March 11, 2006, Keechelus Ridge

Headed up to Keechelus Ridge today with Nick and Eric, figuring there would be enough snow this time of year to get some turns.

Parked in the Price Creek sno-park alongside about a million snowmobile trailers.  Followed a small snowmobile track north, huffing 2 cycle smoke from the pasing 'bilers for 10 minutes til it hit a big groomed snowmobile road.  Turned left here and followed the road a few hundred feet to cross Noble and Price Creek (there are signs), then turned right on a forest service road just after price creek, getting away from the fumes/noise.  Someone had been nice enough to leave a set of skin tracks for us, and we followed their tracks along the FS road for ~1.5 miles, then veering to the right off the road to cut strait up the ridge to the radio tower at the summit.  We took in some views of Stuart to the NE, and listened to the relaxing sound of a dozen or so 'bilers who'd beat us to the top, and headed down.

We skied down the ridge we came up sinking ~6 inches into dense powder.  Found some streches of good open skiing, and a lot of tree slaloms.  Wound up near the price creek drainage, and followed it down to pick up the skin trail half a mile from the bottom.