Broken Top, Oregon Cascades: March 21, 2007
3/15/07
OR elsewhere
5136
11
With my pride sated for having overcome both most physically and mentally demanding terrain in under a week, I left Salt Lake quite satisfied. Although we had been a sizeable group, attrition left me alone as I pointed Old Paint, my Toyota, westward across the basin and range. Upon reaching Winnemucca, the
After lunch and a pile of photos, we started down at our designated turnaround time of 4pm. Although we had expected a few inches of new snow, what we got was corn. It was good all the way down.
Despite our pioneering route, we chose to follow the locals' track for the route home. This was a good decision, as their vertical profile proved far flatter than our effort had. We rolled up to the vehicles at 6pm, content.
Estimates:
-Elevation: 3K on the map; I daren't guess at our actual
-Distance: ~12-15 miles RT
![](http://www.webstart.com/jed/house/trip/compressed/c1-to-yellowstone/winnemucca-to-the-sea.jpg]"Gateway to the Pacific Northwest"</a>, I broke north toward the Oregon border. A phone call earlier in the day informed me that my moving target, a roaming band of Washington malcontents looking for something better in the southern Cascades, had landed in Bend for the night. Although sleep kept me from Bend that night, I tracked them down Tuesday morning at the Alpenglow Cafe.<br /><br />Over the course of eggs and bacon, I learned they planned to tackle Broken Top the next morning. I joined the trip without further persuasion.<br /><br />Although the early reports had warned of clouds and rain, the following morning proved cloudless and sunny. Wanting an alpine start, we set off from the Bachelor Nordic Center just before 10:00am in a hail of skinny skis. Two miles in we encountered two others also heading to Broken Top. Packed light and bound to nordic skis, they assured us the best route to the mountain was to be found along their uptrack. Smartly, we took this advice. Dumbly, we took it for only a mile, after which we chose a what seemed a "more direct line" with "less side-hilling." Thus began our serpentine route over several highs and lows that spanned the remaining miles of the approach. We arrived at the base of the mountain at an undisclosed time just as the old-timers were leaving, presumably after having had lunch and a nap. The sun was high, and it was high time we began the ascent.<br /><br />I should add at this time that, if you've not been up it, Broken Top is a beautiful mountain. So beautiful, in fact, that it took my breath away quite literally. As my partners goose-stepped steadily up the southern ridge, I frequently found myself in a lovely solitude gasping for breath. It was one of those days.<br /><br />We reached the top in the afternoon. The view was splendid:<br /><br /><img src=){kind=link}
After lunch and a pile of photos, we started down at our designated turnaround time of 4pm. Although we had expected a few inches of new snow, what we got was corn. It was good all the way down.
Despite our pioneering route, we chose to follow the locals' track for the route home. This was a good decision, as their vertical profile proved far flatter than our effort had. We rolled up to the vehicles at 6pm, content.
Estimates:
-Elevation: 3K on the map; I daren't guess at our actual
-Distance: ~12-15 miles RT
Nice! I'm looking forward to doing that trip a little later this year combined with the South Sister. Looks like the snow coverage is still good. You had great weather. The scenery in there is awesome!
Jill and I were at Bachelor cruising and enjoying the views of Broken Top and The Sisters on the 21st. We were returning from Tahoe and Wednesday's are Shell 2 for 1 days at Bachelor. It was a great day to be in the mountains. It is a looooong day trip from the Nordic Center. Nice TR and photos.
Nice photos and a well told tale 8)
"A phone call earlier in the day informed me that my moving target, a roaming band of Washington malcontents..."
Are we worthy of such complements?!?!?! Fantastic trip it was and great story telling. I'm just now going through my photos to see what I can add to this.
Oh wait...here we have the brave explorer himself, high atop a dangerous perch, risking life and limb for that perfect photograph!
The sleeping giants of the Pacific Northwest
The aromas of the central Oregon desert
Ian
---
Are we worthy of such complements?!?!?! Fantastic trip it was and great story telling. I'm just now going through my photos to see what I can add to this.
Oh wait...here we have the brave explorer himself, high atop a dangerous perch, risking life and limb for that perfect photograph!
The sleeping giants of the Pacific Northwest
The aromas of the central Oregon desert
Ian
---
Nice timing with the good weather; lucky!!! :) Sweet pics.
The Juniper berries are Very Eastern Oregon. I can smell the high desert.
The Sisters and Broken top are outstanding terrain. One trip I'd like to try is a traverse of the Sisters in spring. Has anyone out there tried that?
Nice TR Skip. Thanks for the inspiration.
The Sisters and Broken top are outstanding terrain. One trip I'd like to try is a traverse of the Sisters in spring. Has anyone out there tried that?
Nice TR Skip. Thanks for the inspiration.
yes, the elusive broken top. we thought about that one last memorial day along with the sisters, but the weather limited us to the sparks lake traverse instead. (see paul russell for his opinions on our base camp!). glad you got some good skiing in after utah though--great pics too! way to work it, skipster! ;D
author=JimH link=topic=6588.msg27005#msg27005 date=1175029241]
The Sisters and Broken top are outstanding terrain. One trip I'd like to try is a traverse of the Sisters in spring. Has anyone out there tried that?
I agree. Matter of fact, why isn't there a hut in there somewhere??? That way you could start at Mt Bachelor and ski in to Middle Sister or something close by, and continue on out to a car at McKenzie Pass. Oooo....
There are a number of places in the Cascades (North and South) that need a hut! But maybe that's another thread. Could get pretty complicated ;).
The slog out from Broken Top is a minor rite of passage for anyone who skis that area. I recall a few hours of skating through rolling terrain, complete with snowmobiles racing across the flats near the parking area. Yeeesh. Skip must have had a great time skating out on his Havocs....
The slog out from Broken Top is a minor rite of passage for anyone who skis that area. I recall a few hours of skating through rolling terrain, complete with snowmobiles racing across the flats near the parking area. Yeeesh. Skip must have had a great time skating out on his Havocs....
author=JimH link=topic=6588.msg27005#msg27005 date=1175029241]
The Juniper berries are Very Eastern Oregon. I can smell the high desert.
The Sisters and Broken top are outstanding terrain. One trip I'd like to try is a traverse of the Sisters in spring. Has anyone out there tried that?
Nice TR Skip. Thanks for the inspiration.
A few years ago a group of Mountaineers did the Sisters Traverse once the Cascades Lake highway past Bachelor was opened. We had 2 groups one starting from the north at the Pole Creek campground and the other from the south. We did a car key exchange at a joint group camp at Green Lake. We skied Broken Top, South Sister and Middle Sister in perfect spring conditions. It is a wonderful tour.
Zap
very nice skip, but you really should have been there for the sparks lake camp and made the pizza run with kam to know how good it can get ;D. glad you had a good trip back from utah!
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