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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Bozeman
    Posts
    720

    Beartooth Birthday Bash

    After plans to go to Cancun and beer bong Olympia with Carson Daly fell through, I decided to head into the 'tooths for a while.
    We started skinning at the Cooke City dump with giant packs and lots of sunshine, with the goal of getting to the Aero Lakes to set up base camp. We dropped into the wilderness near the Lulu Pass turnoff, and followed sled tracks 2.5 miles into the wilderness, past multiple signs--this is why you can't have nice things, assholes!


    Heading up Zimmer Creek, toward the good stuff


    Up and out of the goddamn trees!


    After ~10 miles of skinning with 5 days of supplies, we pop into the alpine! Here is Lower Aero Lake, with Mt Villard and the Cathedral Spires, which I took many, many photos of this trip.


    Our deluxe campsite on day 2, somehow with an open patch of running water just to the right. That little bit of creek was certainly the MVP of the trip, saving us 2-4 hours of melting snow each day. It was still below zero 2/3 nights, though!


    Cruising across Upper Aero Lake toward Mt Villard and its lil' spires.




    I set a nice, breakable bootpack up the last 400' vert of the bowl. I weigh almost nothing, so it was equally miserable for each person to punch through just as far on each pass.


    Admiring Glacier Peak's monolithic North face.


    Nine years ago, I stood on top of the South couloir of Villard and thought it would be pretty cool to ski it one day. I was right; this is a neat ski run.


    Turns down Villard's main bowl, with the North face of Wilse looming in the background.


    A few turns out on the top moraine, with the Cathedral Spires on the left.


    Sunset on day 2!


    Day 3 found us heading up Glacier Peak, and making numerous glances over toward Wilse's North face. I am scared, but intrigued.




    We dug out a little shelf before the final summit push, and I contemplated a first shovel descent over dried mangoes and warm tea.


    A little pop through the cornice, and we were on top!


    Granite Peak, and Villard's NW/W face.


    The first significant mountain I ever climbed solo was Glacier Peak, at 17 years old. 10 years later, I am back on top again, and on my birthday! I didn't think any climb I would ever do again could compare to that first one up here, but today sure gave it a run for its money.


    Coming out the bottom (but still well above the lake) after a very interesting ski.


    Cruising back across Upper Aero on our way to camp. Since we hauled our gear so far in, we had a very lesiurely schedule of getting out of camp at 9am, climbing a mountain, then reading and letting gear dry out starting around 4pm. It was a tough life, but somehow it worked.


    Just when I thought the trip couldn't get any better, we got treated to an incredible sunset!






    Note our bitchin' kitchen.


    The last bit of light before the temperature quickly dropped from 35 to 0 again.


    The next day, we collectively decided it would be hard to top Glacier Peak, so we packed up and headed out to go do some touring closer to Cooke City.


    One last look at the head end of Zimmer Creek before turning into a lowlander again.


    Day 5 found us heading up Republic Creek, away from the crowds again (it seems like if you're not on Republic Mountain, and not sitting on a snowmobile, there is nobody around).


    Topping out on the drainage, with a whole bunch of awesome terrain with a grand total of zero tracks on any of it.


    Our last little push to the top of Republic Peak, with Pilot and Index in the background. It was an out of focus sort of day.


    Looking into the head end of Cache Creek. Who wants to tour back here with me?


    Some more stupid mountains.


    We decided to loop into the head end of Hayden Creek and go back to town that way, which ended up being a fun little ridgeline puzzle for a while.


    Our last day was saved for a ski of Barronnette Peak. The morning started with a little snow, but the temperature hovered around freezing. We decided the Boiling River sounded like a better plan, and as the snow turned to rain, I felt warmer already.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Last Best City in the Last Best Place
    Posts
    7,270
    Great TR man! Thanks for posting.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    northern gye
    Posts
    524
    Excellent! I've been super curious about getting up into the Aero Lakes area, looks well worth it!
    I think the potato gun proved the stability.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    crown of the continent
    Posts
    13,947
    Awesome!!!! Republic Pass was one of my first true backcountry ski trips-
    Something about the wrinkle in your forehead tells me there's a fit about to get thrown
    And I never hear a single word you say when you tell me not to have my fun
    It's the same old shit that I ain't gonna take off anyone.
    and I never had a shortage of people tryin' to warn me about the dangers I pose to myself.

