Beartooth Pass conditions?

[anotherVTskibum]

Regarding camping —

I camped right off FR 2412. The road up is in decent shape (my stock landcrusier made it up fine). Once you pass over Hellroaring creek there are several places that you can set up camp! I chose right next to the creek.
Attachment 240406

For those of you looking at heading up there next year (@alpy). Throw these into google maps and it will take you there (45.0477620,-109.4508590).

A few other things: AT&T has great LTE service in Red Lodge and maybe 3-4 miles down the road. After that there is no service until you are out of Yellowstone on the Cooke City side.

I'd note that 2412 being in "decent shape" is a matter of some debate. I tried taking my parents up that way when they visited, in an older XTerra, and the bouncing around on the first 50 yards was enough that they asked me to turn around. It's not difficult driving (as long as you're not in a low-slung vehicle), it's just a f***ton of babyheads that bounce you around and require attention to line choice. I don't know if you went beyond that camp spot or not, but (a) that's usually about as far as you can get around the time the pass opens (the slope just uphill from there tends to hold snow longer than most and the road stays covered) and (b) there are a couple of spots not much above that where there is barely enough room for a full-size truck. I've done it, but my girlfriend was holding on to the oh-shit handle really tight on the way back down.

On the cell-service note, I can usually get AT&T service on the higher ground in the vicinity of Top of the World store, albeit not on the road itself. The road to Clay Butte lookout tower goes high enough to get service, and occasionally I pick up service elsewhere (e.g. earlier this year getting a text at the top of Gardiner Headwall and going "WTF?").

Verizon service is available at the state line parking lot; it's not great, but usable, according to my friends with said provider.

And re: Austin's comment on skiing off Hellroading—yeah, I've been tempted repeatedly, but it's just such a slow PITA to drive up that damn road. I need to get the KTM working and figure out how to carry skis without catching the tails on the bike getting on/off.

[MontuckyFried]

I'd note that 2412 being in "decent shape" is a matter of some debate. I tried taking my parents up that way when they visited, in an older XTerra, and the bouncing around on the first 50 yards was enough that they asked me to turn around. It's not difficult driving (as long as you're not in a low-slung vehicle), it's just a f***ton of babyheads that bounce you around and require attention to line choice. I don't know if you went beyond that camp spot or not, but (a) that's usually about as far as you can get around the time the pass opens (the slope just uphill from there tends to hold snow longer than most and the road stays covered) and (b) there are a couple of spots not much above that where there is barely enough room for a full-size truck. I've done it, but my girlfriend was holding on to the oh-shit handle really tight on the way back down.

I used to go up and down it no problem in my stock Trailblazer. However, one thing that IS good to have is some bomber tires. Those rocks can be pretty sharp! I had the kevlar lined Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armors at the time. Last time I went up there I think I was sporting some meaty BF Goodrich all terrain tires. Either way, I think most vehicles with decent clearance and off-road capability can do it all no prob, even a Subaru, but I probably wouldn't want to go up there with standard highway tires. They'd probably pop! Haha.

And re: Austin's comment on skiing off Hellroading—yeah, I've been tempted repeatedly, but it's just such a slow PITA to drive up that damn road. I need to get the KTM working and figure out how to carry skis without catching the tails on the bike getting on/off.

Good thinking. There were some great looking lines for sure, but I remember peering down over the edges of the plateau and thinking that is going to be a LONG slog back out of there. Could be the reason I haven't encountered any skiers back there. I have seen hunters though and was told by them they had seen momma and baby grizzlies up top, so be bear aware for sure (a given in the area), and always have that bear spray on you! Man, I love that place. So raw. Yet so close to town!

[anotherVTskibum]

I used to go up and down it no problem in my stock Trailblazer. However, one thing that IS good to have is some bomber tires. Those rocks can be pretty sharp! I had the kevlar lined Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armors at the time. Last time I went up there I think I was sporting some meaty BF Goodrich all terrain tires. Either way, I think most vehicles with decent clearance and off-road capability can do it all no prob, even a Subaru, but I probably wouldn't want to go up there with standard highway tires. They'd probably pop! Haha.

You don't say?



I think I was under 1500 miles on the truck at that point. At least the weather was nice and I was able to confirm that all of the standard OEM emergency tire-change equipment works.

[MontuckyFried]

You don't say?



I think I was under 1500 miles on the truck at that point. At least the weather was nice and I was able to confirm that all of the standard OEM emergency tire-change equipment works.

HA! No way! That's hilarious. In retrospect, I mean. Was probably annoying at the time. With Goodyear Wranglers no less! Yikes! Were they SilentArmors?

Either way, yeah folks. If that happened to anotherVT in that ride, don't take your rental crossover SUV up there. Lol. At least you got a great photo out of the ordeal!

