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Topic: January 17-20, 2003, Wallowa Mtn's (Read 3797 times)
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russ
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Posts: 193
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This is a little old, but I wanted to provide a link to pictures from the trip. Al, Chris, Dina, Jim, Russ and Yanna from Seattle went to the McCully Basin yurts run by Wallowa Alpine Tours (Connelly & Jim). Hooked up with others from Spokane (Carl & Lisa), Pullman (Dave), Moscow (Howard) and Switzerland (Phillip) for 4 fun days.
This was the lowest snow pack I've seen in six trips to the same area. Despite having no new snow, we managed to find good runs with 2-3 inches of mostly good snow on top of a hard crust, which we never broke through. (ok, we broke through when we fell, but that doesn't count).
Here's the link - there's 3 sets of photo's all labeled McCully Basin: http://www.csunderman.com/
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Jim Oker
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At least in my memory there was even more like 5-8" of powder on some of the slopes we farmed on the last day of the trip (when our visions of a reasonable return time to Seattle evaporated due to the thought of "hmm, when will we likely next see any snow like this??). It was a very fun trip which included some 4-500 vf slope farming on high ridges and glades as well as an awesome ski up a 9000+ ft peak with views of the Wallowa range and the ice fog that plagued the valleys while we enjoyed bluebird days (though the ski down from the peak was, well, best described as turnable windcrust).
Very cozy yurts and an great sauna too!
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David_Lowry
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Thanks for sharing that awesome set of pics. Jim, is this you in the pic titled "D1_green yurt_Jim"? It looks like you've attained Buddah nature!
What was the name of the pass you headed to? It looks like the valley floor is less forested, thick, annoying than the route up to Bonney Lks.?
Since I'm a skin-flint, I'm going to pulk up my own tent and stove to the parking area up above Big Sheep Shelters soon-maybe. That or any other infinitude of treks I have planned!
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Charles
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Yes, thanks for the photo links! Lots of great shots showing those of us who have never made it there (yet) what the terrain is like. The low snowpack is really striking, but it looks like the group found enough coverage to have a good time. The panoramas are great, too.
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Jim Oker
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In reply to David - yes that was me, but I guarantee I'm not enlightened (yet).
Also, we were in Mcully Creek Basin - not sure what the passes we got to were named. It's a moderate haul up to the basin floor (~2000vf, something like 5-7 miles one way), but there's a trail that obviously gets used a fair bit in the winter by the yurtniks. Once up into the basin proper, travel is indeed pretty straightforward through the trees. Never been to Bonney Lakes, so I can't compare. It looked like there must be other worthy basins scattered about that range.
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russ
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Posts: 193
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Yea Jim, I was being a little cautious in my reporting. First couple of runs on Monday we hit a glade that was probably 16"-18" of nice light powder. I just didn't want everyone rushing off think they find that everywhere in the basin.
BTW, I'm sure I saw Jim levitate a time or two in the yurt. He probably reached nirvana and can't remember it! 
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Jim Oker
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I think it was those martinis you kept mixing up, Russ!
=8-O
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ron j
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Nice report, Great Pics, Russ.
Small world, too. I just happened to note that your friends, Carl and Lisa, skied my favorite run of all, the SW Chutes on Adams, on the very same day last year that Mad Dog and I skied them. Same trip right down to the Goats! (they got better goat pics than we did, however) 
http://www.turns-all-year.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=tr0207;action=display;num=1031764279
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"When I stop having fun I'm turnin' around"
“Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future.” - Niels Bohr
"If a given person makes it a priority not to die in an avalanche, he or she stands a very good chance of living a long, happy life in the mountains." - Jill Fredston
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russ
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Posts: 193
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Ron it is a small world - I saw your report last July, so thought there was still time to ski the sw chutes. We went 2 weeks laters and camped in a sand basin below, intending to climb and ski the same route. Unfortunately a wind storm came in and as we were climbing early the next morning, the gusts were almost blowing us off our stance. I had a whippet, but my buddy only had ski poles. We decided about a 1/3 of the way up it was too risky that he was going to take a big slide, so we skied from that point on the early morning hard surface.
Next time I want to do it as one day trip like you and maddog reported.
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Tim
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Posts: 16
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Great set of pics, russ! I was in there maybe 10 years ago, April I think. All I remember was that it snowed hard for 2 days of our 4 day trip and that it was damned cold during the storm. We were tenting it. Where are the yurts located? As I recall, it was a great location with lots of good terrain.
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« Last Edit: 01/30/03, 01:51 PM by Tim »
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russ
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Posts: 193
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The yurts are up McCully Basin at about 7400 ft. The basin is entered from the north on the same road as a little ski area - Fergusson Ridge, out of Joseph. Another popular trip is the Wing Ridge huts/yurts, which are south of McCully basin.
The McCully yurts are run by http://www.wallowahuts.com/
and Wing Ridge is at http://www.oregontrail.net/wingski/
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