NOLS FWWE 2009 Is Back: Survives and Thrives in the Winds

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Off To the Winds!

I’m off to the Wind River Mountains to lead the third annual 10-day NOLS Fort Washakie Wilderness Expedition.

But first, Darran Wells and I decided to scout the current road conditions and snowline near Dickinson Park on the east side of the Winds. Here’s what we found:

Summiting an Unnamed Peak Near Bears Ears Mountain

 The big question: can Wind River Mountain ski terrain be accessed in one day?

Where Roads End and Wilderness Begins: Dickinson Park, WY

 Darran and I left Lander at 5AM and drove north into the Wind River Indian Reservation in search of high mountain trailheads.

Darran straps on his skis at 9,400'

 At 9,200′, we decided to try accessing Dickinson Park. Timing is key when planning spring ski missions into the Winds. The roads need to be clear enough of snow and mud to access the high country. But waiting too long means the snow line begins to creep higher and higher up in elevation. It’s hard to know when to go… compare the annual snowpack, watch the weather forecasts, ask the local experts, make a decision, and go for it!

Moose

It was obvious that we were some of the first human visitors of the season. We blazed the first muddy ruts up the second set of switchbacks as we past Wyoming wildlife: moose, elk, antelope, deer and bear.

Elk

We sloshed and fish-tailed our way into the Smith Lake trailhead, parked the truck, strapped the skis on the pack, and began hiking. Within the first mile of walking and 200′ of elevation gain, we hit enough snow to start skinning.

Connecting Patches of Snow: Climbing Towards the High Country

 Within the first three miles, we hit suitable ski terrain. But we decided to keep pushing towards the higher peaks and more exposed terrain.

Getting Snowier: Darran Keeps Climbing

We finally made it to the summit of an unnamed peak between Bears Ears Mountain and Mount Chauvenet.

Darran on the Summit of Peak 11,629

Stoked to Be in the Winds

To summit a high mountain peak deep within the Wind River Mountains made the long slog well worth the effort. But would we find ski terrain that would put the icing on our cake?

Darran Soaks in the Views and Contemplates His Line

With the Cathedral Lake Cirque nearby, the question wasn’t a matter of “is there suitable ski terrain” but rather “what terrain do we have time to access?” 

Choose Your Own Adventure

It took us four hours to make it to this point. But we weren’t sure how long it would take us to get back out. With good route finding and snow conditions, we might make it back to the car in as little as an hour of travel. But it could just as easily take us as many as five or six hours of bushwhacking, route-finding, and exhausting slogging through patchy snow and deadfall.

Darran Makes His First June Turns of 2009

 So, we decided to compromise. We found good turns right off the summit of Peak 11,629. And from here, we had enough time for another couple laps.

Finding Spring Corn Conditions in the Winds

 The weather was beautiful and the snow conditions were perfect. Soft corn skiing provided a smooth base for snappy edge-to-edge turns in the steeper upper mountain terrain as well as for long arching GS turns lower down on the mountain.

Darran Having Fun With Day Access Ski Terrain in the Winds

 We dropped our packs and climbed back up to the summit of Peak 11,629 for another 1,000’+ top-to-bottom run.

Looking Back at Our Upper Mountain Ski Tracks

And Looking Across at Our Lower Mountain Tracks

 I decided to try capturing a snippet of our skiing by mounting my camera to my pack. A novice to video editing, I’ve posted the raw and unedited POV video footage I caught:

After about 4,000′ of corn skiing, we decided that we’d better shake-a-leg back towards the car. We began our descent at 2PM, not sure of the terrain we’d encounter or how far we’d be able to travel on snow.

Dropping Back Down to Dickinson Creek and Snowline

 Fortunately, we were able to drop all the way down to the Dickinson Creek drainage and continue on snow to within a mile or two of the truck. We eventually strapped the skis to the pack and switched back over to hiking after connecting diminishing patches of snow with “all terrain” skiing across larges swaths of dry ground and rocky boulder fields… needless to say, we will be waxing and tuning our skis after this trip.

One Last Look From Dickinson Park

 We found the truck (and the icy cold beers buried in a nearby snowdrift) just before the afternoon buildup and thunderstorms hit at 4PM. It only took us 2 hours of travel and route-finding to get back down to the truck. Another couple hours of dicey driving in 4-Wheel Low and we were on pavement just outside of Fort Washakie… back to Lander in time for summertime beer and brats on the back deck!

From Winter to Summer: Green Grass and Spring Flowers

It looks like we’ll be encountering prime spring snow glissading and sledding conditions on our upcomming NOLS expedition into the Winds… just north of where we skied today. And I can’t wait for my wilderness education experiences with my Fort Washakie students and fellow NOLS instructors. See ya’ll when I return in a couple weeks!  

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