Dec 16, 2012, Larch Mtn MHNF

Ok, so not exactly "Backcountry", but you can see it from there. Wife, dogs and I parked 1 mile short of the snow gate and skied up the road to the spur trail to the 441. At 3200' found 18-24" of decent snow on the road and open areas, about half that in the trees. Didn't make it on to any significant slopes, so I can't speak to stability. The freezing level rose over the course of our tour, and the rain melted out road access nearly to the snow gate on our return. Of course, it was changing back to snow as we left, so unless they are plowing you will probably be stopped short.

No pictures, as there isn't much to see unless you make it to Sherrard Point, but a pleasant day in the snow. Not exactly epic, but Larch Mountain is the closest snow to Portland.

Has anyone ever skied down from the rim of Sherrard Point into the crater? It looks like it could be at least a few hundred feet, and with the old growth it seems like there might be enough room to squeeze some turns in.