Sled+Ski at Doris Lakes Basin - Hungry Horse, MT

Trailhead: Hungry Horse Dam

Difficulty: Easy snowmobile and Easy - Expert Skiing Options

A full day of snowmobiling and skiing await in the Doris Lakes Basin and it is about as close to the Flathead Valley as you can get. Start on the West side of Hungry Horse Dam. There is a very large parking lot and the road is gated just after it offering easy access to tons of terrain. The trail from the car is known to consistently be full of whoops, so be prepared to get bouncy! This route gets you off of the main trail onto smoother riding roads after only two miles, making it a great place to check out!

Ride until you see the sign pointing to Doris Lakes (~2.2 miles) and you’ll quickly start climbing along the road with giant switch backs closer to the peaks in the area. Its amazing how quickly you find yourself looking across the lake at the spectacular range in the Great Bear Wilderness. A few good stops along the way include - frozen Beta and Alpha Lakes, with a full snowpack you can do ski laps on the road (still busy), or take a break enjoying the views down into the lake on the ridgeline just after Beta Lake.

If you’re focusing on skiing for the day, you can park your sled down by Doris Lakes (advanced riding abilities required) or park it as displayed on the map below and ski down into the Doris Lakes Basin. There are ample ski opportunities depending on if you’re looking for steep trees, chutes off Doris Ridge, skiing the Bowl down into the Southern most lake or low angle terrain near the skin track. I have highlighted a classic ascent (some steep skinning areas to reduce distance) that does go through avalanche terrain.

If you’re focusing on skiing for the day, you can park your sled down by Doris Lakes (advanced riding abilities required) or park it as displayed on the map below and ski down into the Doris Lakes Basin. There are ample ski opportunities depending on if you’re looking for steep trees, chutes off Doris Ridge, skiing the Bowl down into the Southern most lake or low angle terrain near the skin track. I have highlighted a classic ascent (some steep skinning areas to reduce distance) that does go through avalanche terrain.

Eklutna Lake in Chugach State Park, Alaska

Trailhead: Eklutna Lake Scenic Trail

Difficulty: Variable

Distance: Up to you, the lake is about 9 miles long.

Eklutna Lake is an amazing, easy to get to location for trail biking, trail running, ATVing, and lake views amongst spectacular mountains, with a campground! The primary trail travels along the north side of the lake in parallel with and sometimes crossing Eklutna Lake Road. It then connects with the road near the end of the lake past Kanchee Campground and the Serenity Falls. The trail is slightly up and down along the lake, but does trend uphill after you leave the lake and head up the valley. Eklutna is glacial fed, giving it a beautiful blue color! If you have the ability, it is worth it to head beyond the end of the lake into the surrounding drainages. This are would be a great location for a kayak and hike combo day! When we were there we did a long run ~30 miles from the foot of the lake to Eklutna Lake Rd Termination point and then up the trail.

I highly recommend this spot, as it is less than an hour drive from Anchorage. You can make a full day or half day adventure here!

Backcountry skiing and snowshoeing at Snoqualmie Pass, WA

Trailhead: Source Lake Trailhead (Alpental Lot)

Difficulty: Moderate

Distance: ~5 miles RT, 1,500’ gain

After the first big storm of 2024 in early January, I got to ski some of the backcountry terrain outside Alpental Ski Resort at Snowqualmie Pass. Here’s two great routes to follow if you’re looking for some starter points. Starting from the Alpental Ski Resort, head up towards the upper parking lot. From this parking lot is where the skin track starts heading NW up the valley along the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River. There is a bridge over the river to keep the skin track out of the resort’s area. Most skin tracks in this area will lead to Source Lake, which is often not even visible in the winter.

From Source Lake you can get great views of where you are wanting to ski and skin from there. The two options we checked out were Pineapple Pass and Snow Lake Divide. If you head south of Source lake you’ll be going through Big Trees Area and this can lead you all the way up to Pineapple Pass. If you head towards the North from Source Lake you can go for Snow Lake Divide. Both of these options are the easiest to evaluate larger terrain, but they do go through avalanche terrain, so be aware.

