Jules Bowl: The Bottleneck and Dog Leg Reverse

Jules Bowl: The Bottleneck Classic and Chockstone Dog Leg Reverse

Shoshone NF, Absaroka Range; Dunoir Special Management Area
March 25th, 2007

Jules Bowl, the BNC Reverse Couloir and the CDL Reverse Couloir

After a few attempts earlier in the season, the Abby gods finally gave me a pass to Jules Bowl. It was awesome!! Dino and I left Lander around 5:00am. We had the machines parked at the base of the couloirs around 8am. With the recent lack of snow and warm temps, the trail into the bowl was an easy go. I might be getting better at driving sleds too, dunno. Ha!

Our objectives for the day were pretty clear; ski couloirs- at least two, the ones we parked by. Ha!

A view across the bowl, towards Austin Peak.

Dino unloads, heartbroken that he won't get to try out his new skins.

We started our boot pack from the sleds.

As warm as it had been I didn't expect to find much powder. Amazingly enough though, that's what we found. The north facing aspects up high where we were was still a dry snow pack. Very cool!

Dino prepares to enter his first Absaroka couloir.

Here's a look.

I lead the way. We went from safe spot to spot in this couloir. It was pretty steep and narrow, and I didn't trust the snow pack entirely quite yet. Though, it felt pretty good. 2 to 5 inches of powder on top of a very firm base.

A look down at Dino as he grunts his way up. I think he was happy I had an extra ice axe he could borrow.

Going up the Bottleneck Classic Reverse Couloir.

I'm calling these couloirs "reverse" couloirs because on the other side of them, the original couloirs with these names drop off the Pinnacle Buttes. Some of them you can see from the highway. Now you know what's on the other side. I skied the Bottleneck Classic last May, if you want to go back in the TRs and see what it looks like. That trip gave me my first peek down this couloir. It's been on my list ever since.

Dino nears the top.

Dino summits the BNC Couloir.

We did take a look down the other side at the Bottleneck Classic. What's scary is that it's not near as full as it was last year, and that was in May. We need some weather pretty bad, or it'll be ugly this summer.

Dino drops the Bottleneck Classic Reverse.

Tele-Dino, carvin' up the couloirs!

My turn...

Weeehooo!

Good Stuff! Better have another...

Dino breaks trail up the second couloir for the day.

Shad follows.

A look North through the gap at the top of the Chockstone Dog Leg.

We climbed to the top and peeked down the Chockstone Dog Leg Couloir. It had been baked, and was pretty icey. Looked like it could be good if it warmed up, but around 11:00am when we were looking at it, it was pretty "Dog" gone hard still. Very glad we had the Reverse waiting for us below.

There was a cool spot for an early lunch (11:30am) on top of this couloir- almost cave like. Eventually we got back to skiing though. I had first dibs on this one.

I picked a steep little chute to enter to couloir from.

Ooooeeee! Pucker factor was in effect.

Whew! Hard part over. Nothin' but turns now!

Here comes Dino!

Down he goes!

A look back on my line, top to bottom.

You can see Dino about half way up, the dark speck marking up my lines. Ha! Great skiing!

Out of the couloir and on to the apron.

Powder?

Dino makes the hike back up to the machines, the Jules Castle in the background.

Since Dino had to make the cruise back to Casper, we were under orders to keep it a two couloir day. It was tempting to knock off another one or two- they were everywhere!

We cut it short though and called it a day. First time I've really parked my machines somewhere where I had to use to parking breaks. Ha!

A look back on the couloirs of the day. The Bottleneck Classic Reverse (Left). The Chockstone Dog Leg Reverse (Right).

Another look back from a little further away.

The end.


Happy Birthday Tallulah May!!!

Love ya!!

(Coming soon- Tally's one year birthday blog- stay tuned)

Lava Mountain

Lava Mountain: Sled Rescue Operation/ East Side Turns

Shoshone NF
March 17th, 2007
(St. Patrick's Day)

Lava Mountain

Chuck skins up the west of Lava Mountain, Skidoo style.

I wasn't sure if we were even going to get any turns in at all on this trip. Chuck called me up earlier this week and asked if I wanted to help retrieve the sleds of some folks he works with. He said they got them stuck around Lava Mt last Saturday and actually spent the night in there before they hiked out the next day. "Yikes!", I thought, they must have been stuck pretty bad. Having been in that position a time or two myself, I gladly volunteered to join the expedition. I needed an excuse to explore the Lava Mt area more anyway.

The rescue crew, assembled on top of the west side of Lava Mt.

Five sleds with eight folks left the Mocassin Basin road/ turnout area around 9am or so. Chuck and I just followed the caravan. Turns out they headed almost exactly to the area we tried to ski back in January (the west side of Lava Mt). We drove right up the west side of the mountain that we had skinned up before. Actually quite a trail going up it, which seemed great to me- the skiing was horrible on this face (very wind hammered).

The view from there was awesome! So was the weather.

My reindeer; parked on Lava, the Tetons in the background.

A view of the drainage we would drop into a very long ways. They called it Calf Creek. We actually skied it back in January- just the top part. There was some pretty good powder on it back then.

The sleds that needed rescuing.

After about 3 miles or so of riding our machines down into the drainage, we parked them and then proceeded by foot, snow-shoe, ski or splitboard for yet another couple of miles. I guess the folks that got stranded followed some tracks all the way down into here, hoping they would come out the other side. The tracks dropped into this hole and then turned around. It sounded like they tried for most of the day to get up this hill, but it denied them. Easy to see why.

Took about an hour of digging around, to clear a path to (hopefully drive the machine up) and dig one machine out. Then the plan was to have Tad, an amazing snow machine driver, hop on and attempt to drive the machine straight up a 35 degree wooded slope. Hoping like heck it wouldn't spin out and roll back down the hill. Well, that's nearly what happened on the first go. Tad, Chuck and I found ourselves being drug down the hill trying to keep the machine from rolling. We managed, but barely. Plan B had me leaning out over the slope with a come-along tied to a tree, in hopes of hooking a ski on the sled to keep it from sliding back down, incase it spun out again. Thankfully, it didn't come to that. Tad was able to rip all the way up the hill this time. Whew! After that, he had it dialed. He ripped the other sled all the way up too, narrowly missing trees at breakneck speeds. That was it though. After that they were pretty much able to drive the machines all the way out.

"Whoohoo! I'm free!" I'm sure that's what the Polaris was thinking anyway.

Chuck and Karla motor up and out of Calf Creek.

Chuck and Karla head for the top of Lava Mt.

We finished up the rescue business around 1:00pm. Since we were pretty much on top of the mountain already, we figured we'd better at least snoop around and see if we couldn't get some turns in too.

We found some...

Shad pays tribute to his ancestors on the summit of Lava Mountain.

A ride for Ireland!

Corny!

Great spring snow!

Karla does some free-heeling. Got tired of just being another splitboarder I guess. Ha!

Looking back on the line for Ireland.

The first run was so good, had to have another!

Waahoooo! Wyoming corn at it's finest.

A look back on our second runs.

Stokin' up on "farl"...

so I could keep up with Chuck.


Chuck and Karla make there way up the slope, scoping out lines along the way. The Pinnacle Buttes are in the background.

Chuck prepares to for his final run of the day.

Chuck drops the cornice an goes to work!

Good stuff!!

All the way down!

Can't say it was all rescue business today. Ha! Great snow- good turn! Fun stuff!

Now for the hard part, the hike back up to the sleds.

Looking back on Lava Mountain- now all that's left is the North side. Can't wait!