[SkiLyft]

I'd note that 2412 being in "decent shape" is a matter of some debate.

I suppose if you are familiar with wheeling; know how wide your rig is, and where your tires are it’s not bad as far as FR go. Notably the first 50 ft are the worst IMO.

Just go slow...

A stock Landcrusier has 9.5 inches of clearance — I am using Michelin LTX’s (a road tire).



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[anotherVTskibum]

HA! No way! That's hilarious. In retrospect, I mean. Was probably annoying at the time. With Goodyear Wranglers no less! Yikes! Were they SilentArmors?

Either way, yeah folks. If that happened to anotherVT in that ride, don't take your rental crossover SUV up there. Lol. At least you got a great photo out of the ordeal!

Some of that was just less-than-ideal luck, I happened to snag a sidewall on the way up. Girlfriend asks as we get to the top, "what's that hissing?", I flip to the TPMS screen and confirm that I'm well down on the right-front tire. I've been up before on not super-rugged tires (Cooper M+S), but that was in a substantially lighter rig. That incident did lead to buying AT tires much sooner than planned...they may be cheap AT tires, but they're still far more rugged than the factory HTs. (and yes, they were Goodyear Wrangler HTs, not anything that one would generally recommend for rocky terrain...but they did fine traction-wise, just not in durability). And yes, quite amusing in hindsight; at the time, I was mostly happy it was sunny, not windy, and hoping that I could avoid cutting another sidewall on the way back down.

I suppose if you are familiar with wheeling; know how wide your rig is, and where your tires are it’s not bad as far as FR go. Notably the first 50 ft are the worst IMO.

Just go slow...

Yes, it's doable in anything with Subaru-or-greater clearance and 4WD if you know how to drive (and really, 4WD is mostly a nicety, I'm sure it could be done with 2WD). It's just not entirely pleasant in anything not setup to soak up the bouncing. And yes, maintenance-level-2 forest roads go, it's not bad at all. But there are three grades of forest service road above 2, and the only one below it is closed

Back on topic, Rock Creek looks to be effectively done (I mean, it's skiable with downhiking, but it ain't contiguous across the apron, and there's better snow up high). Gardiner is still in pretty damn good shape, although the cornice at the top of Hourglass is starting to look sketchy (big crack in a substantial section of it). It may not come down soon, or it may, but I think I'll be minimizing time below it until that big chunk moves. Snow was really enjoyable through most of the run, but the apron/runout is getting bumpy enough to bounce me around on Lhasas, so either take it slow or make sure you've got someone to video for you.

The walk out of Gardiner does require crossing a bit of dry ground now, and it looks like the amount of non-snow bootpacking will rapidly increase in the next week or two. Hanging is still in really good shape, too.

[rwalk]

Rock Creek Headwall on 7/6. Lots of downhiking through the boulder field. Everyone else i saw was skiing Gardner

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[anotherVTskibum]

Rock Creek Headwall on 7/6. Lots of downhiking through the boulder field. Everyone else i saw was skiing Gardner

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Tip: stay to skier's left of the boulder field, then traverse below it. It's a less-direct route, but it involves a lot less scrambling.

[detrusor]

Thinking of driving to Helena via the best tooth pass (I know it’s not on the way) but wondering how the conditions are looking. We’ll be skiing w the gromettes so not looking for death hikes more of a shuttle type situation. Gardner?

Thanks


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[anotherVTskibum]

Main line on Gardner still looks good, and you can also just ski down from the road on the parking lot side and hike back up if you want a shorter run (although that is melting out at this point). Hike out of Gardner was probably half dry, half snow yesterday and could easily be no snow at all if that's your preference. I'll try to remember to post pics later.

[anotherVTskibum]

Gardner:



Hourglass is getting a bit sporty in the choke, as is the "in-between" line, but overall there's still a ton of snow. Lots of melt out on the hike out / easier run down from the road, but that is south-facing.

Closer look at the Hourglass choke:


The Basin is still holding a f***ton of snow, and the melt over the last couple of weeks has actually smoothed things out there a bit. That was my first run Saturday, and the turns down Chute 2 may have been the best of the weekend.




Oh, and Rock Creek would now involve an extended downhike, two lines looks like they go to about the top of the apron:

[anotherVTskibum]

I'm still skiing, and surprisingly enough, I saw more than a handful of other folks also up there today. Hourglass is done unless you like downhiking or can manage to ollie some nasty-looking stuff, the sneak line between it and Gardner is rather sporty, and the roadside south-facing stuff at Gardner is getting shorter by the day.

However, Twin Lakes (the Basin) is still holding quite a bit of snow, and there are a fair number of other options still in play.

