Feb 16-19, 2008, Sherman Pass
2/16/08
3780
9
Five of us skied in to the Snow Peak Shelter for four days of very clear, crisp weather and fine snow.
The Kettle River Range is one of the most remote in the state, and wildfires almost 2 decades ago make for wild ghost-forest skiing with nice slopes facing every direction.
Sat: 3.5-4 mile ski in over a few inches of new, to the shelter that holds a max. of 6. Dug a couple pits on SW face of Snow Peak (7100' or so), and found sugary unconsolidated lower layers, but Q23 and higher compression tests. 2 good runs of 700' each.
Sun: Climbed Baldy, the pointy thing S of the shelter. Gusty. Scotsman's quick pit on the false summit showed wind-loaded with 2 distinct layers, so we backtracked to the lower-angle W side and kept skis on to the top. Skied trees below the false summit for quite a ways and back up to the hut for lunch. In the PM skied the entire ridge of Snow Peak to the summit, dropped the SW face, and finished with a steep little chute near the hoodoos on the S end.
Mon: Warmest day with least wind. Summited Snow Peak again, then rode the NW ridge of the N summit which was windblown but very carveable. Should've investigated the NNE aspect for better snow. Then we climbed Sherman Peak, where we met Jack English (formerly of Crystal and Bachelor), and he showed us the best fluff of the trip, Sherman's N aspect on Gleason's Gallop. Tried to climb Snow another time but pooped out and found the return to the shelter in time for cocktails to be plenty.
Tue: Skied out to the car and the 7-8 hour ride home to Kitsap County.
Brilliant weather & moon, some wind and chilliness but very manageable. Every kind of snow except bad! Met Keith Wakefield on the way out---he is the BC ranger for the Republic Ranger District of Colville Nat'l. Forest; contact him for conditions. We got a decent avy forecast from www.avalanche.ca, Kootenay-Boundary area, but the Kettles get their own weather, which this season is a bit lower snow total than the Cascades or the S. Selkirks. The snow profile generally matched Cascades and Kootenays but was more consolidated and wind-scoured.
Blitz and ATGrant pleez post pix! 8)
The Kettle River Range is one of the most remote in the state, and wildfires almost 2 decades ago make for wild ghost-forest skiing with nice slopes facing every direction.
Sat: 3.5-4 mile ski in over a few inches of new, to the shelter that holds a max. of 6. Dug a couple pits on SW face of Snow Peak (7100' or so), and found sugary unconsolidated lower layers, but Q23 and higher compression tests. 2 good runs of 700' each.
Sun: Climbed Baldy, the pointy thing S of the shelter. Gusty. Scotsman's quick pit on the false summit showed wind-loaded with 2 distinct layers, so we backtracked to the lower-angle W side and kept skis on to the top. Skied trees below the false summit for quite a ways and back up to the hut for lunch. In the PM skied the entire ridge of Snow Peak to the summit, dropped the SW face, and finished with a steep little chute near the hoodoos on the S end.
Mon: Warmest day with least wind. Summited Snow Peak again, then rode the NW ridge of the N summit which was windblown but very carveable. Should've investigated the NNE aspect for better snow. Then we climbed Sherman Peak, where we met Jack English (formerly of Crystal and Bachelor), and he showed us the best fluff of the trip, Sherman's N aspect on Gleason's Gallop. Tried to climb Snow another time but pooped out and found the return to the shelter in time for cocktails to be plenty.
Tue: Skied out to the car and the 7-8 hour ride home to Kitsap County.
Brilliant weather & moon, some wind and chilliness but very manageable. Every kind of snow except bad! Met Keith Wakefield on the way out---he is the BC ranger for the Republic Ranger District of Colville Nat'l. Forest; contact him for conditions. We got a decent avy forecast from www.avalanche.ca, Kootenay-Boundary area, but the Kettles get their own weather, which this season is a bit lower snow total than the Cascades or the S. Selkirks. The snow profile generally matched Cascades and Kootenays but was more consolidated and wind-scoured.
Blitz and ATGrant pleez post pix! 8)
Telemack, sorry I missed this one. Sounds like a great area. Maybe next year. looking forward to the pics.
Great trip Telemack. Skiing fast throught the ghost trees of the burn areas was about as fun as I've ever had with my clothes on! The are is really cool and the hut cosy.
Hopefully Blitz or Grant will post pics as we are both losers and don't have any!
This thread although intersting and not useless ,would be very much enhanced by some bloody pictures. ::) ::) ::)
Hopefully Blitz or Grant will post pics as we are both losers and don't have any!
This thread although intersting and not useless ,would be very much enhanced by some bloody pictures. ::) ::) ::)
author=Scotsman link=topic=9311.msg37531#msg37531 date=1204084229]
Great trip Telemack. Skiing fast throught the ghost trees of the burn areas was about as fun as I've ever had with my clothes on! The are is really cool and the hut cosy.
Hopefully Blitz or Grant will post pics as we are both losers and don't have any!
This thread although intersting and not useless ,would be very much enhanced by some bloody pictures. ::) ::) ::)
Quite true. I hope my avy beta was useful. Grant emailed me a couple of pix at work today; I'll send them to you and reply to get him to post.
His email said his back got worse, and the doctor told him he has a bulging disk---or a tumor, but most likely the disk. He wants to ski again but I'm not sure when that means.
Great TR. Jill and I had planned a trip there the past 2 years but travel/weather conditions caused us to cancel. Your report confirms our future plans.
Havnt been able to get camera to download, but will work on in during weekend.
Ok where is this range, ie how do you get there from Bend, Or? I know that guy Jack English...super guy and a good guy to have breaking trail for sure! The range must be near Jack's place I'm guessing. Sounds like it was a really cool trip.............
Skierhuitarist, the range is the Kettle Range and it lies near the town of Republic in the NE part of the state.
Drive to Omak and then Republic.
It's about 6.5 hrs from Seattle and a long way from Bend, OR.
It is a very cool place and nice and remote.
Drive to Omak and then Republic.
It's about 6.5 hrs from Seattle and a long way from Bend, OR.
It is a very cool place and nice and remote.
that guy Jack English...super guy and a good guy to have breaking trail for sure! The range must be near Jack's place I'm guessing. Sounds like it was a really cool trip.............
1. Go straight up 97 to Tonasket, then E on SR 20.
2. He was cool.
3. Actually, we caught him on the up, but he showed us the phatness on the down.
4. He lives S of Colville now and said it was about 45 min. to Sherman Pass.
5. The terrain, snow and hut are all HORRIBLE---never go there!
6. #5 was a bluff, but getting a reservation through the lottery is a pain and a gamble.
1. Go straight up 97 to Tonasket, then E on SR 20.
2. He was cool.
3. Actually, we caught him on the up, but he showed us the phatness on the down.
4. He lives S of Colville now and said it was about 45 min. to Sherman Pass.
5. The terrain, snow and hut are all HORRIBLE---never go there!
6. #5 was a bluff, but getting a reservation through the lottery is a pain and a gamble.
Thanks for information and directions--eventually I'll get to a few of these places..........sg
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