Mount Thielsen (OR) - NW Bowl

So far this season, the backcountry skiing in Oregon has been pretty lackluster - starting with sketchy avalanche conditions early on and poor weather and snow consistency since then. Based on these factors, I’ve been spending most of my free time either taking the lifts at Hoodoo or rock climbing at Smith Rock. Although both have been good alternatives, I’ve been really itching to get in a proper tour. I was hopeful that the sunny and warm weather that was forecasted for the weekend would provide better skiing conditions, and if nothing else, a break from the heinous winds that had plagued our previous efforts.

The next step was to establish a plan and send out the invite. Picking a proper zone for the expected conditions is based on both experience and luck, and with the busts we’d already had this season, I felt like I was relying more on the latter. In the end I proposed Mount Thielsen, for its various aspect options that could be accessed from a single approach, allowing us to adjust plans on the fly. From the email invite, we were able to put together a team of 7, which is a fairly large crew but still seemed reasonable based on the positive weather and avalanche projections.

It was forecasted to be fairly warm the day of our tour (especially for January), so we got a fairly early start, meeting up and leaving Eugene at 5am. By the time we pulled into the Mount Thielsen sno-park it was around 7:30am and the sun had just started to rise above the horizon. Leah and Eric, who had come from Bend, were already getting geared up, and after exchanging pleasantries we went to work preparing our gear for the adventure ahead. From the parking lot, we started skinning west toward Thielsen. Since there was already an established skin track heading in the general direction, we were able to follow it like a trail of breadcrumbs for most of the approach.

After a few hours of skinning through the dense forest, we reached the large meadow at the base of the SW bowl. Unfortunately, the entire area was covered in a breakable crust – the bane of any backcountry ski tour. Our only hope for the target zone was that the warm temps that were forecasted would melt the crust and provide at least some decent turns. As we made our way up to the bowl some high clouds started to move in and dashed our hopes a bit. As we weighed our options, we did a quick analysis of the snowpack to see if it would be worth changing aspects. There was some debate whether the surface crust was formed by rain or sun, but if it was the sun, moving to the NW bowl might provide some protected terrain. With a decision to check out the other bowl, we continued up and toward the ridge that separated the two areas.

Taking a quick break at the meadow

As we reached the crest of the ridge, we had a great view of the entire NW bowl, where conditions looked like a mixed bag. The zone that sat just on the other side of the ridge was fully sheltered from the sun and looked the most appealing. We quickly probed the snow up high and found a mix of wind loading and thick crust. The wind loaded snow didn’t seem like an issue from an avalanche standpoint, but it was fairly dense and combined with the intermittent crust didn’t seem optimal for skiing. We climbed up the ridge a bit further and upon further inspection we found slightly more favorable conditions – not quite fluffy powder, but minimal crust. Figuring that this was probably going to be the best we could find in the immediate area, we transitioned over for the descent.

The crew gets their first glimpse of the NW bowl (Mount Bailey in the background)

Eric checks conditions at the drop-in point

I wanted to take some photos of the descent, so I went first. As I traversed from the ridge into the bowl I tried to find the best place to make my first turn, which for some reason was mentally difficult; if I had to make an excuse I would blame it on the dense snow and being on my ultralight setup for the first time of the season. After making a few back and forth traverses down the face, I pulled off to the side and signaled that the next person could drop in. Eric came next and with zero hesitation started ripping turns down the face, with the occasional gleeful yelp signaling his delight. One by one the remainder of the crew dropped in for their lines, while I staged myself in different locations to capture some more photos. I did get in some pretty fun turns, and by the end of the run was starting to feel a little more warmed up. The portion of the bowl we dropped down only gave us a ~600’ of vertical descent, so we were itching for at least one more lap. Before transitioning back over to skins, we took a snack break and enjoyed the spectacular weather, which is quite rare for wintertime on one of the PNW volcanos.

Eric dropping in for his first turns of the day

The runout

Jonathan digs in up high

Leah rippin' some sweet turns with style, as usual.

