Distance: 4.9 mi.
Elevation Gain: 800 ft.
My friendo Nancy is new to backcountry skiing so I though that Smithbrook Road would be an easy and accessible first tour. I was hoping we could even go up toward Lichtenwasser Lake if things went smoothly, because it has some gentle slopes around it. However, we had a bit of a debacle with Nancy’s doggy daycare being closed for the holiday and ended up bringing her dog along. It wasn’t a huge deal because dogs are allowed on the road, but it added some extra complexity for her first day.
We got skinning up the road at 9:30 AM and everything went smoothly. We reached the large hairpin turn at about 11:30 PM and I started breaking trail left (west) of the road toward the lake above. However, Smith Brook (the creek, not the road) was almost completely open!! There were a few small snow bridges going across but it was a big drop from the bridges into the water, and with the dog along we didn’t know if we could cross safely. We looked up and down the creek a bit for a better crossing and didn’t see anything suitable. (By the way, I double checked with Craig and he said that the brook is usually a non-issue in February, so things are melting down low a bit early this year.)
Although the snow was good and the south slopes on the other side of the road looked awfully nice, we had to consider the avalanche risks. The danger level had already been increased from moderate to considerable that day and it was much warmer than predicted as well. I saw roller-balls forming on the sun baked slopes, and decided for us it was simply not safe to proceed. We switched into ski mode and skied down the road itself. There were a couple spots to cut off switchbacks along the road and the skiing was SO GOOD! I was sad, but also ended the day alive which is always the goal. We made it back to the trailhead just after 1 PM. Would love to go back and explore this area on a lower avy-risk day.
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Gear Used:
- Avalanche beacon/shovel/probe
- Backcountry boots/skis/skins
- Day pack
- Glacier glasses
- Helmet
- Trekking poles
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