Wheels & Water: Anthony Lakes (OR)

(photo by Audrey Squires)

When I got an invite to another Anthony Lakes yurt/backcountry ski trip, I was pretty excited. During the previous year’s trip I was very new to skiing (coming from snowboarding) and fairly limited to what terrain I could drop into. Now with another year under my belt I was looking forward to stepping it up a bit to some of the steeper lines and being in more control while doing so – especially in some of the couloirs. This year we were only able to reserve one yurt, which narrowed down the field a bit and in the end we’d have a team of 9. Since the yurts have to be reserved well in advance, conditions are always a bit of a gamble, but if nothing else, there is a ski resort and lodge/bar right next door. Aside from providing a nice backup, Anthony Lakes mountain resort is a great/funky little ski hill. What it lacks vertical drop and terrain it more than makes up for in both charm and price – it actually reminds me a lot of our local ski area, Hoodoo. That said, the real draw to Anthony Lakes for us is the side/backcountry, which has plenty of challenging terrain and easy to access.

Having the yurt for Saturday night through Tuesday morning, Jonathan and I decided to leave on Friday and get in a day of climbing at Smith Rock. Although it was a little out of the way, it’s hard to pass up a multisport weekend opportunity, especially with the weather that was forecasted for Smith, at 50°F and sunny! It had actually been a more than a month since I had climbed outside and I was definitely feeling the time off. Although I wasn’t climbing very well, we had a great time and finished with one of my favorite routes there, a multi-pitch 5.8 called Voyage of The Cowdog. We topped out a sundown and it was pretty dark during our repel, which can be a little stressful and requires extra safety precautions. That night we decided to chip away at the 5hr drive we had left. We made it just past Prairie City and bivy’d at lookout, which is easily identified by a large (faux) covered wagon. Being a bit windy, I setup my tent, using my car as a windbreak and tie off. Jonathan setup at the base of the covered wagon, which provided him perfect shelter from the elements. For the record, I have no idea if we were allowed to camp there, so use at your own risk.

A beautiful day at Smith Rock

Watching the sun set from the top of Voyage of The Cowdog

Jonathan's accommodations

Day 1:
The next morning we broke camp and headed towards Anthony Lakes. By the time we reached the parking lot it was 11am, with the rest of our party showing up shortly after. Since we were getting a fairly late start, we decided the best plan of attack was to purchase one ride lift tickets (only 6 bucks!) and ski the sidecountry off the back. Getting on the lift I had forgotten that I had a backpack, which almost bumped me off. Luckily I was able to hang on and get myself situated. Now at the top of the resort, we did a quick beacon check, ducked under the ropes and dropped down the mellow slopes below us. Lucy, who had skied this area last year, acted as our tour guide and helped us find a fun sloped to do some yo-yo laps on. Although the were short and the terrain was nothing special, it provided a great warmup for the days ahead of us.

Skinning up for our first run of the trip

Glade skiing

Leah threads the needle

Audrey sets up for the next pitch

Lucy finds an opening

The hill we skied (in the background)

After 3 or 4 laps we decided to head back and setup our sleeping quarters. Along the way we found a homemade ski jump, which Jonathan decided to get a run in on. After some good-natured heckling from yours truly (“You better not straight air it!”), he wound up for a 360, just missing the full rotation – I did give him credit for the attempt and going pretty big as well. Back inbounds and at the top, we dropped into the run below the lift, which was both pretty bumped out and firm. My legs were definitely feeling it and about halfway down I traversed over to the groomed run and took that the rest of the way back to the lodge.

Jonathan whips it around

At the cars we gathered all of our gear for 3 days worth of yurtin’. As anyone that knows me can tell you, I like to bring a lot of gear on trips. Therefore, I was pretty glad I had brought my pulk to haul my gear in, even though it was only about a ⅓ mile trek. The yurt itself was pretty damn nice, with sleeping bunks around the perimeter, a large table in the middle, a cooking area and a wood stove for heating. It was also fairly well stocked with supplies of dishes, firewood and even board/card games. Jace had also brought a keg of our local IPA, so we were pretty much covered for the next few days. After setting up our bunks and changing out of our ski gear we enjoyed a night of beer and conversation with a delicious group dinner to boot.

Yurt life

Deep conversation

Day 2:
As the sun entered the skylight, we woke up one by one, with a goal of skis on by 8:30am. It can be a bit of a challenge when everyone is prepping gear and breakfast in such tight quarters, but it actually went pretty smoothly and we only missed our target time by about 10 minutes – not bad for a group of 8 skiers. Unfortunately, Joe, who had a recent ski injury wouldn’t be joining us, but he did have a day of XC skiing planned and seemed very content. The group of us that was heading into the backcountry formed a circle to discuss safety and our objectives for the day. Based on our established plan, we would all start off warming up together on a baby couloir and then split into smaller groups if necessary.

