Jules Castle Couloir

Jules Castle Coulior
Jules Bowl, Brooks Lake Area, Shoshone NF, Absaroka Range

April 22nd, 2006

Me and the Skidoo on the way into Jules Bowl to find a couloir. Jules Castle Couloir is in the background. I'm guessing the "Castle" is on the left.

Around the first part of March this year some dudes I know went into Jules Bowl and busted some lines down this couloir. They had a snow machine, but I think they were mostly out for a hike that day. Sure looks like they got a good one in too. Beautiful country, lots to look at while skinning!

Here's where I started my hike from.

Not counting the 10 mile, 20-30 minute drive in and the five other runs I did in the area before I motored up into the bowl, it really took me less than an hour to climb this couloir and drop it. It's not a monster, but it's WAY fun... especially on a splitboard!

Starting up the JC couloir.

Looking down the coulior from about a third of the way up.

Getting closer to the top.

Almost to the "gap" or "notch". High tech couloir terminology. Ha!

Approaching the top, and looking down on my boot track from about the same spot.

Flying solo again today.

View from the top, looking down another couloir that drops down the other side (left) and looking down the coulior I just hiked up (right). You might be able to climb the left one, but you'd sure need some skinny skis to drop it. It's plenty steep too. Not much room for a parachute. Ha!

Bombs away!

Almost literally today, there was alot of sluff rippin' loose. It was nice not having to drop ice, but the heavy sluff made it hard to clobber consecutive turns in the gut. Mostly I had to drop to safe spots and wait for the sluff to pass, then drop to the next one. Still fun though!

Lines and tracks that didn't get sweeped by sluff.

All done!

Once out of the coulior and away from the sluff drainages, turn were candy. Yummy!

Looks like someone was playing in the moat.

Gotta give the Skidoo some credit. As easy as this access is, I forsee some 3 to 5 couloir days in this area next year. Not sure if conditions will allow many more trips this year.

One last look back at the JC couloir on my way out. What a great way to wrap up the snomosking season in the Absarokas!



Don't have a Skidoo? Maybe try dogsled. Or better yet...


Catsled

"Yahoo!" Tally coos. "Meouushhh! Meouushhh! Go cat go!"


2006 1000 kc Artic Cat Radio Flyer

The engine really purrs!

Jules Bowl/ Bonneville Pass Area

Jules Bowl/ Bonneville Pass Area
Brooks Lake Area, Shoshone NF, Absaroka Range

April 22nd, 2006

Jules Bowl


Really very outstanding country! This is a popular area for snowmobile high marking, but since they quit grooming trails three weeks ago it hasn't seen much traffic. However, three guys did show up later this day and punch a trail in there. Which was handy for me. I was able to follow their trail in and motor up to a couloir to wrap up my day.

Before I did made my run into the JC Couloir I tackled a line on this hill. I was hoping to scope out the GD Coulior we dropped back in November. It's out of the picture to right.

A profile of Jules Castle, from up high, on my climb up.

Up on top, a terrific view of Bonneville Pass. And I thought I was getting up pretty high just hiking over Bonnevill Pass (10,000ft.) . I must have been over around 11,000 ft. when I took this photo, and I was just on a bench- not even peaked out.

Tracks down from my upper most perch.

After climbing up the bench, I went over to the GD coulior and looked it over. I decided not to drop it because it was surrounded by hefty cornices, and it was heating up pretty good. So I went back to where I climbed up and down climbed a bit. 55 plus degrees is too steep for me on a snowboard, by myself. Once I got in the 45 neighborhood, I was good. The snow was great, almost too great!

Once in the trees I cut a line across the top of a 40 degree slide path. It ripped. Pretty good little wet slide. I wouldn't have wanted to be in it.

Click on this photo and you can see my board-cut and the slide path. Needless to say, after that, I took a safer route on a ridge line down through the trees.

Jules Bowl from aways up the Bonneville Pass Trail.

After triggering some nifty wet slides I decided to find some colder snow. I motored up the Bonneville Pass trail a bit, until a found these wide-open low angle runs. Sometimes it's just fun to play around.




Beautiful line!

Turns galore!

Skidoo brand chairlift with the Brooks Lake Butte and Pinnacles in the background.


Back at home...

Tally was getting some rides in too.


Finally, a good use for Fat Cat.

Sublette Mountain Couloir: Part 1 South Side

North and South Sublette Mountain Couloirs

Shoshone NF, Absaroka Range, Continental Divide/ Togwotee Pass Area

April, 14th 2006

The South Sublette Mountain Couloir (also called the "Radio Tower Couloir")

I decided to exercise the Polaris a bit. Didn't have to, as this couloir is not far off of the highway. It fun though, plus it scares all the grizzlies away!

SSMC, on approach- was skinning by now, but there were sled tracks I could have followed to the base of it. A guys got get a little exercise though.

Had to stop and put on my cramp-ons. I left way early, it only about 7:00am when I reached this point. With the light clouds, the snow wasn't cooking fast, it was ice hard. Some snowboarders beat me to this couloir. I followed their track in. I did appreciate the boot track they left me going up the couloir. By their tracks it looked like they had much better (little warmer) snow conditions than I did. They missed out on the north side run though.

Some dumb-arse dude climbing and skiing couliors by himself.

Two Ocean Mountain, as from the bottom part of the Couloir.

Looking out at Tetons from the bottom part of the couloir.

In the couloir, towards the top, looking up.

In the couloir about a third of the way up, looking up.

Almost there. Nearing the top of the South Sublette Mt. Couloir.

My skis perched on top of the Coulior in the gap/ saddle area. There's a gap/ saddle in the rock at the top of the couloir. I quickly learned that on the other side of this gap was another couloir. It wasn't as defined, but it was more filled, and the snow looked much tastier. Have a look at part 2 and speck it out.

The view looking down the South Sublette Mt. Couloir. Forgot my parachute. Oh well! Actually I didn't get out my inclometer on this run, but I did when I dug a pit on the other side. My pit was a on 50 degree slope. The first third of this coulior was definitely steeper (somewheres around 55 or 60). Guess I should have measured. Didn't want to look down though- ha!

Bombs away!

Whahoooo!!!

Tallulah May dropin' crib lines!

I reached the top at 9:00am. Despite dropping the North Side Couloir first, climbing back up it and then eating lunch, when I finally mustered courage to drop (around 11:30am)- it was still icey and crusty. Not even good scralping conditions. The old snowboard tracks made it all very inconsistent too. Since I was solo, I played it safe and side stepped/ skiied about a third of the way down.

Check out those lines! Ha! Not exactly turns though. The skiing towards the bottom got better, delicious in fact. It had cooked up enough to provide some tasty corn.

Five hours and two couloirs later, back at the hot rod, taking one last look back the crack I dropped.