming away

To the cumbre!

Climbing the exposed West couloir of Tornak Peak

Andersen ripping pow down Easley Face with an overnight pack

So nice to see winter return to Central Idaho!

Mara laying down some nice cuts

Obligatory pole whack to clear the cornice off Tornak Peak

Karsten leading the charge on Group Therapy

And he’s off!

Afternoon adult session: touring out of the basin after scoring a 1000′ line in the best snow of the trip off the Mighty Tornak Peak.

Knee deep!

Karsten in Moonlight Bowl

Andersen arcing in Moonlight Bowl

On the way up to the Mighty Tornak Peak

Karsten charging

Plenty of freshies to go around

Group Therapy living up to its name

Family Fun!

Karsten shows perfect form

Andersen throwing down some spray

Karsten taking a moment to savior the experience

Awesome spooned tracks coming down Easley Face to end the trip

Yurtika 2014

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Jan 012015

Phoebe

It’s become a holiday tradition. Gather the friends from near and far for an annual hut trip deep in the Idaho backcountry. Everyone was obviously good little boys and girls, as Santa delivered the treats with epic powder conditions at the Tornak Hut in the Smoky Mountains.

yahoooo

Mike, feeling the float

fieds of untracked powder

smiling happy people

arriving at the Tornak hut

Stoked for the next line

Tornak at night

what happens at the hut….?

the facility

happy hour

spoonin fun

hard not to smile

freeride

yeah, that’s how it goes!

getting ready for the 1st run

the team

pretty tracks

tea-time

Mike

Ben2

Ben

Hilary

getting ready for the next drop

Barebreasted basin

What goes up

stoked after a nice warm up run

Ben, dropping

The boys, looking for trouble

Phoebes and the warm-up run

the girls on the Mighty Tornak Peak

what a crew

End of day 2, skiing back to the Tornak hut

post Ben.

Hilary and fields of pow

Joe, dropping in

beats a lunch date in the city!

photo bomb

Chris Powder Trail

Deep Powder at Tornak Hut

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Dec 242014

SVT Intern, Alisa checking the how the deep the powder skis.

Tornak Blog 12/21/2104

Tornak hut is alive and well and buried deep in snow! At least it was before we had to shovel it off the afternoon we got there, the next morning, and in the afternoon before we left. After giving the hut some love our first day we summited the Mighty Tornak Peak and relaxed with some Group Therapy skiing. Beacon practice in the early evening and then a nice cozy night in the hut ensued. We awoke to almost a foot and a half of new snow and after breakfast started shoveling off the roof. The problem was that by the time we shoveled one end to the other, there was already new snow accumulated on the side of the roof where we started! To say the least, that days skiing was DEEP! Tornak is looking top notch and ready to be enjoyed, relaxed in, and powder skied out of!

Enjoy!-The SVT Intern Crew

Digging deep at Tornak hut to asses stability

Ahh, the mighty Tornak Peak

Fat Bikes at Tornak Hut!

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Feb 262014

Last month we ran the 1st ever backcountry snow-bike hut trip to Tornak Hut. The low early season snow left many us searching for the powder stashes and scraping by, cracking the occasional joke about running snow bike trips instead of ski trips. That’s when serendipity hit and an old friend and one time guide with SVT suggested a fat bike hut trip for an upcoming article he was writing for the New York Times. Why not? We kept the plan was loose, made sure the participants were strong and unfortunately waited 3 days too long, biking in after 8″ of fresh Idaho powder fell. The biking conditions were perfect before the new snow, but good times were had even if the uphill biking was a bit tough with the fresh powder. This trip showed us that Fat Bike trips to the huts is both possible and FUN. So for those of you more inclined to pedal than skin: this is another great way to have an adventure in the Idaho backcountry!

You can check out the NYT article here:

Ahh, spinning on the way to Tornak

Taking a break and releasing some tire pressure for the deep snow

Yep, its deep off the trail

Some spots were a bit soft, but spirits were not!

The final downhill to Tornak Hut

Unloading gear, from bike to hut

the cozy hut life

and cold beer was earned

flowing the 9 mile down hill

cruising

Coyote Yurt Winter Solstice Ski

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Dec 232013

SVT guides: Joe and Ed just returned from a quick trip into the East Fork of Baker Creek to check conditions around Tornak and Coyote Yurts. Despite a thin snowpack, they found soft powder conditions and endless new ski lines in the Beaver Creek fire.

Thin snow powder skiing

New Burn lines on Fox Peak

New eyes as Ed scopes all the new burn skiing in familiar terrain

Lots of beautiful new ski lines around Coyote

Dropping in to a new line

Skiing among the ghosts

Beaver Creek Fire

Goal Zero and www.backcountry.com at Tornak Hut

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Feb 272013

Goal Zero and Backcountry.com athletes converge on Sun Valley Trekking's Tornak Hut to test a solar system and photograph professional athletes.

Solar Pillows at Tornak Hut! Last week Sun Valley Trekking hosted a group of pro skiers/riders (Ralph Backstrom, Griffin Post, and Neil Provo) as well as folks from Backcountry.com and Goal Zero. The purpose: to test the backcountry solar power systems designed by Goal Zero while skiing our tails off in the Idaho backcountry. Good times, great testing and some fun pillow lines were had by all!

Goal Zero and Backcountry.com athletes converge on Sun Valley Trekking's Tornak Hut to test a solar system and photograph professional athletes.