Skiing in Montana's Bitterroots

[JoshK]

Has anybody here done any ski touring in the Bitterroot range near Missoula, MT? If so, do you have any recommendations for specific peaks to hit, lines to ski, etc?

[mtn_mouse]

One good place is Lolo pass on highway 12. There is a good parking lot, a USFS visitor center, and the Lolo hot springs are nearby. Just ski any direction, although south is best, and find your own hill. Lots of snow there.

[Bug]

St Mary's pk. and Little St Joe. are the most popular.

But in warm weather you will want a north aspect.

The ridge south of Big Creek is my favorite. Ski to the top and drop off the NW face into Big Creek. Keep veering right (N) off the top. Ski the open field (very steep). Look for the next opening, ski it, etc.

Lolo pk. from Mormon ridge. The approach is an old ski club run that was cut in the sixties. The peak is fairly steep off the North side.

Put it this way, I went back to Missoula about ten years ago and met up with two old friends. We decided to ski a ridge in the Bitteroots and I mentioned that I would like to ski something I hadn't skied before. My two friends said "Me too." There was only one ridge that none of us had skied. That was the Big Creek suggestion. The top is thick fir and the south slope is cliffed out. From the top, the north looks questionable at best. This is why no one ever skied it. It is very steep but is held in by brush. The bottom is very mellow all the way down to the trail.

Where to park is the biggest problem. Find a spot that will be easy to find from the way down. Do not limit yourself to skiing your upward tracks. This is especially true of Big Creek. Park on the flats by the trailhead.

Bring back a TR.

[DirtyHarry]

Bring a snowmobile. In the winter, access is difficult. Like the Cascades but worse, because no high passes. Lolo is the only decent access and the only thing you can easily acess is this pinner peak called Mt. Fuji. Some good turns there if the snow is good, but nothing majorly inspiring. Best skiing if the snow is good is Montana Snowbowl north of Missouls. Cheap tickets, long and steep runs, good backcountry access, and a great bar.

 

Great spring skiing in the B-roots 'cause access improves and there are good roads that go up real high.

[SilverGoat]

Take a look at Trapper Peak south of Darby, MT. It's an easy 10'er with fabulous views of the Bitteroot Valley, nearby North Trapper Peak and on into Idaho's Selway wilderness. The standard south ridge route has lots of safe, moderate slopes and few people ski there. It's also nearby awesome rock climbing in Blodgett and Kootenai canyons. Before you nead home, drive for a hot dip in nearby Sleeping Child Hot Springs.

 

Here's a link to some photos from a climb last March:

 

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/kwbilling/album?.dir=/684e&.src=ph&.tok=ph4MDLEB5tN3MQLm