Basher Backdoor

Whew! Couldn't let the fresh foot settle, had to ski it! Bodacious breaking it was on the Basher Backdoor Trail tonight. Worth every bead of sweat, too!

Lips at Turnagain

Lucy, Eruk, and yours truly tested the Lips today. Snow in the alpine had been worked by the wind, but careful selection yielded boot-top bliss. We gave up on Lips and crossed Spokane Creek above its gorge to try the glades on Pete's North.

Enthralled with Pete's North glades, we couldn't stop and skied to the precipice above Spokane Creek gorge. We backtracked a bit, and made our way through the hemlock forest to the road. Snow in the forest was crunchy as usual. It was an adventurous new route for all of us, one I would like to repeat.

Like a few other aspects around Turnagain Pass, evidence of a slide was apparent on a northwest-facing aspect above Pete's North glades. Exposed rocks with rubble about 500 ft vertical below; the debris appeared to be weathered as if it had been there a few days.

No Bridge to Somewhere & Cornbiscuit

The Winner Creek cat trail and dead-ended at the Winner Creek no bridge to somewhere, Kodi the uberdog, J-rock and I learned. The bridge footings and supports are in place on each side, but the main span is gone. Someone had propped a 3x8 timber across the creek, about 3 feet above the torrent and 8 feet across the water. Three inches of ice crowned the timber. We weren't confident we could safely cross without crampons.

We shifted our objective to Cornbiscuit, skied back to the car, and drove to the pass. Had time for a single lap. Snow was worked by the wind on the more southerly facing slopes, but really sweet on the west side and lower on the mountain.

I probably should be fired from this blog for my incompetent photography. I thought I took a lot of great shots today. But, now I find no images on my camera card. %^&^$%#!

The cat was on the trail, grading it for the season. Maybe the Powder Guides will rebuild the bridge soon.