Ski Touring and Nordic Skiing - Advanced I

Destination is a powder pocket N of Idaho City.  We will probably end up at Pilot's Peak or thereabouts, but it's up to the trip leader to detmine the final destination, depending upon avi conditions and preferences of the participants.   This is a trip for folks comfortable with a shovel, probe and a beacon and climbing skins.  You will bring your own.  Advanced 1 skill level, according to our club description, covers the amount of vertical we plan on, but 15-25 miles?  Are you kidding?  More like 4 or 5 max.

Participants should be relatively comfortable climbing a two to three thousand vertical feet over the course of the day, ski 30 degree slopes in not perfect snow between the trees.  Call or email Jim Pace, trip leader, for details about where to meet.  Expect to meet up around 7:30am on Saturday.  I've found out I need to be back in Boise by 4:30pm, so it won't be a long day or me, at least.  Assistance leadership may develop to have one car return early and another by nightfall.  We'll see.

Jim

The extended forecasts are predicting snow in the mountains earlier this week: time for backcountry skiing.  Dust off your skis and join us at one of the powder pockets north of Idaho City - destination TBD depending on where we think the best conditions will be - and get some turns in.  Telemark, Alpine touring/Randonee, split boards, or shaped backcountry touring skis are appropriate for this trip.  Beacons, probes, shovel, climbing skins and strong intermediate ski skills are required.  About 1.5 hours from Boise.  No dogs, please.

Have you ever been playing in the snow near McCall and wished you could stay another day? This is your chance! We have reserved an 8-person heated bunkhouse on the shores of Payette Lake. The rustic log structure is adjacent to plowed parking and will cost less than $20 per person for both nights with full occupancy. 
 
We will drive from Boise on Friday afternoon (about 110 miles, 2.5 hours). Saturday and Sunday are open for activities depending on the group: snowshoe or ski to the adjacent Ponderosa State Park or at one of the other nearby groomed areas (trail fees), walk a long mile to McCall to view the Winter Carnival snow sculptures, ski at Brundage (lift pass) or join us for backcountry skiing in the Lick Creek Range. Folks who join us for backcountry skiing must have a probe, beacon, shovel, climbing skins, strong intermediate ski skills, and backcountry touring skis, Telemark gear or an Alpine touring/Randonee set up. No dogs, please.
 

The trip is full!  Please contact us to be put on a waiting list.  If enough extra people sign up, we will reserve a second bunkhouse.
 
At present we have a subgroup of people interested in track skiing and/or snowshoeing, and a subgroup interested in backcountry skiing who could also track ski.  We can be flexible about destinations depending on weather, snow, and avalanche conditions. 

Another of our favorites in the Sawtooth Wilderness, the tour up into the Stephens Lakes Basin promises gorgeous views but does not follow a maintained trail all the way in.  On Saturday we will drive to the Stanley Basin, park near Little Redfish Lake, follow a snowmobiled road for about a mile and a half, and then follow a trail up Fishhook Creek that will most likely be broken.  We will bypass a yurt and enjoy superb views from meadows before entering the forest and camping.  On Sunday we will continue up and into the Stephens Lake Basin where we have several options for touring to the highest lake or other vantage points before returning to camp. On Monday we will ski out and return to town.  Backcountry skis, telemark gear or an alpine touring/randonee set up are appropriate for this trip.  Shovels, transceivers, probe poles, climbing skins, and winter camping gear are required as are strong intermediate skiing skills - you must be able to ski down through trees. The parking area is about a 3-hour drive from Boise.  No dogs, please.

It's spring skiing season! Join us for one of favorite backcountry day tours in the Sawtooth Mountains.  We'll ski south up the Bench Creek drainage near Banner Summit, gain the ridge to the east where a summertime trail crosses over to Martin Lake, ski north along the ridge towards Copper Mountain (but not all the way to the summit), and drop down a subsidiary ridge to the west that leads back into the valley - time for some turns.  Shaped backcountry touring skis, telemark gear, or a randonee/alpine touring set up are appropriate for this trip.  Beacons, probes, shovels, climbing skins, and strong intermediate skiing skills are required.  About 8 - 9 miles round trip and 2,500 - 3,000 ft cumulative elevation gain depending on where we decide to ski down from the ridge.  No dogs please.  Expect about a 2.5 hour drive from Boise; we'll leave town early in the morning and return by 9 pm.

Winter is back!! Join us for a trip to one of the powder pockets north of Idaho City - Pilots, Freeman, Sunset - destination TBD by group consensus.  Telemark gear, shaped backcountry touring skis, split boards, or an alpine touring/randonee set up are appropriate for this trip.  Beacons, probes, shovels, and climbing skins are required.  Strong intermediate skiing skills recommended.  Drivers may need Park-n-Ski passes.  No dogs, please.  About 70 miles, 1.5 hour drive from Boise. 

Join us for a tour in the powder pocket north of Idaho City.  Our destination will be determined by group consensus - Freeman Peak, Pilot Peak, or Sunset Peak.  The snowpack is fairly stable right now, but participants must have beacons, probe poles, and shovels.  Shaped backcountry skis, Telemark skis, alpine touring/Randonee gear, splitboards or snowshoe-snowboards are appropriate.  Skiers and split boarders need climbing skins.   No dogs please.  About 1.5 hour drive from Boise.

Our back-up weekend if weather or conditions force us to postpone our January tour to Toxaway Lake, or another tour to a new destination.  Stay tuned!

Join us for an overnight tour of Idaho's backcountry to another one of our favorite destinations  We will leave Boise on Saturday morning, drive to the trailhead, and ski to our overnight campsite past Yellowbelly Lake in the Sawtooth Wilderness.  On Sunday we will continue up the drainage to Toxaway Lake and return to camp.  Monday we ski out and return to town.  Backcountry touring skis, lightweight telemark skis or Randonee gear are appropriate for this trip.  Transceivers, shovels, probe poles and climbing skins are required as are 4-season tents, winter sleeping bags, and strong intermediate ski skills.  No dogs or sleds, please.  About a 3.5 hour drive from Boise via ID 21.

We are heading out to look for corn snow (we might get lucky and find powder) at one of the local backcountry ski haunts - Copper/Bull Trout, Pilots/Freeman/Sunset, or maybe just some great slopes off the Idaho City Park-n-Ski. Exact location TBD on Friday night depending on predicted weather and snowpack temperature history. Shaped metal edged backcountry touring skis, telemark gear, alpine touring equipment, or a rondonee set-up are appropriate for this trip. Transceivers, shovels, probes and climbing skins are required. No dogs, please.