Feb 11, 2009, Tollgate Pass, Spout Springs

I've always been curious about the blues.  What kind of terrain is out there.

me too.  We need to head out east more.

Most of the blues are pretty unexciting terrain-wise. They get amazing dry inter-continental snow but in general there isn't anything steep. The one exception is the Elkhorn Range, the area around Anthony Lakes ski area. I's a little blob of granite and it has everything you'd expect of a granitic mountain range, including a couple 40ish degree couloirs.

The Wallowa's are a seperate range from the blues, and a little farther from western Oregon/Washington, but they have some seriously good terrain and snow.

Edit: I'll post some pictures of the Anthony lakes area later today.

Ian, are you a Whitman student? I live in WW too.

Did you ski around Spout Springs or out towards Andies Prairie?

Some good, but short, sidecountry around Bluewood too.

Fun with MS Paint:

Can one of you Walla Walla people direct me to a good spot in the general vacinity to do some AT?  I'm just starting to get into it and would love to find a couple spots to practice in.  Was planning on cruising up to Tollgate to see what I can find.

author=stewshmee link=topic=12258.msg59876#msg59876 date=1256839252]
Can one of you Walla Walla people direct me to a good spot in the general vacinity to do some AT?  I'm just starting to get into it and would love to find a couple spots to practice in.  Was planning on cruising up to Tollgate to see what I can find.

Hey Stew. I think Bluewood has the best options for any kind of touring and more vertical than most areas around Tollgate. My images above highlight the best lift served areas around Bluewood.

At Tollgate I would recommend touring around the Spout Springs area. It's generally short vertical and not too steep, but enough to get your fix.  The ski area itself is probably your best bet, if not the ridge extending from the ski area to the south. It parallels the highway making it hard to get lost. The ridgetop is fairly flat with several nordic/snowmobile trails on it. There is a radio tower (marked by the red X).