Home > Trip Reports > 3-8-16, North Facing Aspects, West Elks, SW CO

3-8-16, North Facing Aspects, West Elks, SW CO

3/8/16
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Posted by TonyM on 3/9/16 11:00am
Nice storm deposited 8 inches of high moisture content snow in the West Elks in SW CO near Crested Butte.  The night after, a typical high pressure system rolled in and temps dropped to near 0 for several hours.  The snow dried nicely :)

We skied near the Wolverine Bowl area on the 'backside' of Emmons, just outside of town up the Slate River drainage.  This is an easy skin up as the track follows an old mining road.  Grade never exceeded 3 percent... which meant a longish approach, but with the scenery, blue skies and sunshine, it didn't matter.

Looking north just after leaving the Slate River winter TH. 



We skinned maybe 1.5 miles of flat before hanging a left ... Where a summer hiking/biking bridge crosses the Slate...



...Which took us to the most excellent system of Nordic groomed trails up the Slate.  If you're into skate or x-c, this is a nice 54km trail system.   I have a pass, so totally legal here (the others were poachng  8)).



Nice grooming...



Up a couple thousand vertical feet of easy travel, we near our objective of the day...



Along the way, spotted some Ptarmigans 2 feet from our skin track.  We all paused at the same spot to spread out under avy terrain and these 3 didn't move at all until I (last in this line) passed by and snapped a pic...  neat.



And finally, powder skiing.  Light, dried out north facing kind of hero powder skiing ;)
Jack-


Jimmy-


Kenny... with our skin track in view, and way down below, the Slate River.


We skied a combo of open areas like those pictured, and some trees.  A good day.
Sweet!  I miss the easy access, great skiing, and beautiful scenery.  I should have stayed a few more weeks to catch the powder. 

Wow. That looks like it doesn't suck.

Nice TR and photos.  Is there a snow machine in the access?  ;)

author=Zap link=topic=35981.msg147013#msg147013 date=1457666622]
Nice TR and photos.  Is there a snow machine in the access?  ;)

Hi Zap...  not for this trip... the tour begins at the Slate River winter TH just out of town.  I guess you could take a sled to the bridge (about 1.5-2 miles from the car), but most just skin out and back on the flat summer road. 

ScottK of Seattle and I did do a trip a couple weeks prior where we did need the services of the advanced SkiDoo Summit 800  ;), to access "Augusta Mountain", some 8 flat miles back from the Slate River winter TH near the old mining settlement of Pittsburg.  Probably should have done a TR on that one... much more intense than this TR!

Note-  Augusta is pictured in the very first photo... far left/far back center of the pointy peak (Mineral Point, another cool peak... but not the really pointed peak in the center... thats Purple.  Another story!), but higher and further back than the photo depicts.  Nice tour with a long skin (even after the sled ride) and some steep skinning/skiing for sure. 

Thanks for the great pictures and post, what great fortune to get such a great picture of the Ptarmigan, that would sure make my trip.....skiing looks delicious too.  

I lived at Irwin Lodge, just under Purple, for 3 years back in the 90's.  I miss it...thanks for the pics!  What a day....

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3-8-16-north-facing-aspects-west-elks-sw-co
TonyM
2016-03-09 19:00:17