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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Posts
    213

    Beartooth Pass beta

    I am headed up to Beartooth Basin and that area in a couple days with my son who is competing in the Jr IFSA Big Mt comp next week. I have not skied there but understand there is great road access backcountry skiing. For those of you who know the area, is the access and route finding as easy as it sounds like? My son is 13 and is a great skier, but I don't want to put him in a stupid situation. So any recommendations on where to go, what to ski? We both have touring set-ups so some hiking/skinning is fine.

    I'd love any suggestions/hints.

    Thank

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    PNW -> MSO
    Posts
    7,889
    Google Earth and caltopo will easily reveal the lines. Gardner headwall and rock cr down to the hairpin are the classics.

    Biggest risk is rapidly changing weather. The plateaus are exposed and it sucks to have to sprint across tundra to get to big scree for lightning "protection". If thunderstorms are at all in the forecast, pay close attention to the sky.

    It's grizz country, so bring bear spray and know its use, if you're camping

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    United States of Aburdistan
    Posts
    7,281
    You will be fine if you scope from the road what you want to ski before skiing it. Yes, it's that easy. That'll be enough for a weekend trip, you won't get bored. The 13 year old will get tired before bored with road hits.

    Only stupid situation would be maybe skiing under the huge cornices in the afternoon. As for bears, I camped for weeks (months?) there in the past and never had bear problems, but....bear spay isn't a bad idea.

    Weather is an issue, but generally when the afternoon storms come the skiing sucks by then. I once saw a tornado driving down from the pass, that was crazy though!

    Depending on where you are from, it will be much colder than you think in the mornings. Camping down low and skiing up high.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    OOTAH
    Posts
    3,939

    Beartooth Pass beta

    Not much to add on beyond what you have been told. I grew up not to far from here and this was our spring and summer playground. Access is ridiculously easy. If you can team up and shuttle laps you can get lots of vert between switchbacks with minimal climbing. We were up skiing it over Memorial Day weekend and shuttles were easy, more people up there than i have ever seen. Its am amazing place.
    Enjoy!!!



    Edited to add if you want a little more adventure this is a pretty amazing spot, definitely bring your bear spray

    Your going to have to pm me for more info on this one. Its not as well know or easy to access/ski.
    Last edited by teleee; 06-06-2017 at 03:49 PM.
    Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield: Oh, I'm sorry. Did I break your concentration?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Posts
    213
    Thanks everyone for the beta. We will be staying in town (it is easier than hauling our camping stuff by plane from Colorado), skiing at BTB for a couple days -- my son is competing on Tuesday and Wednesday -- and then planning on some road laps.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    outer Spokanistan
    Posts
    433
    Quote Originally Posted by muted View Post
    ....bear spay isn't a bad idea.......
    thats fucked up; let the bears love .........
    "we all do dumb shit when we're fucked up" mike tyson

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Almost Mountains
    Posts
    1,883
    Things have been stupid-warm the past week or so, but the weather has gotten better recently and back to freezing up overnight; keep an eye on the forecast, because that could go in either direction. Last Saturday, my 9:30 a.m. backcountry line was an exercise in wet-slough management, but the skiing at the basin stayed pretty damn good all day. The Friday before, the top couple hundred vertical feet of Rock Creek was still on the firm side around 11.

    I'm sure if you ask around at the Basin, you'll be able to get good info for the following days. Gardiner is pretty damn easy to scope your lines before you ski them; Rock Creek can be a little more challenging to figure out the entry point as you're walking across the plateau, and by next weekend the bottom will probably involve some scree-scramble fun, but it's a lot of vertical for not a lot of work and really bloody obvious as you drive up the road. I probably won't be up there mid-week, but I'd be happy to point you in the right direction, too...drop me a PM when you're in town.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Posts
    213
    Quote Originally Posted by anotherVTskibum View Post
    Things have been stupid-warm the past week or so, but the weather has gotten better recently and back to freezing up overnight; keep an eye on the forecast, because that could go in either direction. Last Saturday, my 9:30 a.m. backcountry line was an exercise in wet-slough management, but the skiing at the basin stayed pretty damn good all day. The Friday before, the top couple hundred vertical feet of Rock Creek was still on the firm side around 11.

    I'm sure if you ask around at the Basin, you'll be able to get good info for the following days. Gardiner is pretty damn easy to scope your lines before you ski them; Rock Creek can be a little more challenging to figure out the entry point as you're walking across the plateau, and by next weekend the bottom will probably involve some scree-scramble fun, but it's a lot of vertical for not a lot of work and really bloody obvious as you drive up the road. I probably won't be up there mid-week, but I'd be happy to point you in the right direction, too...drop me a PM when you're in town.
    Pm sent

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