Idaho backcountrty ski – Page 3 – Sun Valley Trekking

November Finishes in a Blast of Powder!

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Dec 012014

not bad for November!

The change of seasons is a wonderful time. November is often that “odd” month here in the mountains of Central Idaho, where the foliage is gone, its too cold to hike and ride bikes and there is often only spotty snow that does not allow for “real” skiing. November 2014 has proved to be one of those fun Novembers that distinguished itself. Exceptionally cold and snowy weather has left the high country with periodic coats of powder and has provided a number of great ski days in the backcountry and on the Nordic trails. It seems that we are off to good start for the upcoming winter season!

Hansi Twins doing the vadel

Avalanche Peak and the evidence of many happy skiers

easy slider

The alpine has received some high winds and lots of snow transport over the past few weeks

A happy skier!

Powder!

Ahh, that’s what we like!

Keeping an eye on the persistent weak layers

November 14, 2014 faceshots

November Powder and Pre Season Ski Report

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Nov 142014

November 14, 2014 faceshots

It’s official, we have begun the ski season! The recent storms have brought over a foot of new snow to the high country here in the mountains of Central Idaho. Depending on the geographic area, aspect and elevation, this snow fell on either dry ground or older snow. The upper elevations in the mountains around the headwaters of the Salmon and Wood River Valleys had a preexisting snow pack made up of facets and crusts and there are stability concerns in many of these spots with the new load. Please check the latest Avalanche Report for a more detailed description.

SVT Guides, Joe and Francie St.Onge went out around Galena Summit for a short tour to check conditions and found some fun turns, even with the thin coverage. Careful out there! Some of these pics make it look like mid-winter, but generally the conditions are classic early season. So keep the snow dances going, burn a ski or two and praise ULLR to bring us more turns like these!

Fun powder skiing in thin snow (notice the sagebrush)

Happy Girl!

Thin early season conditions make meadow skipping a good choice

65 cm snowpack with 40cm of new snow sitting on a supportable crust.

Powder Cloud

Funneling faceshots will make you smile!

Prepping the Huts for a BIG Winter Season

Huts and Yurts, Mountain Biking, SVT Scene 1 Response »

Oct 202014

Francie riding up to the Pioneer Yurt

It’s the time of year when we cycle through the 6 huts in 3 different mountain ranges to get each hut ready for winter. We can remember many years when we were doing these annual chores in freezing temps and blizzards, but not this year. We have been blessed with one of the prettiest autumns we can remember here in Idaho. Perfect Indian Summer has persisted for over a month now with amazing foliage, crystal clear sunshine and generally stunning days. Much of the work we do this time of year requires access on bikes or foot. The current conditions have produced perfect melt/freeze conditions on the trails and some of the best biking of the year. Enjoy the pics from the various mountain ranges and huts and start getting stoked for the upcoming season!

Autumn tunnel

Crossing the meadow to the Pio Yurt

Pioneer Yurt enjoying the Indian Summer Sun

ah, the peaks of the Pioneer Range

The Bench Hut, waiting for a deep Sawtooth winter

Lakeview on the approach to Bench Hut

Toby, giving little love to the hand-hewn table at Fishhook Yurt

The new Fishhook hut looks beautiful

ah, the Sawtooth from Fishhook Meadows!

Getting the wood in at Boulder Yurts

Tornak Hut, ready for snow.

Coyote, still an awesome destination for mountain biking

Buff single track leaving the Coyote Yurts

The final descent back to the valley from Coyote Yurts

NOW LET IT SNOW!

Summer Solstice at the Coyote Yurts

Coyote - Summer, Huts and Yurts, Mountain Biking, SVT Scene, Uncategorized Comments Off

Jun 242014

Evening light at the fire pit

We are just back from celebrating the Summer Solstice on the point at the new Coyote Yurts. After the Beaver Creek wild fire burned the Coyote Yurts last August, its been quite a journey to bring the Coyote Yurts back to life. This past weekend marked the final (planned) stage in this process! Joe, Niels and Aysha went up a couple days early to finish construction of the outdoor areas including benches and stoop on the deck, picnic table, barbeque, new fire pit and dance floor on the point and a bike corral. It all turned out beautifully. Then it was time for friends and family to converge in this special spot to enjoy the longest day of the year. Biking, hiking, dancing, good food and good times!

Finishing the carpentry projects to get the new yurts ready for summer

Sunset on June 20th, readying for the shortest night of the year

the new “front stoop” makes for a great seat

Sunset June 20th

hunter…

Kids LOVE the yurt experience!

mmm, smores!

Neve trying out the new bow

Morning coffee on the deck

The deck makes for a comfy hang spot any-time of day.

The comfy new benches and a view forever

Flowers everywhere!

Cleaning out the trails for the season

Fox Peak sure is riding nice!

Can’t hold back a smile on these trails!

The newlyweds on the point.

Dance party on the point!

Wow, what a view!

Scoping the riding

up, up…

and away!

The driving approach to the Coyote Yurts

Early Summer at the Sawtooth Huts

Bench Hut, Fishhook Yurts, Huts and Yurts, Mountain Biking Comments Off

Jun 082014

A unique and beautiful way to start the ride to Bench Hut

When the snow melts, we start the process of prepping, repairing and improving the huts. This summer season, hutmeisters: Niels and Aysha are riding from hut-hut working on projects. We cut out the downed timber on the Fishhook Trail, so its is clear and smooth now. The following photos are from a recent trip into the Sawtooth with owner/guide/backcountry carpenter: Joe St.Onge. Sure is pretty out there!