The skin in had us heading straight up from the yurt and catching a low angle groomer up and out of the resort. Since our first objective was a short couloir just off the summit of the The Lakes Lookout, we gained the ridge that flanked the west side of the basin and followed along it, moving south. Along the way we were treated to some great views of the lines we’d planned to ski that weekend, including our first line. The weather was pretty damn nice, with bright blue skies, little to no wind, and brisk morning temps.

Heading up on day two
(photo by Jace Akerlund)

Gaining the ridge

A view of Lees Peak (left) and The Lakes Lookout (right) couloirs

To get to the entrance of our first line wasn’t overly difficult but also not very obvious or straightforward. Basically, we side hilled around the backside, with firm/wind affected snow limiting traction. Eventually, we resorted to a short bootpack which brought us to the opening of the couloir. Nervous energy tnow filled the group. It’s not that the line itself was all that difficult, but warming up on a steep chute has a way of getting into your head. Before dropping in we needed to evaluate the snowpack. According to the most recent reports, the most likely problem was wind slabs on N-NE-E facing slopes, and wet slides on south facing slopes. Couloirs can be a bit of a challenge to forecast based on their boxed in nature. They can also be difficult to test for safely, which is why I brought a rope as a lifeline to lower down off of and dig around. After doing a couple of compression tests and jumping around on the snow, I gave my conclusion to the group. My assessment was that it felt pretty stable with no red flags of instability. Since this was based on my data collection / assessment, I offered to drop in first, which the others graciously accepted.

Boot packing up to the gateway couloir
(photo by Jace Akerlund)

The author checks stability
(photo by Eli Tome)

Locking in my heels for the first line of the day always sets my focus and this time was no different. Although I felt both good about the terrain and snowpack, I dropped down 10 feet or so and paused for a moment before taking my first turns. The cheers from my teammates encouraged me down further. Since I wanted to take some photos from within the rock walls, I verified my safety zone off to the side and made my way down to it. Once I was in position and out of the way of a potential slide, I radioed up to the others that I was clear. One at a time the others dropped in, knocking off the dust on the first couple of turns and finding their groove my the bottom of the chute. Before long, we were all regathered below, with plenty of smiles and high-5s – for a few in the crew, it was their first couloir!

Jace, dropping in first.

Kickin' up dust

Leah enters the couloir

Going high

Exiting the pinch

A shot from below
(photo by Jace Akerlund)

Lucy drop into her very first couloir

Followed by Eli, for his first.

Eric, with speed.

Jonathan, sweeping for the crew.

Jonathan rails the turn
(photo by Jace Akerlund)

Author finishing up after camera duty
(photo by Jace Akerlund)

Safe and sound below
(photo by Eli Tome)

The next plan of attack was still TBD. Most in the group had their eyes on the Lakes couloir, a more pronounced and longer shot than the one we’d just skied. Since it was just to skier’s right of the one we’d just come down, everyone agreed to head back up and make an individual assessment from above. With our next objective picked out we looked for the best way to gain the ridge again. Since it was pretty steep and skinning would take us out of the way a bit, we decided to make the short bootpack up the adjacent slope, not wanting to boot up the couloir in case a another group showed up wanting to ski it. Although not much further beyond our first drop-in point, Getting to the entrance of the Lakes couloir proved much more arduous, with tougher skinning and a longer bootpack. Eventually we reached the top of it, where we found a more intimidating slope in front of us, which was expected. Once again, I roped up and was lowered down to check the stability. What I found was a 10cm to 15cm wind skin that was a little more reactive than what I had found on the first run. However, it was mainly on the perimeters of the chute and not very deep – my assessment was that it might be possible to kick off a small/shallow slab, which at the most could knock you off your feet. After presenting my findings, all but two in the group felt comfortable with dropping in, with me offering to lead the charge again.

Our next objective - Lakes Couloir

Booting up to the ridge

Closing in on The Lakes Lookout

Leah, summiting The Lakes Lookout.
(photo by Eli Tome)

The entrace to Lakes couloir

For this run, Eric would stage himself just below the entrance, which was both in a safe spot and allowed him to see the entire run, including the runout. From there he would provide communication to the party as we went one at a time. This time I dropped in with a little more confidence but soon discovered that this one was a bit more challenging than the last. It certainly felt steeper and the snow wasn’t nearly as soft. Making my turns went much slower and I had to do a bit of side slipping on some of the tougher bits. Eventually I made my way to the bottom, both humbled and feeling good that I was able to challenge myself while retaining some amount of control. The others also felt that the line/snow conditions were quite a bit more challenging, which dished out a mix of good and not so good turns. The two that had opted out of the Lakes couloir, did a second lap on the first one we skied – both had great lines!

