Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

Cannatonic wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 17, 2020 2:38 pm

what a trip! It looks beautiful, the weather is perfect. 8000 vertical? were the ups & downs mostly gradual or did you have to make downhill turns with the pulk?

How do you like living in Bend? Has it become super-expensive or otherwise ruined?

Cannatonic wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 18, 2020 2:01 pm

sounds cool, I can see how the pulling the load would be better than carrying it, if the trail is smooth and gradual.

For tree skiing, there are trees off and on the whole way. For open slopes, from Dutton Cliff clockwise to Llao Rock, there are tons of places to get some laps in. This is from my kinda conservative perspective, though: and I don't usually ski above 30*-35* unless I'm enjoying corn conditions (a la spring time Mt St Helens, etc).

Peakbagging

Watchman and Hillman: I haven't skied either but the west slope of Watchman looks sub 30*. Probably a blast!

Applegate and Garfield: the southern approaches to both peaks are almost entirely sub 30*. The trees are open and skiable. The open slopes above are mostly kinda flat, but scenic. I enjoyed both.

Dutton Cliff: again, the southern approach is low angle. Might even be too low angle, though I'm guessing tele gear, like our nordic bc gear, would be great for this.

Mt Scott: this one is a whole big deal and I've only ever hiked up it. Way above my comfort level (which is conservative).

Llao Rock: my buddy and I camped at the junction of the North Road, and the next morning, we skied the slopes above the Rim Drive with our nordic bc gear. We had a blast.

Avalanche Bypasses

Again, strictly from my perspective, some of these are a lot of work, given the specific risks. I think most people who've done the loop would say you can make a decision about each bypass as you come to it, provided you've taken some avy education, checked in with the Park Rangers (you'll need to, anyway), have beacon, probe, and shovel, and pay good attention to the weather conditions.

Dutton Cliffs Bypass: this is a relatively large zone, and the trail bypass would be fairly efficient, given the length of exposure. Last time I was here, the road was covered with avalanche debris. The route through the trees is steep was not signed well when we did it.

Greyback Drive: we did this last time and got lost getting back up the Rim. It's truly not scenic, either. On the other hand, it might be perfect if it's a higher avy danger day, and/or there's crappy weather up higher, anyway. I'm probably one and done for that route.

Applegate Bypass: for the size of these slopes, I might just send one party member at a time (with beacon, probe, shovel, etc).

Garfield Peak: this one's right above the Park Headquarters. When heading up to the Rim, stick close to the Road until you've made it into the trees.

The Watchman: there's no official bypass for this one, and steep slopes below Rim Drive would require a descent of about 800' to find a low angle slope to get off the moraine that forms The Watchman. We went quickly.