Wallowa Ski Trip - March 2006

March 12^th
Today we climbed back up to The Pyramid as a group to take advantage of the good snow that Jen and I discovered the day before. We were fortunate to have another great weather day. The high temperature was 20 degrees with light winds and plenty of sunshine. Returning to the camp we ate lunch and then explored the glades below camp. We found a great area that had previously been burned in a forest fire. From our perspective it was perfect with no pesky regrowth and nice spacing in the trees for carefree turns.

Returning to The Pyramid

Ski route down from The Pyramid

March 13^th
On our last full day in the Wallowas we returned to Phat Ridge. As its nickname implies, the ridge was wide enough to ski enabling us to avoid avalanche prone bowls on either side. The weather was clearly changing with brisk winds and sporadic snowfall. Still, the sun was mostly shining and the snow was perfect. We yoyo skied the ridge for awhile, bracing ourselves on the climb against the wind and horizontal spindrift. With big smiles we returned to camp in quickly deteriorating weather. The wind had increased considerably, howling in the trees. We settled into camp and enjoyed another outstanding dinner. Our attention then turned to our nightly Yahtzee tournament. Simon was the undisputed champion after cleaning our clocks for four consecutive nights.

Kevin skinning up Phat Ridge

Simon skiing down Phat Ridge

Kevin skiing down Phat Ridge

Tree shadows on snow

March 14^th
We woke this morning to six inches of new snow and the warmest temperature of our entire stay - 24 degrees! Our ski back to the Sno-Park was mostly uneventful, though we should have heeded Kevin's advice for the most direct route back.

Thanks to Simon, Jen, Peter and Kevin for an unforgettable four days of backcountry skiing.