BC near missoula

[letsroll]

I was thinking about heading there for x-mas, doing the research. Are there any guide books? Where to go? Beta?

 

 

[AlpineK]

What little I know is about skiing near Lookout Pass. I've skied south of the area on the east side of the pass to a peak in the St. Regis area (to Stevens Peak I think). I've heard you can drop west to Mullan. You need a pickup vehicle parked on I-90 in this case.

 

My memory is from the '80s though, so others may have better suggestions.

[Bug]

X-mas is early most years. But there are still turns up high.

Sometimes you have to find wind blown gullies etc but other times, X-mas is great skiing. Lookout is a really good area. Stop on the FS raod that head s on the east side of the slode right off the freeway exit. Sometimes the road is drivable. Usually not. Snow mobilers use it a lot. Be nice and bumb a ride. They usually do not get into the areas that are really fun to ski. Just keep heading south and it gets better and better. If you do not have a snowmobile ride, stay high.

Other areas are numerous. Snow bowl off the back side of point 6.

Whishard Ridge up the Blackfoot.

Lolo pk, Little St Joe, St Marys pk. are all pretty good entry level runs.

Pretty much every east-west ridge in the Bitterroot but be selective depending on your adventure quotient. I often found early snow in the gullies on the north aspects.

And you are really on your own out there. Chances of someone finding you before you freeze hard as a rock are slim.

[pindude]

Lookout Pass has been part of my backyard for more than 30 years. Intermountain climate and snow conditions. I'll comment first on the little bit of accurate--and erroneous--info presented thus far.

 

What little I know is about skiing near Lookout Pass. I've skied south of the area on the east side of the pass to a peak in the St. Regis area (to Stevens Peak I think). I've heard you can drop west to Mullan. You need a pickup vehicle parked on I-90 in this case.

 

My memory is from the '80s though, so others may have better suggestions.

 

No, sorry, not much good skiing on the east side of the pass. While I-90 runs north-south where it crosses Lookout Pass, by far the best skiing is on the west side of the pass, not the east. If you were headed into the St. Regis Basin and toward Stevens Peak, then you definitely were headed to the west. In the 80s the St. Regis Basin had less traffic and only a few motorized sledders; now it's overrun with them.

 

X-mas is early most years. But there are still turns up high.

Sometimes you have to find wind blown gullies etc but other times, X-mas is great skiing. Lookout is a really good area. Stop on the FS raod that head s on the east side of the slode right off the freeway exit. Sometimes the road is drivable. Usually not. Snow mobilers use it a lot. Be nice and bumb a ride. They usually do not get into the areas that are really fun to ski. Just keep heading south and it gets better and better. If you do not have a snowmobile ride, stay high.

Other areas are numerous. Snow bowl off the back side of point 6.

Whishard Ridge up the Blackfoot.

Lolo pk, Little St Joe, St Marys pk. are all pretty good entry level runs.

Pretty much every east-west ridge in the Bitterroot but be selective depending on your adventure quotient. I often found early snow in the gullies on the north aspects.

And you are really on your own out there. Chances of someone finding you before you freeze hard as a rock are slim.

 

* By far, most years around Christmas there's plenty of skiable snow at Lookout. Of the half-dozen or so Inland NW ski resorts including Schweitzer, Silver, and 49 Deg North, Lookout is almost always the first to open. Thanksgiving is a typical opening weekend.

 

* If you're skiing from Lookout Pass, then don't park on the east side (illegal per DOT): park instead on the west side, in the downhill concession parking lot toward the south end entrance. Be respectful of the DH concessionaire and park appropriately. They must plow around vehicles parked early or late, as BC skiers and riders often do. Many sledders with their trailers park here too, and the concessionaire has had many issues in the past with both motorized and non-motorizied BC users who use their lot. As BC skiers and riders, we've been in communication to mitigate this. Obey any signs and use common sense when parking.

 

* St. Regis Basin is now snowmobile heaven with large groups of riders. It also has many slopes near or at 38 degrees feeding into the basin from both sides, and it's only a matter of time before we have an avy fatality, or worse, a large group of motorized riders die in there. I stay out of St. Regis Basin unless I'm headed to Copper Basin or doing the Stevens Peak Traverse (see below), and then I'm headed through there very early before most sledders are awake.

 

A guy I don't know named Greg Rouse has had a great little website since about 2000 called Wilderness Trip where he's highlighted the best Lookout Pass area BC outings. Contrary to his descriptions, all are single-day trips that can be enjoyed easily on a short, winter day if you get an early start. My favorites, in order:

 

1. Boulder Basin: Generally the best area for Lookout Pass single-day outings. Park west of Lookout Pass in the town of Mullan. Some tight trees and a couple gullies usually keep the sleds out. On your way into Boulder Basin, don't linger under the obvious avy-prone slopes. Most ski the east slope (west-facing aspect) of West Willow Peak back over the uptrack; some others the ridge between Point 5959 and Stevens Peak, skiing the north-facing aspect back down into Boulder Basin through what several of us call Strawberry Fields. Some skiable terrain is on the west side of the basin (easterly aspects), but there's much more avy terrain there to avoid compared to the east and south sides of the basin.

