March 7-9, 2010, Tam McArthur Rim
3/7/10
2544
6
After a relaxing 3 days at Sunriver resort riding Mt. Bachelor and enjoying Bend, Todd, Andrew and I headed out to Tam McArthur Rim to test out the new yurts run by Three Sisters Backcountry Inc., which are in the first year of operation. The place lived up to expectations. We met Shane at the trailhead, got our gear loaded in the sled and trailer, and headed out for the 6 mile snowmobile ride into Three Creeks Lake. The lake sits at the line of the Three Sisters Wilderness, so access up the relatively flat 6 miles of road is by snomo, but the Rim area is all accessed by skins. Soon, the terrain of the rim opened up before us.
The riding possibilities seemed endless, with steeps, cornices, and big lines everywhere. We were out touring by 10 am and were blessed with bluebird skies for the whole trip, and great powder on the north facing aspects. Due to several days of no new snow, the avalanche danger was low, making the steep stuff accessible. The views to the south and west of Broken Top and the sisters were amazing. Here's a shot of Broken Top from the top of the rim and another of Todd touring out to the point....
We hit the main bowl in the rim on the second day of our stay, and the powder was epic, due to the fact that all the moisture had been sucked out of the snow from temps in the single digits the night before. Our pit revealed a weak layer 80 cm down or so (an old crust), but there were no results with an extended column test or compression test. There was some surface hoar on top of the snow, but it was destroyed by strong winds Monday night/Tuesday morning. Here's Todd ripping some fresh stuff in one of the main bowls.....
Here's a shot of me riding the bowl in the sunshine......
The yurts were super cozy, with a full kitchen and comfortable bunks. Having never stayed in a yurt before, I was surprised at all the little things - every detail was planned out. Plenty of wood to keep us warm, a great stove, and dishes, utensils, etc. The sauna was icing on the cake. On the second night, I brought out the tripod to take this shot of the Raven yurt with a 30 second exposure....
The third morning dawned crystal clear and cold (3 degrees F), but as mentioned there were some pretty strong winds from the night before. After a few more laps in one of the many bowls, we came back, packed up our stuff and headed out for one more lap of nice preserved pow on the north facing slopes above camp. One last rock drop and it was time to get ready for the 6 miles out....
The trip was excellent, the yurts excellent, and the snow excellent. We'll be heading back next year again for sure, but will probably forgo the freeze dried meals in favor of some fresh food :)
The riding possibilities seemed endless, with steeps, cornices, and big lines everywhere. We were out touring by 10 am and were blessed with bluebird skies for the whole trip, and great powder on the north facing aspects. Due to several days of no new snow, the avalanche danger was low, making the steep stuff accessible. The views to the south and west of Broken Top and the sisters were amazing. Here's a shot of Broken Top from the top of the rim and another of Todd touring out to the point....
We hit the main bowl in the rim on the second day of our stay, and the powder was epic, due to the fact that all the moisture had been sucked out of the snow from temps in the single digits the night before. Our pit revealed a weak layer 80 cm down or so (an old crust), but there were no results with an extended column test or compression test. There was some surface hoar on top of the snow, but it was destroyed by strong winds Monday night/Tuesday morning. Here's Todd ripping some fresh stuff in one of the main bowls.....
Here's a shot of me riding the bowl in the sunshine......
The yurts were super cozy, with a full kitchen and comfortable bunks. Having never stayed in a yurt before, I was surprised at all the little things - every detail was planned out. Plenty of wood to keep us warm, a great stove, and dishes, utensils, etc. The sauna was icing on the cake. On the second night, I brought out the tripod to take this shot of the Raven yurt with a 30 second exposure....
The third morning dawned crystal clear and cold (3 degrees F), but as mentioned there were some pretty strong winds from the night before. After a few more laps in one of the many bowls, we came back, packed up our stuff and headed out for one more lap of nice preserved pow on the north facing slopes above camp. One last rock drop and it was time to get ready for the 6 miles out....
The trip was excellent, the yurts excellent, and the snow excellent. We'll be heading back next year again for sure, but will probably forgo the freeze dried meals in favor of some fresh food :)
That looks great - thanks for the report! Did you guys ski the steep face of the rim directly above the lake?
Yeah - everything but the 30 foot cornice huck on the top! We didn't linger under that thing for too long though!
Hey Stoudema, how can ya rip the steeps with those goggles so far up on your helmet?
You'll have to ask Todd - he's the tele-skier w/the goggle/sunglasses combo..... ;)
Sweet! Anxious to ski this area, thanks for the report!
Thanks for the excellent report. This Fall I heard about the yurt. Jill and I were thinking of a trip there in April on our way to Tahoe and the Eastern Sierra.
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