9 Avalanche Problems and Mitigation Techniques

Utilize this guide to aid in risk mitigation based on the primary avalanche problems of the day. Most of this information is organized around Canadian Avalanche Association’s (CAA) operations 1 course.

Dry Loose

Description: Cohesionless, dry snow starting from a point. “Sluff or point release”

Persistence: When associated with new snow generally lasts hours to days. When associated with facets, then longer.

Risk Mitigation: Avoid terrain traps, exposure above cliffs, and steep terrain overhead where sluffs can start, debris can concentrate, and small avalanches can have consequence.

Wet Loose

Description: Cohesionless, wet snow starting from a point. “Sluff or point release”

Persistence: Correlates with warm air temperatures (especially overnight), wet snow or rain, and solar radiation.

Risk Mitigation: If water from melting or precipitation is moving through snowpack, avoid terrain traps like gullies and confining terrain features. Watch for rollerballs (“snails”) and softening snow.

Storm Slab

Description: Cohesive slab of new storm snow.

Persistence: Peaks during periods of intense precipitation and stabilizes within hours or days.

Risk Mitigation: Avoid avalanche terrain during periods of intense precipitation and for 24-36hours following. Assess for crack propagation potential in all avalanche terrain during and in the days following a storm.

Wind Slab

Description: Cohesive slab of deep, locally-deposited snow.

Persistence: Peaks during periods of intense wind loading and stabilizes several days following, but cold air temperatures can extend persistence.

Risk Mitigation: Identify wind-drifted snow by observing sudden changes in snow surface texture and hardness. Wind deposits on the downwind side, most commonly on the lee side of ridge tops or gullies.

Persistent Slab

Description: Cohesive slab of old or new snow that is poorly bonded to a persistent weak layer and only slowly strengthens over time. This structure is conducive to failure initiation and crack propagation.

Persistence: Builds slowly then activates within a short period of time. Can persist for weeks or months but generally disappears within six weeks.

Risk Mitigation: Identification and tracking of weak layer distribution as it is typically located on specific aspects or elevation bands, but it can be wide spread. This is a complex problem that is difficult to assess, predict, and manage, so maintain conservative terrain choices. Assessing crack propagation propensity while maintaining a wide margin for error will aid in mitigation.

Deep Persistent Slab

Description: Thick, hard cohesive slab of old snow overlying an early-season persistent weak layer located in the lower snowpack or near the ground. Typically characterized by low likelihood and large destructive size.

Persistence: Develops early in the winter season and active periods followed by dormancy, then activity again. This can persist for the entire season.

Risk Mitigation: This is the most challenging avalanche problem. Triggering is common from shallow, weak snowpack areas, with long crack propagations and remote triggering typical. Tracking the weak layer and providing wide margins for error are essential.

Wet Slab

Description: Cohesive slab of moist to wet snow that results in dense debris with no powder cloud.

Persistence: Peaks during periods of extended warm air temperatures or rainfall. This will persist until either the snowpack refreezes or turns to slush.

Risk Mitigation: Timing is key regarding slope aspect and elevation, and overnight re-freezing of the snow surface can stabilize the snowpack. Snowpack can destabilize immediately with rainfall, strong solar radiation, and/or extended periods of above-freezing air temperatures.

Glide Slab

Description: Entire snowpack glides downslope then cracks, and continues to slide down the slope until it releases a full-depth avalanche.

Persistence: This problem ca appear at any time and persists for the remainder of the season.

Risk Mitigation: Usually localized, visible, and easy to recognize. Avoid slopes with glide cracks and overhead exposure to glide slabs.

Cornice

Description: Overhanging mass of dense, wind-deposited snow jutting out over a drop-off in terrain.