 

2. Copper Basin: Park at Lookout Pass. Avy-prone slopes in Copper, so ride/ski only when conditions warrant. Look out for snow-mo'ers on your way though St. Regis Basin. Yup, look out for snow machines whenever you're in the Lookout Pass BC.

 

3. Tiger Peak: Park to the northwest of Lookout Pass in the old mining town of Burke, which is a bit of history and a cool trip all it's own. Again, show courtesy to the locals when parking. Here the locals are homeowners. You'll have to go around private property and deal with dogs at the very beginning to access the Tiger Peak area. Beware the north and east slopes off the summit of Tiger Peak, which avalanche regularly through the season.

 

4. Stevens Peak Traverse, from Lookout Pass to Mullan: Requires parking a vehicle at Mullan at the Boulder Basin TH, then shuttling to Lookout Pass to start. Start early to avoid the sledders. In St. Regis Basin, stay on the main trail--which generally follows St. Regis Creek--to Upper and Lower St. Regis Lakes. You'll mostly be on the north side of the creek until the lakes. Good in early spring before everything melts out.

 

Looking at Wilderness Trip, one must combine the Boulder and St. Regis trips. The St. Regis map doesn't show the head of the basin including the upper and lower lakes, nor the headwall leading to Stevens Peak's southeast ridge.

 

Around 2000, in discussion with the FS among recreation user groups, there was an informal agreement for the motorized to use the north side of the creek, while the non-motorized users of St. Regis Basin would use the south side. However, it's not safe or practical to travel staying on the south side of the creek, so all users continue to use the main trail on the north side of the creek.

 

Once you're to the Lakes, continue to head generally west to ascend the headwall above. Trend to the left through big trees rather than go up open, avy-prone slopes to access the southeastern ridge of Stevens Peak. Beware of cornices on this ridge and up on Stevens Peak. Good, south-side turns can be had from the Stevens summit but you'll have to re-skin to get back up to the ridge between Stevens Peak and Point 5959. From here you can follow West Willow Peak's south ridge and ski the west slope of West Willow, or head down through Strawberry Fields to get to the head of Boulder Creek.

-----------

 

Unless you're with a knowledgeable local, avoid Lone Lake Basin and its couloirs from Stevens and West Willow Peaks. We've had 3 avy fatalities in the past 5 years in this basin: two skiers, and one boarder.

 

Of all these trips, Boulder Creek to West Willow Peak is the least avy-prone, and the one I most recommend. Some of us have lobbied the USFS for a winter non-motorized recreation area to be established for the Boulder Creek, Lone Lake, and Stevens Lakes Basins on up to Stevens Peak, and including the south face of Stevens. It's a beautiful area to visit, and you may see sign of cougar and lynx.

 

Point 5959, with the north-facing Strawberry Fields and Boulder Basin below. View looking generally south from West Willow Peak, 3-22-08:

 

Edited November 2, 2008 by pindude

[letsroll]

pindude have you headed up to Gray Wolf in the winter? I know it is on the res and you need to get a pass. I can see it from my relatives house and have always been wondering about heading up it in the winter. good adventure

[pindude]

Never been there, but would love to do it.

[letsroll]

by the way thanks for the info on the other trips. Looks like I might have to take a couple of days to get to missoula

 

gray wolf linkie

 

that is all I have found so far.

Edited November 1, 2008 by letsroll

[letsroll]

that pic is a big tease. That looks great!!

[Bug]

Good post Pindude!

Thanks for the refresher.

[Skisports]

I have done Graywolf in the winter. its very do able. Just know your snowpack. The missions are intermountain sometimes continental snow pack. Just like anywhere in MT you need 4wd or a snowmoblie.

 

Dave

[DirtyHarry]

Nice cornice. Holy shit.

[cosmo78]

check this link out yo!

 

www.backcountryfocus.com

[noah]

 

I like seeing the posts, sounds like you guys are out near my neck of the woods.

 

 

I am currently living out in north spokane by mead high school and I am looking for other people to go out backcountry skiing.

 

I have a splitboard and all the avi equipment and I have done many backcountry trips out from mt. baker ski area, table and shucksan arm. I have been out with the spok. mountaineers a few years ago and we went out to lookout pass and touring up behind the mountain.

 

I have taken a basic avi. safety course a few years ago.

 

If you know of people who go out regularly that would be great. You seem very knowledgeable and I am looking for some partners.

 

Love to hike for the turns.

 

cheers,

Noah