April 27th.

Edo.

 

Not quite done with skiing yet. A little fresh snow, and smooth turns down 3rd slide.

Cam.

 

Good Friday Skiing

Morning brought flurries in town and an unseasonably low snow-line. Eventually Cam and I wandered up Granite, and were stoked to find up to 25cm of new snow and good quality turns all the way down First Slide.

Sawtooths

 

Cam – Contemplating the first turn in the Petzolt.

Cam, Jordy and I were packed and ready to sled into the Gold Range, but with the weather and hazard deteriorating as our departure approached, a change of plan seemed called for. The Sawtooth range in central Idaho had a stable snow-pack and nothing but bluebird in the forecast, so we headed south. For 5 nights we utilized the Bench and Fishhook huts operated by Sun Valley Trekking, which are pretty rustic compared to backcountry lodges here in BC, but had everything we needed and set us up for some great skiing.  It was Springtime in the Sawtooths. Powder lingered on the highest and steepest of North facing lines, but most slopes were going through a freeze-thaw cycle. The range is famous for it’s chutes, and if steep narrow couloirs are your thing, there’s a lifetime of options to keep you challenged. We boot packed up and skied down the Petzolt couloir on Mt Heyburn, which certainly had me gripped, but the highlight for me was timing a steep 3000′ line off Mt Thompson in perfect velvety corn. We covered allot of ground in the time we had available, but there were beautiful lines to be skied as far as we could see in every direction.

Sawtooths? Seems appropriate.

Fishhook Creek approach.

Bench hut.

Jordy – Always the climber.

Looking South. Lots to be skied.

Below Mt Heyburn, into Bench Lakes.

Bench Lakes, approaching Mt Heyburn.

Mt Thompson.

Perfect Corn.

Fairy Meadows Part 2.

Skiing the poser line – Shoestring Glacier

 

Here are few of Elise’s shots of me from our recent trip to  Fairy Meadows. Having such a wonderland at our doorstep for a week was  the stuff of dreams, and I can’t wait to go back.

 

Heading towards Pioneer Pass.

 

Contemplating the Descent from Friendship Col.

Storm Day Tree Skiing.