The game of twelves

This December has two significant dates in it, the last date (for 89 years) of alliterate numerals: 12-12-12, and the end of the Mayan calender (or supposed end of the world, ooooh scary) 12-21-12.

The first of these dates seemed to not only make itself significant, but make the entire week leading up to it significant.  This is the deepest, best storm cycle i have skied in December. Ever.

It started thursday, when a northerly shift of the California jet-stream put a storm over us that dropped 12 inches, then 8 inches, then 12 again, and then it lifted with blue skies.  When it seemed all over, the arctic jetstream took an opposite shift, pushing mouisture in from Canada, and on the night of December 11th, it was poised.  With the snowpack still soft and deep from the early weekend, the forecast called for one to three inches.  When I awoke, there was six inches.  By the time I left the house it was snowing an inch an hour, at the end of the day it would be 20+ inches.  It Was On.

George, Andrew and I decided to forgo the pow rush at the resort, and instead stick to the original touring plan.  We were rewarded on Yellow Mountain with a strong snowpack that despite over 40" of storm snow in five days was stable enough to allow for uninhibited skiing.  This was officially the deepest December of my life,  and at the end of this week, my quads are toast and my smile is wide.  Cheers to everyone having a great season!!

Ever heard of cold smoke? Here's the Websters definition.

 

Snowy Walkabout

     Why go backpacking in October?  Why not?  Well, weather, for one...   ...but weather be damned, to the hills!!!!!

      Mark Davidson had the idea to traverse our home mountains (The Madison and Taylor-Hilgard Ranges) to fill some off season time, and when Renae and my schedules freed up for the second leg, he was nice enough to invite us along.

The Crew

Mr Mark Davidson

Miss Renae Counter

Yours Truly (despite lack of smile, stoke level was high)

       Heading from north to south,  Mark started at lava lake and spent a week passing along Table, Wilson, and Beehive ridgelines.  After the first week Renae and I joined up and we continued south, heading for cedar mountain, the sphinx, and then through the Taylor-Hilgards to Hebgen Lake.  After a beautiful sunny first day we awoke to some solid snow at cedar lake.  With a planned exit route heading over an 11,000 foot ridge, and a storm that wouldn't lift after two days, we were forced to take a long day down the Cedar Creek drainage at out to Ennis.  After a ride and a wonderful meal with gracious hosts in Ennis we stayed the night with a friend of Renae's and headed back out to the sphinx to tag back into the wrestling match.  Even with some continued storming and cold temps, we kept managing to catch just enough good luck to make it one day further, and with some ahead of schedule hustling we found ourselves at alp lakes.  The halo's around the sun finally caught us and after an awesome final night under the shadow of imp, we awoke to a rowdy snow storm winding up.  With a bow to the mountains we said adieu and headed over alp pass and down the sentinel creek drainage to the car.  We managed to only miss Hilgard basin and Avalanche lake, getting a rad adventure along the way and leaving a perfect long weekend loop for another time.  Getting a big, traversing trip like this through our home mountains is so great for realizing just how huge the beauty and potential is right out the back door.

Day 1 heading out to cedar from big sky, lone peak in the background

Mark topping out around 10,600 on the way to cedar lake

Mark descends into Cedar lake basin

taking a walk around the lake during the "clear weather"

The cedar lake outlet, with the dam from an old homestead

Evening light over cedar lake, fan mountain in the background

Cedar Falls, one of the tallest in Montana, starting its freezing cycle

Mark passing by the south face of the Sphinx

Hey Mr. Grizzly...

The south face of the Sphinx and the Helmet

Heading up the canyon from no mans lake

This day turned the stoke meter to 11, Mark working out the last bit of vert to the ridge

Our previous route looms behind as Renae climbs to the western crest of the Taylor Hilgards

Our "trail" on this day was an 11,000 foot ridgeline, crossing four peaks between no mans lake and nutters cathedral lakes

chilling with some hot drink in front of nutters cathedral peak, rest day afternoon activities included a lot of peak gazing

The north face of Imp Peak looms over a frozen nutters cathedral lake

Gazing into Alp lakes basin

East face of Imp over lower Alp lake

The moon sits above sentinel peak as the fire roars

Bouldering with a Deloriean

    I finally got some time this week to head out to cascade creek with Kevin and see the area he and a few others have been working on so hard.  I had to blink a couple of times on the trail to remind myself that it wasn't the doc with a pad in front of me. This new bouldering zone is the future of the area and well worth the Montana style full value approach.  The tacky steep gneiss boulders are so different than most of the other climbing in the state, and the really tough grades follow.