Persistence: Persists all winter on ridge crests, and tends to collapse spontaneously during periods of warming or following intense wind loading events.

Risk Mitigation: Avoid overhead exposure to cornices whenever possible, particularly during storms or periods of warming or rain. Stay on solid ground on ridge crests, allowing a margin of safety away from the roof of the cornice.

Easy Snowshoe Loop near Whitefish, MT

Trailhead: Swift Creek

Difficulty: Easy

Distance: 1.5 miles

This easy trail in the summer makes for a great place to snowshoe or nordic ski in the winter! It is a secluded loop that can be completed in bad weather, since the thick forests it leads through offer protection. Additionally, there are two overviews providing natural, expansive views even with the low visibility we can experience here. If you want a longer day head towards Smith Lake - you’re bound to find yourself alone on a frozen lake!

I think the loop is best completed by going West (see picture below for recommended direction) as the elevation gain is very subtle and the river views make it unnoticeable! In about 1’ of fresh powder it took us about 2 hours to complete the loop, and we were enjoying pictures, the fresh snowfall, and snowshoe adjustment breaks! The view points are designated by a sign, but can be hard to find if there isn’t already a packed trail. Also note that this trailhead is a trailhead for snowmobilers, but this trail stays off of the access road they use and its not the most popular trailhead in the area so often is not busy. It can be louder at the start but once you get on the trails you’ll find the quiet!

AIARE 2 - What to expect and how best to prepare

The primary goal of the AIARE 2 course is to learn how to reduce uncertainty and exposure to hazard based on the snowpack and terrain selection. The information below provides guidelines on how you can benefit most from the course by being comfortable with the basics, which will allow you to take advantage of being in the field with an expert instructor. As long as the conditions allow, be prepared to enter avalanche terrain with your groups.

What to review before your course?

• 9 Avalanche Problems - Connecting the avalanche hazard with the problems in the bulletin is one of the most important connections skiers and riders can make during AIARE 2. This allows you to select terrain according to the hazards to reduce risk. Many students will avoid the backcountry on a considerable day, but with proper understanding of where the avalanche may found in the terrain and mitigation techniques, you can still go out and enjoy!

  • Loose Dry Avalanche

  • Loose Wet Avalanche

  • Storm Slab Avalanche

  • Wind Slab Avalanche

  • Wet Slab Avalanche

  • Persistent Slab Avalanche

  • Deep Persistent Slab Avalanche

  • Cornice Avalanche

  • Glide Avalanche

• Refresh on high hazard or avalanche terrain

  • Slope incline of >25° (35-40° is most common for skier triggered)

  • Slope orientation to the wind and sun

  • Run-out zone

  • Overhead hazard - like cornices

  • Terrain Traps

• Review the most relevant snowpack tests

  • As a recreationalist the primary snowpack tests you should be using are the shovel/hand shear test, compression test, and extended column test.

  Avalanche Bulletin

  • While you may be used to just looking at the elevations and colors on the avalanche bulletin, it is helpful to understand where the more in-depth information is located, such as what are the specific avalanche problems, the provided weather forecasts,

• Track conditions for the area your course is at

  • What are the layers you can look for while digging in the snow? Are there results you can look to validate in your snowpack tests? Look back in the archived bulletins to see what was the weather and conditions that caused the layers of concern?

What to expect during the course?

Over the 3-day course you can expect one classroom day to review the information listed above and generate a plan for the field days. Day 2 and 3 you get to spend the entire day in the field! Depending on the conditions the schedule may vary but traditionally there is one instructor-led day followed by a student-led day. To gain the most from the course, I recommend participating as much as you can on the student-led day because it gives you a space to practice the verbiage that is fresh in your brain and get your questions answered!

There is no transceiver work or practice during the course, as you will learn those skills during the one-day rescue course.

