Winter Posted January 3, 2003 Posted January 3, 2003 So a bunch of us stayed in a Forest Service cabin over NYE and got in a day of kick ass powder skiing at Anthony Lakes in the Elkhorn Mountains. Yahoo! That shit rocked. Hung out with Dan, some guy new to LaGrande and got all kinds of sweet tracks. The backcountry conditions pretty much sucked with a super high snow line and crappy snow. Didn't get into the backcountry after the dump. If anyone's been in the backcountry near there please drop me a line. The central couloir on Gunsight looked scary as hell, and the rest of it looked fantastic. That place is a hidden gem run by a family committed to a responsible ethic. Quote
rbw1966 Posted January 3, 2003 Posted January 3, 2003 Awesome Chris! I was slogging through the rain and cascade cement at Meadows on New Years Day. Nice powder early in the day though. Plans to go back there? Lemme know. Quote
Winter Posted January 3, 2003 Author Posted January 3, 2003 That's a sweet vid. Did you guys make it all the way up the saddle and how long did it take? Quote
rbw1966 Posted January 3, 2003 Posted January 3, 2003 Very cool footage shredder! That looked really sweet. Quote
Winter Posted January 3, 2003 Author Posted January 3, 2003 Ha! Next time hold off on the ganj until you actually figure out where you're goin. Quote
vert Posted January 3, 2003 Posted January 3, 2003 Well alright! Its good to hear about others checking out A Lakes for back country skiing. The "chutes" as they are collectively called, offer great steep skiing. From the top of the lift, the peaks connect in a ring as follows. Lakes lookout, Lees, Angel and Gunsight. Across the valley to the east from Gunsight is Van Patten the third highest summit in this range. From this one on a clearrrr! day you can see Jefferson north to Baker, very cool! All of the north faces have butt puckering angle and Gunsight is definately the most challenging one in the immediate area. Later in the season and depending on prevailing winds, this couloir can approach 60 degrees for the first ten (pedal jump) turns and is pretty narrow. The other mountains are more reasonable and you can cut loose to roll with the slough. I have seen them crown right on top but usually if this happens it will be at the base of the steeps, still scary and may require a summer rock visit to retrieve you lost gear in the boulders. Usually however if you know a little about inland maritime snow, they can be judged safe. Else where in the range, Rock Creek Butte (9106') has a 3000' east face up to 45 degrees. The nearby Pine Creek Headwall's Western couloir has 1700' of up to 55 degree horror, the only decsent that rates extreme to date in this range. Better climb this one first as it makes Gunsight feel like a breeze. The North face of Elkhorn Peak, east again, is easier than it looks but very exposed. The peaks around A Lakes are without a doubt the easiest to access taking at most two hours to ascend from the lodge given you know ahead the lay of the topography. Go around the backsides of them all on moderate avalanche slopes, cut the tops, let them slough out, then go! They are fantastic! Maybe I'll see you there- Quote
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