 Carpenter Boulder

 Tony giving a technique lesson

 Kevin hanging a couple holds on the beautiful project (Vreallyhard)

So far the project (V??) inspires a lot of contemplation and finger pain

Charlie launching a new dyno

Charlie sending "monkey knife fight (V9)" on his 4th go

Skiin the Grand

    It's amazing how a famous line like the Ford/Stettner couloir on the Grand Teton can go from the "maybe one day" category to stepping into your skis on the summit in less than 72 hours.  But in the alpine world when the snow conditions, climbing conditions, weather, and time off lines up; you pull the trigger.
   Such was the case last week, when a call from Pete with some ski ideas and a little beta quickly turned into a packing afternoon and a drive to Jackson the next morning.  Rocking a two day itinerary with a recon evening ski we managed to sort out the complex route and were on the way up Wednesday morning.  Despite the stable weather and complete lack of wind some moisture from the valley formed just enough light clouds to hold the sun's heat off the slope.  The lucky weather allowed a later than planned summit with snow conditions still hovering at perfect corn.  The ski was a blast, with mind boggling exposure, great snow, and steep slopes.  And after some connecting rappels we were on the tepee glacier for some bonus steep vert and then back down Garnet canyon to camp.

Hiking into Garnet Canyon, Middle Teton in the background with the black dike in the center

Pete on the way up for evening route finding

Skiing back to camp at dusk on day one

Ready for some hot food

Looking east from Teepee Spire

Pete eyeing the exposed traverse to glencoe col

Suckin wind on the summit snowfield

Pete rollin into the ford couloir

Approaching the pinch in the ford couloir

Starting the rappels through the ice flows of the Chevy Couloir

   

The Season

   The memorial weekend storm rolled in on Thursday, dropping snow for 3 days all the way down to town level.  This marks Montana's usual last hurrah, and every year around this time I look back to our November turns and realize how long the winter here truly is.  This reflection brings a few things into perspective.
   Bozeman outdoor folk live for seasons, understandably, as they are quite distinct here.  A "good" season or a "bad" season can completely change the outlook of the outdoor community; not just in their respective sports but in life.  The attitude of everyone (myself included) fluctuates depending on snowfall, river flows, summer temps, and rainfall.  We let this bleed into our perspective on vocations, relationships, ambitions, and general happiness.  But the simple fact is that in sport as in life, there are "good" seasons and "bad" seasons, but the constant is that there is always a season.  In the end there is still time every year when we get to do what we really love.
   I could say that completely outside of skiing, I had a "bad" winter.  Post-graduate struggles, friends moving away, family members passing away.  But it was still a season, and out of it grew reconnection with family, new career steps, new ambitions and directions, and a fresh start.

  Kevin Dean and I headed out for a day of skiing today.  I think it will be my last of the season. When i kick the mind into rewind and replay my days in the mountains, I think I can call it a "good" season.

'aint shabby for May 27th

Kevin's suckin a few O2's but still smiling

Threading the Needle - Koch Peak

    Greg, DB, Ennis and I found yet another hidden blessing of the thin snow year last weekend.  The road up the Taylor's Fork was easily passable by early May,  allowing for an approach and ascent of Koch Peak in better conditions (including some new snowfall).  After a rough morning for yours truly (sleeping through my alarm, then finding dead batteries in the beacon at the trailhead) we eventually got on our way up the heinous approach, made worse by our uncertain wandering in the trees.  The cirque is truly amazing up there,  a natural shooting gallery of couloirs, faces, and even tectonic formed ramps to ski.  With weather holding off the heat of the sun, we were able to catch the summit just before our turn around time.  I missed any good shots on the way down due to thickening weather and timeline, but was able to shoot some in the cirque on the way up.  We capped the day with more wallowing down a narrow creek bed to return to the Taylors Fork Trail.
   Line possibility was endless in this zone, I will definitely be returning, just as soon as I figure out a less painful approach.

 the SE face of Koch

 approaching the saddle

 Chris and DB on top with the grand view (DB just turned 60, still kickin ass and takin names)

wallowingpresent participle of wal·low (Verb)     1.  This creek drainage

My Birthday Came Early - Couloir Season

     Historically speaking, March is the snowiest month in southwest Montana.  It always seems In bad snow years just about the time in February when everyone in Bozeman starts whining about the lack of storms March slams the state like a caffeinated I-90 trucker late to Minnesota.  This year was not one of those years.  March instead produced California fever, when every northerner hits the barbeque and shorts at the first consistently sunny week, declaring that "summer" has arrived.  But for the skier underneath what seems to be a depressing anomaly comes a blessing.  After temps in the mountains climbed well above 50's for over half of March and April, the snowpack has turned into a big stable block, and just in time for some cold temps and snow brought by the convergence of the southern and northern jetstreams.

     It's a couloir skiers wet dream.  18"-24" of dry powder over a solid isothermal snowpack, and last weekend it delivered.  Pow snow on big lines so stable i could have dropped them in my Subaru.  Kevin, Colin and I headed out to Middle Basin and skied two great couloirs.  The only catch 22 of the good snow is its ability to hide those sharp Madison range Rocks.  In the first couloir Kevin took a tumble with a Chuck Norris recovery right back to his feet, which i then followed with a teeter totter rollover off my first turn above the choke.  Alas, we had a rad day and despite the smaller snowpack, i think we will have a great couloir season.

 

Crossing the bottom of Middle Basin

Kevin Rapping in

 Ripping, pre-Chuck Norris moves

 Colin gettin some April 29 pow

Second Couloir

 Upper Middle Basin

 Future Lines:  In a better snow year we will go for a ski decent of the twin peaks formation

Future Lines: Fan mountain, prominent couloir off the lookers right of the main summit. Notice the crown lines from March/April avy cycles