February 28 - March 3, 2011, Tam McArthur Rim
2/28/11
1647
3
It's been an up and down winter so far, but the last four days spent at Tam McAtrhur Rim in the cozy huts operated by
Soon after, we hit the slopes breaking trail looking forward to a great tree run. The area has every kind of terrain a backcountry enthusiast could ask for: steep tree runs, glades, cliffs, and wide open bowls. The first lap yielded prime conditions......deep deep powder! My best guess was that about 60-70 inches had fallen in the past week and a half, and it was still coming down hard, though it was windy.
We rode back to the huts, having satisfied our urges for an initial powder fix. After a quick turkey sandwich, we were back out for some more fun. Powder shots were the rule for the next two runs, and we explored both east and west of the huts in the trees, finding some nice glades up higher. It was still snowing that evening as we had a dinner and brews, and the sauna felt mighty nice after a day of touring.
The next morning we awoke to about 10 inches of new snow (on top of what had fallen the day before). We made several more runs in and around the trees, not venturing out to the bigger bowls due to the high avy danger.
Later that day, it finally cleared enough to see the rim and surrounding terrain, which we had skied last year, though the clearing only lasted for a few hours before the snow started to fall again. Below is a shot of the terrain.....some of which we skied on day three.....
That night, the snow stopped for long enough to allow a break in the clouds, and I was able to snap a picture of the hut illuminated against the night sky.....
Dinner for night number two consisted of a thick slab of salmon I'd caught from the Alsea River in October, along with rice and beans. We also enjoyed some tasty brews from Deschutes Brewery. As was starting to become the case, we awoke the next morning to about 4 more inches of fresh snow, and hit the slopes again. All tracks from the day before had vanished from the fresh snow and wind, leaving everything in a untouched state.
Later in the day, we toured out to the Playground area, and met up with a few other skiers. The bowls looked a bit unstable, so we dropped a few cornices. On one aspect, the whole bowl fractured about two feet down and slid the entire length of the slope to the trees below. Given the size of the slide, it would have easily buried a person and possibly been a killer. It pretty much told us our decision to ski the glades and trees for most of the trip was a good one. That night, after five more laps, we were all pretty tired and didn't bother with the sauna, but did shoot a few photos before heading to bed. Here's a shot from inside the hut.....
On Thursday morning, our last morning, we awoke to another 3 inches of fresh snow and were able to get one lap in before we had to leave. The snow quality that morning was excellent, and we probably had the best run of the trip. I can't wait to go back next year. Here's a parting shot of the rim from the lake......
Soon after, we hit the slopes breaking trail looking forward to a great tree run. The area has every kind of terrain a backcountry enthusiast could ask for: steep tree runs, glades, cliffs, and wide open bowls. The first lap yielded prime conditions......deep deep powder! My best guess was that about 60-70 inches had fallen in the past week and a half, and it was still coming down hard, though it was windy.
We rode back to the huts, having satisfied our urges for an initial powder fix. After a quick turkey sandwich, we were back out for some more fun. Powder shots were the rule for the next two runs, and we explored both east and west of the huts in the trees, finding some nice glades up higher. It was still snowing that evening as we had a dinner and brews, and the sauna felt mighty nice after a day of touring.
The next morning we awoke to about 10 inches of new snow (on top of what had fallen the day before). We made several more runs in and around the trees, not venturing out to the bigger bowls due to the high avy danger.
Later that day, it finally cleared enough to see the rim and surrounding terrain, which we had skied last year, though the clearing only lasted for a few hours before the snow started to fall again. Below is a shot of the terrain.....some of which we skied on day three.....
That night, the snow stopped for long enough to allow a break in the clouds, and I was able to snap a picture of the hut illuminated against the night sky.....
Dinner for night number two consisted of a thick slab of salmon I'd caught from the Alsea River in October, along with rice and beans. We also enjoyed some tasty brews from Deschutes Brewery. As was starting to become the case, we awoke the next morning to about 4 more inches of fresh snow, and hit the slopes again. All tracks from the day before had vanished from the fresh snow and wind, leaving everything in a untouched state.
Later in the day, we toured out to the Playground area, and met up with a few other skiers. The bowls looked a bit unstable, so we dropped a few cornices. On one aspect, the whole bowl fractured about two feet down and slid the entire length of the slope to the trees below. Given the size of the slide, it would have easily buried a person and possibly been a killer. It pretty much told us our decision to ski the glades and trees for most of the trip was a good one. That night, after five more laps, we were all pretty tired and didn't bother with the sauna, but did shoot a few photos before heading to bed. Here's a shot from inside the hut.....
On Thursday morning, our last morning, we awoke to another 3 inches of fresh snow and were able to get one lap in before we had to leave. The snow quality that morning was excellent, and we probably had the best run of the trip. I can't wait to go back next year. Here's a parting shot of the rim from the lake......
excellent detailed report. I look forward to my trip there less than 2 weeks. This will be my first time in the sisters yurts so it's nice to see a preview of whats in store. The accommodations look excellent.
Thanks for the great TR and photos.
Thanks Zap and Koda. Koda - You'll have an excellent time - Shane and the gang have thought of everything w.r.t. the yurts, and the terrain is awesome!
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