Our spring steep and deep camp provides the aspiring steep skier/rider with the tools to access terrain they would have otherwise left untouched.
Working in low-ratio groups, our guides will cover skills such as; snow anchors, belaying/rappelling, steep snow climbing, and crevasse rescue. We will review and teach these skills in a safe setting, before applying them in bigger terrain features. For this course we will spend three nights in the field, winter camping, with great skiing objectives nearby. If you’ve dreamed of organizing a ski descent of Mt. Rainier or traveling to AK to hit the dream lines, this course will prepare you.
Trip Details
We will meet at a predetermined location in either La Grande or Union at 7:30 am to have breakfast and review our plan for Day 1. The drive to one of our chosen trailheads is only 30 minutes from La Grande. Once at the trailhead, we begin a snowmobile tow for roughly 4-6 miles. From the end of the snowmobile tow, we will shoulder our overnight loads and head into the Eagle Cap Wilderness to set up camp for 3 nights. We will skin for 3-4 hours before setting up our backcountry tent village.
We require that all guests have an avalanche beacon, shovel & probe for our outings.
ITINERARY
Day 1:
- Skin for up to 4 hours to our backcountry camp
- Winter camping, tent setup and maintenance
- Using a backcountry stove to cook and make water
- Staying warm and comfortable in the mountains
- Prepping camp for severe weather
- Snowpack assessment for steep skiing
Day 2:
- Snow school–ice axe and crampon use and self arrest
- Rope work, knots, belaying and rappelling
- Anchors
- Travel a short distance to some nearby steep terrain to work on skills covered in morning
- End of the day wrap up, crevasse rescue demo
Day 3:
- Entire day out skiing steep lines, assessing terrain for risk and proper technical application
- Rope work for accessing steep lines on belay or rappel
- Steep skiing techniques to stay in control and maintain adequate safety margin
Day 4:
- ½ day ski mountaineering objective
- Start skiing back towards snowmobile
- Ski/snowmobile back to trailhead
DETAILS
Difficulty: Good fitness, advanced downhill ski skills, and previous ski touring experience required:
Meeting Time: 7:30am local cafe
Requirements:
- Approximately 20 days of previous ski touring experience
- Able to ski tour at least 3000 vertical feet per day
- Ability to ski slopes 35 degrees in steepness in difficult snow conditions
What we Provide:
- Professional trained mountain guide
- Mega Mids for sleeping
- Ropes
- Snowmobile tow
What You Need:
- Food for 4 days total, 3 breakfasts, 3 dinners (see meal planning guide)
- Ski crampons and boot crampons, ice axe, harness, belay device, helmet, carabiners
- Alpine touring equipment – rubber-soled AT boots with walk mode required, Dynafit-style bindings strongly encouraged
- Splitboarding equipment – hard boot, “Dyna-split” style set up strongly encouraged
- Backcountry skiing clothing and equipment
- Down booties
- Sleeping bag
- Review the full equipment list
DATES AND RATES
March 20-23, 2024 (1 spot open)
March 27-30, 2024 (6 spots open)
$1500
Minimum 2 guests, max 6
503-329-6603
info@eaglecapmountainguides.com