An Early Season Glacier National Park Escape

Trailhead: Bowman Lake (BLE)

Distance: 14.2 miles round trip

Rating: Easy

Note: Recommended for early season backpacking

Though it was feeling well into summer due to the quick snowmelt season and early warm temperatures, we got the first Glacier National Park Backpacking trip of the season completed in early June. We navigated rainy days and enjoyed a refreshing visit amongst the towering peaks.

Day 1- We drove Going to the Sun Road on the second day it was open to vehicles this season, enjoying the snowfall at the top and 36° temps from the car from the West Glacier Entrance to Grinnel Glacier Overlook. Precipitation was still falling from the sky on us, but in rain form so hiking to a waterfall was the option! We hiked from Gunsight Pass Trailhead to Virginia Falls. Following the muddy hike we dried off, warmed up with some ramen and headed to camp at Sprague Creek Campground.

Day 2- We head into the backcountry after picking up our permit and driving north towards Polebridge. At last, we were at the foot of Bowman Lake enjoying the stillness surrounding us and starting our 7.1 mile trek to the Bowman Foot Backcountry Campground. While there is some slight elevation gain and loss, most time is spent along the lake shore making this a great beginner backpacking trail. It was a quiet night as we were the only visitors!

Day 3- Keeping the backcountry campground as our base camp, we hike deeper into the park along Bowman Creek. 3.5 miles one-way there is a river crossing (no bridge) but open vistas, so we enjoyed a long lunch break and headed back to camp. There are some serious brush spots along this trail, but besides that this trail is very easy going.

Day 4- Waking up to the rain in the night is a peaceful feeling, but in the morning, not so much. With no slow in the weather, we got out of bed and enjoyed our breakfast watching the ripples on the lake surface. We hiked the 7.1 miles back to the car and finished up our Glacier Trip with food and drinks near Kalispell, relishing in some dry clothes!

“With enough time, the stillness of the forest can infiltrate even the darkest of inner experiences.”

— Anonymous

Mount Stimpson (10,142') - Glacier National Park

Starting Trailhead: Coal Creek

Point to point- Finishing Trailhead: Two Medicine

Total Distance: 47 miles

Difficulty: Hard

Deep in the remote parts of Glacier National Park, the stunning and dramatic mountain of Mount Stimpson stands tall as the second highest peak in the national park. While the park rangers will advise that this area of the park is remote, rarely visited, and possibly low trail maintenance, I would not let that deter you if you are an experienced backcountry traveler. Allow yourself minimum 3 days to complete this route; one day to enter, one day to summit, and one day to exit. Spending an extra day at Beaver Woman Lake is highly recommended. We were unsure if the summit was going to happen due to fires near Hungry Horse creating unhealthy and smoky air.

Day 1: Trailhead to Beaver Woman Lake - Park at the Coal Creek Trailhead along HWY 2. Nothing like a cold water wake-up as the day starts with an early morning river crossing of the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. In mid-August 2023 on an early snowmelt year, the river was wide and flowing slowly, but we did experience above the knee water depths. As you continue on the trail along Coal Creek, the trail is open offering great vistas of Saint Nick, relentless sun beating down, and multiple small river crossings. As you get closer to Martha’s Basin Trail turnoff, the elevation gain increases along with tree/brush coverage. When we went the trail was well cleared up to this turn off and to the lakes. The views at Beaver Woman Lake are some of the grandest in the park with mountain goats scattering the visible slopes all day long!