The Arrow Leaf in full bloom

Sweet Sawtooth Single Track

One of the rockiest trails around

yehaw

Taking the corner toward the Fishhook Yurt

Bike as utility vehicle, Niels riding with the hut repair supply

Fishhook Creek is raging

ahh, the beautiful Fishhook Hut

Doesn’t get much more buff than this

Still Skiing in the Pioneers!

Huts and Yurts, Pioneer Yurts Comments Off

May 262014

The ski season continues here in Idaho, where an intrepid crew spent a fun couple of days skiing the peaks, bowls and basins above the Pioneer Yurt. It definitely takes some effort right now to reach the good skiing, but it is there if you work for it. Endeavor and Enjoy!

Climbing through the green valley to find the snow

Hitting snow right at Pioneer Yurt

Ahh, back on skis climbing Duncan’s Ridge

From sea level to 11,000′ in 2 days!

Creamy corn

stoked!

yehaw!

slashing wet corn

pure mountain water

The creeks are running full

north couloir on Cobb is enticing…

our objective: Hyndman Peak

Climbing

up with Old Hyndman as backdrop

carving down Hyndman South Face

hard to not smile!

whoohoo!

the crew

the siblings, a long way from NH!

saying goodbye to winter

the final steps down into the valley

Kent Peak Ski

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May 212014

We are just back from skiing another beautiful Idaho mountain, Kent Peak. Viewed frequently from the Valley of the Big Wood, Kent Peak requires a bit of an approach to reach the classic ski lines. As the snow lines march up the mountains with the rising temperatures, the dirt roads are opening up and allowing access deeper into the hills. Even with the open roads, Kent requires a bit of dirt walking to reach snow. But once on snow, a classic 3,000′ ski descent off the 2nd highest peak in the Boulder Mountains awaits. Good corn conditions were found. Enjoy!

It is taking some effort to reach the snow these days

Summer is beginning to show

A smile will go a long way when bushwacking with skis!

Where the snow turns to water…

Where skiers become skiers

ahhh, back in the alpine!

The summit ridge of Ryan is rather sharp...

The summit ridge of Kent is rather sharp…

Looking north into the Boulder Mountains

Looking south into the Pioneers

The 1st jump turn onto the face of Kent

perfect edging

fun ski

making our way home

Devil’s Bedstead Ski

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May 152014

The Devils Bedstead in all its majesty

May showers bring Powder to the high peaks and we were able to experience some of this magic the other day here in the Pioneer Mountains, Idaho. A surprise visit from our old avalanche forecaster, a pro skier and a local doc coincided with Joe returning from the Hawaiian Islands and the Trail creek road having just opened. Recent cold temps and new snow led to great conditions on one of the most iconic ski peaks in Idaho. Thanks to Dylan Crossman for some of the great shots here, enjoy!

Clearing “the bush” on the approach

Trying to get a view through the white-out

Great booting conditions

Climbing in the white-out

Feeling the exposure high on the face

taking it all in

Climbing on the moon on the summit pitch

Nothing like being perched high on an alpine face

Terry topping out on the summit

loving the Coombacks and the view down the ski line

Whoohoo!

Powda!

Can’t beat the conditions

Dylan Crossman showing how its done

the lower face

and back to boots for the walk out, stoked.

May Ski Days-Peaks and Babies

Daily Powder Tours, Guides Day Off 1 Response »

May 092014

SVT Guide, Joe St.Onge, remembers a May ski day on his child’s 2nd birthday:

Patrick Graham approaches the summit of Ryan Peak

It was May, locals had hung up their skis and our busy ski guiding season was coming to a close. It was time to ski for ourselves.

My wife was pregnant with our second child and do to deliver within the week. We had a check-up with our doctor and she said that it did not look imminent. I took that diagnoses as: I could go ski the next day. My wife is a skier and guide and she gets it. She encouraged me to get one last ski in before the snow melted and another baby entered our lives.

It was a last minute tour plan. I wanted to ski something “new”. Ryan Peak is the tallest in the Boulder Mountains of Central Idaho. It’s been skied, but not regularly as the approach is big. I had a concept that it could be approached from the “other side” and had found out that the dirt road that crosses a high pass had just been plowed, allowing access to the “other side”. A quick call to two of our guides and the plan was hatched for the next morning, early. Conditions were perfect spring corn: firm for the climb and silky for the decent. The approach was fast and fluid. We followed wolf tracks up the remote canyon and later heard the howls from a den echo while on the peak. We spied amazing future lines, one of which we skied later in the week when the doctor said it may be a couple more days before the baby came. It was awesome.

Internship Final Exam

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Apr 302014

Celebratory toast

For over 12 years, Sun Valley Trekking has run an internship program during the winter season. The goal of the program is to provide training and mentorship to aspiring ski guides. The “job description” is to : Ski from hut to hut throughout the winter, maintain hut supplies, gather snow and stability information, develop personal backcountry ski technique and experience, assist on guided trips as porters and tail guides and seek mentorship and skill development with the SVT Guide Team. Over the years, many interns have returned for a second year to continue this progression and many graduates of the program are working as professional ski and mountain guides today. We often finish the season with an “Intern Final Exam” designed to test the skill and experience developed over the season. There are two styles of exam open to the interns: to guide the guides or to be guided by the guides. Both styles can help push the learning envelope and provide a rewarding experience. This years team: Trudy, Toby, Niels and Alisa chose to guide SVT guides: Joe St.Onge and Chris Marshall on a particularly snowy late April tour in the alpine Smokey Mountains. Powder, white-out navigation, steep skiing and a Chinese Downhill tested the interns’ skill and grit and was followed by the end of the season Guide Games back in town. Good stuff!