Also saw this on the way out of Gardner:

Not sure if it's completely random debris or a piece of the old Race Camp tow before they moved to Twin Lakes.

[anotherVTskibum]

Conditions on July 28-29, July 31, and August 1 were similar to last week, with a bit more melt out. The in-between line on Gardner was looking very sporty Wednesday but doable if you don't mind pointing it and recovering on suncups. Main line is still looking good, and I was able to get 20 turns in on the first without trying too hard coming down from the road on the shorter, easier aspect (working with a limited time frame before departing to move east).

The Basin is still holding a bunch of snow; Chute 2 is in great shape, and you can ski almost to the bottom of the lower poma.

I saw Facebook video of fresh snow yesterday, so there may be some particularly nice pockets for a bit. I haven't looked at the long-term forecast, but that last week in July things were definitely freezing up overnight, which bodes well for snow preservation.

[Harry]

^^^ I know that person. Lives across the street from me. If that is you, send me a PM.

[The Duke of Hurl]

Anybody still skiing anywhere in the Beartooth? I need to get some turns in next week. I heard you got some more snow last week. Any beta would be appreciated.

[Kinnikinnick]

Is there anything skiable within hiking distance this time of year? Have to be in MT for a funeral and wondering if turns could be had?


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[anotherVTskibum]

Is there anything skiable within hiking distance this time of year? Have to be in MT for a funeral and wondering if turns could be had?


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If the Pass is open and your definition of "skiable" doesn't have a minimum vertical drop, yes. There's a low-to-moderate angle snowfield about 150-200m from the top of the Pass that's good for between a handful and a dozen or more turns depending on your turn shape, and it holds snow year-round. It's basically due south of the parking lot driveway up top (so get out of the car and walk mostly perpendicular to the road, away from the driveway/parking lot); you can see it on Google Maps satellite view.

There may be other options as well, but I've moved to lower elevation and don't know what the current status is. That one little patch is usually good for a few turns any time you can get to it.

[anotherVTskibum]

If the Pass is open and your definition of "skiable" doesn't have a minimum vertical drop, yes. There's a low-to-moderate angle snowfield about 150-200m from the top of the Pass that's good for between a handful and a dozen or more turns depending on your turn shape, and it holds snow year-round. It's basically due south of the parking lot driveway up top (so get out of the car and walk mostly perpendicular to the road, away from the driveway/parking lot); you can see it on Google Maps satellite view.

There may be other options as well, but I've moved to lower elevation and don't know what the current status is. That one little patch is usually good for a few turns any time you can get to it.

...and the Beartooth Pass is closing to wheeled motor traffic for the season tomorrow morning, Oct. 5. So while there will still be skiable snow up there, it probably isn't worth the effort to get there.

There may be meadow-skipping opportunities elsewhere in the state, though, if the forecast is anything near correct (heck, there may be more than meadow-skipping, but unconsolidated snow over boulders is a bit dicey).

[CHAIR_97]

Good news for summer

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[yeahman]

Facebook plea for donations from Beartooth Basin. GoFundMe link here.

We've been successful in many ways the past couple seasons - but finances have not been one of them.
We enjoy being owned and operated by local ski enthusiasts, and not some big corporate entity. We would rather measure success in smiles than the bottom line.
The Basin has survived many seasons without turning a profit, but this year we have to put a lot of $$ into our operating infrastructure to keep this place alive.
Consider a donation to help save the last best summer ski hill on the planet. Check out our crowdfunding link or DM us with questions.
Thanks, everyone!

[MontuckyFried]

Facebook plea for donations from Beartooth Basin. GoFundMe link here.

YES! Definitely go support them instead of your Boyne/CrossHarbor/Vail Resorts corporate overlords. I <3 Beartooth Basin.

I missed out on making it out to MT this winter, so perhaps I can make it up this summer if I can get my act together. Harry: You better make it out to the Beartooths this year, foo! Place is off the hook.

[SkiLyft]

Bump! Beartooth tentatively is set to open this weekend. Plan to be up there Friday -Sunday this weekend. Who’s heading up?


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[Djongo Unchained]

I might take a lap up to the Pass. Bored outta my gourd bringing back the knee. Might be a tough camping scene for me though. Would have to bring extra ganj.
Weather dependent too. Still rainy down here and likely snowy up high.. I do love to party up there though. Part of my soul, that place.

[CHAIR_97]

Im headed up in a couple weeks possibly with TFT from Orygun. Glad they got their lift working. Love the basin. Dj wouldn't mind doing some camping/partying/bbi training with you

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[snowaddict91]

I'd like to make it up sometime in the second half of June but my schedule is a little busy this summer. Also hard to motivate with still having lift served here at home.

Really need some redemption after getting shut out last summer!