Audrey drops in

Steep!

Jace finds the whiteroom

Jace, halfway down.

Leah enters Lakes couloir

The runout

Eric, finishing up.

Lucy and Eli with another lap down our first run of the day

Since we still had plenty of energy, we discussed our next plan of attack and decided to get in a run on the apron between The Lakes Lookout and Lees Peak. Last year when we had skied this line it held some of the best snow conditions of the trip, and I was excited to hit it again. With a skin track already established by a previous skier, we ascended the apron up the series of switchbacks. Although the snow didn’t seem as soft as the previous season, it felt like it would still provided some nice turns. After 400 vertical feet of climbing we reached the saddle, where we soaked up some sun and transitioned over for our descent. Based on the snowpack tests from our previous runs and some quick observations on the way up the skin track, we felt good about the stability. That said, we still practiced the one at a time rule. As expected, we all had great runs and plenty of smiles on the way down. Jonathan, who was feeling spunky, threw down a pretty sweet run, dropping a few cliffs on the way down!

Climbing up for more

Jace, with speed.

Audrey

Leah, with a spicer entrance
(photo by Jace Akerlund)

Eric

Lucy

Jonathan, entering with authority.

Jonathan kicks it up a notch

Diggin' in

The runout

At this point I was actually pretty satisfied with the skiing we’d done and would have been completely happy to head back to the yurt and work the keg a bit. However, the rest of the crew was still chomping at the bits and weren’t quite ready to call it a day. Half of the crew was itching for another big line and decided to target the Dogleg couloir. The rest of us were happy enough with our previous line that we decided to get in another lap on it. With that, we parted ways and set course for our different objectives. Lucy, who was in crush mode, led us up the skin track and was pretty much transitioned over by the time the rest of us reached the saddle. On our second run down, my leg fatigue was definitely my limiting factor and my turns were a bit more sloppy. Even so, it was still a pretty sweet run and I was glad that the others had convinced me to get in another. The other crew, who had hit the Dogleg, said it was the best conditions of the day and that everyone had great lines – I must say, I had a bit of FOMO.

Decision time

The crew heading up for a run on the dogleg couloir.

And up

Another lap from the saddle for us

The dogleg couloir

Entering The dogleg couloir
(taken on last years tour)

Another one from last year

The first pitch of the dogleg

From the bottom of the apron run to the yurt was about a mile and a half and consisted of some fun glade skiing up high and an icy skin track descent down low. The glades actually held the driest powder of the day and were pretty damn fun. In contrast, the skin track was kind of exciting and felt a bit like a bobsled run -- I was basically on the edge of control almost the whole length of it. Back at the yurt we settled in for another night of après-ski. Things got a little rowdier than the previous night as party mode set in.

Après-ski

Gunsight at night
(photo by Jace Akerlund)

Celebrating Jonathan's birthday
(photo by Jace Akerlund)

Day 3:
Waking up the next morning things were moving a bit slower, but it also seemed that everyone had figured out their system and we actually had skis on around the same time as we had the previous day. A quick discussion on the agenda set us all on the same course, toward Angell Basin, to see what it had to offer. Based on the conditions that the others had found in the Dogleg couloir the day before, some of us wanted to check that out first. About halfway up Angell Basin we split into two groups, with some going up toward the couloir and the others heading to the bowl between Angell Peak and Lees Peak. At the entrance to the Dogleg couloir, we found suboptimal conditions, where the soft snow had hardened overnight. Based on how steep and tight the line was, I wasn’t interested in dropping in. I was pretty happy that the others felt the same way and we opted for the NE glades off of Lees Peak, where conditions looked much better.

Startin' off day 3

After transitioning, we dropped in one by one. Although the snow had warmed up a bit and was a little heavy, it was still pretty soft and offered some really nice turns on the way down. After dropping about 500’, we traversed over the ridge and hit the trees on the NW side, which had similar quality snow and was a great extension to the pitch above. During our descent a chopper had been circling around us, and I got a little worried when Eric asked if I had accidently set off my InReach SOS function. I quickly opened my pack and was happy to see that my InReach was turned off and that the SOS button was locked. We still don’t know why the chopper was circling around the area, but at this point we assume that they were doing a practice drill.

Jonathan, rippin' it up, per usual.
(photo by Jace Akerlund)

The author
(photo by Jace Akerlund)

Leah givin' it

Eric
(photo by Jace Akerlund)

Jace, halfway down our run.

Jace

Heading into the next pitch

More steep glades!