    Patterson Hood of the DBT's

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Great Falls, MT
    Posts
    205
    Really cool trip. Thx for sharing

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    CA
    Posts
    2,904
    So excellent - great pics great trip.

    Been to Beartooths in summer, but awesome to see em all dressed up for winter!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Bellevue
    Posts
    7,431
    Fucking phenomenal. Thanks for sharing, those are some nice looking mountains.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Livingston, MT
    Posts
    1,785
    Funny about the sled tracks. I was there a while back for work and actually got in trouble for patrolling the whole wilderness boundary. Evidently the Gardiner district thinks everything is unsafe and their snow rangers should just sit on there asses in a couple of spots in easy to poach places. No presence anywhere else. That entire job is about getting out, riding, and talking to people, not sitting on your ass and being a fucking snow pig. Cooke is a small world, everyone knows the FS has no presence there (and has no one that can ride a sled), so they have been taking advantage lately. I don't blame the sledders, most are clueless dipshits from out of state. They don't know any better. Sorry, great TR, I'll get off my soap box
    Thanks for the great pics though!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Posts
    3,173
    [QUOTE(it seems like if you're not on Republic Mountain, and not sitting on a snowmobile, there is nobody around).][/QUOTE]

    Thankfully this is true! Great TR, thanks for taking the time and effort to share that with us!
    "The skis just popped me up out of the snow and I went screaming down the hill on a high better than any heroin junkie." She Ra

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    inpdx
    Posts
    20,197
    happy birthday indeed!

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Fresh Lake City
    Posts
    4,573
    what a rad way to celebrate a birthday! Its always nice to tick off lines from the past!

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Up in ya face!
    Posts
    3,825
    So awesome. I spent a summer doing mellow stuff up on the Beartooth Plateau. One of the coolest places in the world in my opinion.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    casper
    Posts
    28
    I went to that same area in april 2006...it was super cool to rip skins and kick across those huge lakes

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Posts
    1,510
    You've certainly been getting after it this season, nice work!

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    United States of Aburdistan
    Posts
    7,281
    Nice work. Did you go with Ben?

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Sodium Chloride, Honest Abe
    Posts
    324
    Cool to see ski pics from one of my favorite places to fish! Thanks.
    "The two best times to fish is when it's rainin' and when it ain't." - Rancid Crabtree

    "never buy anything you can't fuel with a salami sandwich" - XXX-er

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Vanity Fair
    Posts
    2,720
    Happy belated birthday. Looks like a good time. Seems bony in some pictures, unusual or always like that?
    Ich bitte dich nur, weck mich nicht.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Retardbumville
    Posts
    854
    Way to use the gift,and thank you for sharing.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    cordova,AK
    Posts
    3,687
    nice trip rugged country
    off your knees Louie

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Fresh Lake City
    Posts
    4,573
    Happy Birthday! Looked like a great celebration! Way to get after it and thanks for sharing

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Bozeman
    Posts
    720
    Quote Originally Posted by Trace Hardslab View Post
    Cool to see ski pics from one of my favorite places to fish! Thanks.
    One of mine as well! I actually caught my biggest cutthroat ever out of Upper Aero, at 25" and ~7lbs.

    Quote Originally Posted by klar View Post
    Happy belated birthday. Looks like a good time. Seems bony in some pictures, unusual or always like that?
    Things were definitely thinner than they should be this time of year, but fortunately that didn't keep us from skiing anything.

    Quote Originally Posted by muted View Post
    Nice work. Did you go with Ben?
    I did not, but we did see him skiing around up there.

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Paper St. Soap Co.
    Posts
    3,303
    Awesome!

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