Ridge up Stimpson

Looking from the SE, along Pinchot traverse

Day 2: To summit Mount Stimpson from the lake. it took us about 12 hours at a medium pace on a very hot day. After cruising up to Buffalo Woman Lake early in the morning via the trail, we headed up the obvious saddle that is NW of the lake. Once we left the brush down low, although steep and grassy, the segment to the pass was very attainable, and when we made it to the pass we had a great first break! From the pass at an elevation of approximately 7600’ you’ll find a relatively obvious (cairns) human trail that traverses around Mount Pinchot, just keep your eyes peeled! This was the hardest section in both directions due to the exposure and route finding. Spectacularly, the trail does lead you around the entire western face of Pinchot through dramatic rock out-croppings and through drainage after drainage. The trail eventually ends up at 7400’ and leads to the pass between Stimpson and Mount Pinchot. The views from this point remind you of the remoteness you can access in the park with some hard work. We stashed water at this pass before heading up to the summit of Stimpson. The exposure for most of the way up Stimpson is easy Class 3, with harder Class 3 the last 200’ to the summit ridge, with a total elevation gain of ~2,800’ from the pass. The views as you climb up and up become grander and grander - seeing Mount Pinchot in its entirety, including the very steep terrain that was below where you just traversed, seeing Stimpson creek to the E and the many lakes in that basin, in addition to snow pockets! While you summit the ridge on the NE side, the true summit is on the SW side, so if you’re looking to see both points, get ready for a 3’ Wide Ridge walk in some spots! Since Stimpson is the highest peak in the area, you are truly above everything else making it one of the most beautiful peaks in the park. We made it up, so now to make it down! As you climb down from the summit ridge- if you find yourself above steeper cliff sections that are challenging to get down (i.e. approaching class 4), you are not on the correct route. Refer to your GPS track or backtrack to find a safer route. It was a bit spookier traversing across Pinchot on the way back, since we got to view the cliffs you were actually above while on the summit and we were getting tired from the heat and sun. We descended back to our camp at Beaver Woman Lake exactly the same way, just with very tired legs.

Day 3: Luckily for the long summer days, we didn’t feel like we had to start early to head out to Two Medicine, we also weren’t all morning people and we got our butts kicked the day before! Being this remote in the park, we thought it would be fun to head out a different way. This is not required to summit Stimpson, but does allow more biodiversity and park terrain to be viewed. In the heat of mid- August, we crossed ample water sources and filled up every time, but were able to keep our packs lighter for the elevation gain. It took us a full 11 hours to make the route to the trailhead, where our ride was waiting. We went from Beaver Woman Lake, over Surprise pass (very unique terrain surrounding), then east towards Cut Bank Pass, and quickly over Pitamaken pass and descended down into Two Lake viewing the easter plains as we passed loads of huckleberries and large beetles.

Wildlife report: We startled a black bear by a water source on the way in- remember to be loud and aware near running water, especially on a hot, summer day! A grizzly bear startled us at a trickling water source above treeline on the way out. It got to about 15’ of us and just laid down in the brush next to the trail, panting, patiently waiting for us to get out of there.

Snyder Basin - Glacier National Park

Difficulty: Medium

Trailhead: Sperry Trailhead

Distance: 9.5 miles

Vertical Gain: 2,000’

When a slow start to winter occurs, this basin is a great place to get some astounding vistas in the National Park without a lot of gear. With some shoe spikes or snowshoes, this is a great hike! The starting point is at Sperry Trailhead near Lake McDonald Lodge. Follow the trail (steeper sections at the start!) for about 1.75 miles until you get to the second left turn on the trail, which is just past the Mount Brown Trail. There are great views of Lake McDonald along the beginning sections of the trail. While the trail does go uphill the entire way to the basin, it is more subtle and obtainable after you make it past the first mile.

“The marks of fire blanketed by the cold of snow and frost nip- a little darkness with the light.”

— Anonymous

Once you turn onto the Snyder Basin Trail section, the views open up due to lack of trails from a wildfire offering beautiful vistas. There are many points to stop and take in the dramatic rock formations, blue ice waterfalls, and animal tracks winding on and off the trail. You know you’re getting close when you start to see the back of the basin, essentially a giant rock wall in all directions. An easy bridge crossing at the foot of the lower lake will take you into the backcountry campground and to a great resting spot along the shore, or on the lake in our case since it was frozen!

The trail back is perfect downhill to keep up a fast speed as you climb back down to Lake McDonald, enjoying a different perspective on the way back.