Now at the bottom of our run we radioed the other group to try and regather. They had done a few laps on the bowl at the top of Angell Basin and were stoked to rejoin forces. We quickly applied our skins and started back up the track, eventually meeting up with the others at the bottom of the bowl. It was actually a great place for a lunch break, so we sat back and relaxed while discussing our next objective. The options we were looking at was the east glades off the summit of Lees Peak and the northwest glades off the summit of Angell Peak. Having enough time to do both, we opted for the east facing slope first since the snow was already getting blasted by the sun and would probably be too mushy later in the day.

Lunch break

The skin up went fairly quick but with the warm temps I was pretty sweaty and moving fairly slow. At the top of the glades we realized that we were right below the entrance to the Lees couloir. We figured it was probably worth climbing up to and seeing if conditions looked good. Going in, I was about 50-50 on skiing it, and planned to base my decision on conditions. Getting to the entrance of the couloir requires going up and over a small ridge, which isn’t overly difficult but does have some minor exposure. What we found was conditions that looked fairly similar to what we had in the Lakes couloir – somewhat hard and chucky. With the line being slightly more difficult than Lakes, I was still up in the air. Jonathan offered to drop in first and radio up his findings, which I could use to make my final decision. As I watched him descend the ramp, he was making decent turns but it didn’t look easy. Safely below, he radioed up and confirmed that conditions were pretty challenging. This sealed the deal for me and I bid my companions a good run while I joined Audrey and Eli for the east facing glades.

Eric, heading up to Lees couloir
(photo by Eli Tome)

Taking in the view from Lees Peak
(photo by Eli Tome)

Lees couloir

Jonathan prepairs to drop into Lees couloir

First turns

Partway down

The run down the east face of Lees went really well, once again the snow was a little heavy but still plenty fun. Since I wanted to take photos, I dropped in first and setup from down below. We also got word over the radio that the crew that skied Lees couloir had gotten down safely and were heading back up for another run in the area.

Audrey, partway down Lees east glades

Eli

Lees east face

Back at our lunch spot we reapplied our skins and started up toward the top of Angell Peak. At the saddle, we turned left and found snow that was shaded from the sun and quite a bit drier, boosting our optimism for the line down the northwest glades. The 450’ climb to our drop-in point (just below the summit) didn’t take too long. The snow felt really good and I was pretty excited to drop into the steeps below. As we were ripping skins we could here the others, who had climbed back up Lees Peak and were hootin’ and Hollerin’ to us. I dropped first once again so that I could take some photos of the others. My first few turns confirmed how good the snow was – the best of the trip! The trees were also space perfectly and the slope was nice and steep. As we worked our way down we were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the run. Every turn kicked up a good amount of white smoke, which caught the attention of our partners across the basin. After checking in with us on the radio and getting confirmation on the conditions, they decided to head over and get some turns down the face as well. The run down Angell Peak went for about 800 vertical feet and ended up being my favorite line of the trip – As much as I love dropping into a couloir, the combination of snow quality, tree spacing and slope angle is what really made this one the winner for me.

Heading up to Angell Peak

Traversing over

Eli, stoked for another run!
(photo by Audrey Squires)

Our drop-in point, just below the summit of Angell Peak.
(photo by Eli Tome)

Eli kicks up some white smoke

Dropping!

Eli

Nice and steep!

The author, amongst the trees on Angell Peak's NW glades.
(photo by Jace Akerlund)

Audery
(photo by Jace Akerlund)

Audrey finds more good snow

Eli getting some more soft turns

The author sizes up the next pitch
(photo by Audrey Squires)

Droppin' in
(photo by Audrey Squires)

Audery finishes up the NW glades of Angell Peak

Eli, finishing up.

The NW glades of Angell Peak

From the bottom of the basin back to the yurt had us following the same skin track out as the one we’d followed the previous day. This time the snow was a little softer which helped to control our speed through the tight turns and whoop-de-dos. Back at our abode we once again relaxed and fueled up on snacks and beer, still energized by all the great skiing we’d gotten in over our 3 days at Anthony Lakes.

Happy crew!
(photo by Jace Akerlund)

Conclusion:
Anthony Lakes is a great destination for a few days of backcountry skiing, and of course the ski resort is pretty cool too! Both times I’ve been there we stayed within the Lakes-Lees-Angell zone and been more than happy with the terrain it provides. It really has something for everyone, from steep couloirs to low angle glades and everything in between. Since you can also find runs on any aspect, you should be able to ski at least a few slopes with decent conditions. The yurts are also pretty damn nice and provide a perfect basecamp to launch your assaults on the backcountry, the ski resort or the XC trails in the area. On future trips to Anthony Lakes, I’d love to explore some different zones, like the Van Patten area and Twin Mountain. Of course we still haven’t hit the Gunsight couloir, which hovers over both yurts and continues to beckon us – hopefully next year!