All smiles

Lucy and Albus gettin' some

Dave, partway down 

Emily nearing the bottom

The author
(photo by Eric Finan)

Dave enters the glade section

Jonathan be like, "Braaap!"

Emily, coming in hot!

On our way back up we wanted to see if it was worth laying some lines down the middle of the NW bowl, which was currently in the sun, so we set our track in a northerly direction to check it out. What we found was a mixture of crust, wind loading and a bit of debris that had come down from the cliff band above – basically, not worth it. We figured our best bet was to do another lap on the strip we’d just come down. As we headed back over we were treated to a cool sun halo, an optical phenomenon produced by sunlight interacting with ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere.

The sunny section of the NW bowl -- unfortunately, conditions weren't worth rippin' lines down it.

Heading up for another lap

Emily and Dave, with Diamond Peak in the background.

Sun Halo!

The congo line

Jonathan, textbook kickturn.

Leah nears the drop zone

Since this would be our last lap, we wouldn’t go all the way to the bottom and instead cross over the ridge a little higher up to reconnect with our approach track that headed back to the sno-park. I definitely felt a bit better this time and was able to link turns with a little more confidence straight off the bat. Unfortunately, it was over way too soon and some of the descent was used to gather enough speed to make the traverse across the ridge.

Eric fires up his second line

Jonathan takes advantage of the terrain

Leah

Carrying speed for the traverse across the ridge

The author makes his way toward the ridge crossing
(photo by Eric Finan)

Dave finishes up

The ridge crossing

Lucy, stoked on a great couple of laps!

Now back on the other side, we found an abundance of sun and mashed potato snow. The skiing back down through the trees in these conditions presented a bit of a challenge for me – my ultralight setup felt pretty underpowered. Even so, it was still way better than the time I had to splitboard out, especially where it flattened out a bit and the trees got pretty tight. Before long we reached the parking lot, where I was pretty happy to change back into regular shoes and reflect on our day’s adventure.

The crew celebrates 

Parting thoughts:
It was great to finally get in a decent tour, which has been rare this season. Both the weather and crew were fantastic and the snow was pretty good too. From a terrain standpoint, the main line down the SW bowl is quite a bit better, but it’s really hard to complain about the line we did in the NW bowl; in fact, had the other half of the bowl been in good shape it would probably rival the SW line. Beyond that, there is a lot more very promising terrain to explore on Thielsen, which is why I think it’s one of the best touring spots in Oregon, especially with its winter access.

Parting shots of Mount Thielsen on the way out

Thunder Mountain Loop - Lake Tahoe, CA

During the planning for our 4th o’July MTB weekend in Tahoe, my buddy Bill suggested we try and bag Thunder Mountain, which he’d gotten skunked on his previous two attempts due to low snow levels. With very little information available for this loop, the only word we’d gotten was that it has some pretty nice views and that the downhill rivaled Toad's, one of the classic and most well-known rides in South Lake Tahoe. My own research also indicated mostly volcanic terrain rather than the standard granite I’d come to expect from riding in the Tahoe area. It also looked like a bit of an adventure ride, including some hike-a-bike – just the type of riding I seek out! I’m guessing that the reason that Thunder Mountain isn’t as popular as the other Tahoe trails is simply based on its location, near Kirkwood, which is quite a bit south of the lake.

Since we’d planned to do Thunder Mountain, we camped about halfway between it and Toad's, near Picketts Junction. The drive to the trailhead took us along Hwy 88, past a few alpine lakes and some beautiful granite terrain that looked like it would serve up some really nice backcountry skiing. To start the ride we parked down low near Silver Lake, which would allow us to finish the ride with the descent – certainly my favorite way to end a day! After finding some nice shade in which to park the car, we made some final adjustments to our bikes and started our ride up the dirt road, paralleling and on the west side of the highway.

Prep work

The first mile consisted of a nice consistent grade up a road that alternated between sections of gravel and pavement. Before long, the road brought us to an open field with a few RVs camped out for the 4th of July holiday. From here, Bill had remembered jumping onto singletrack, which took us some time (and backtracking) to find. Hint -- it's right off a spur road and in-between a few of the campsites.

Starting it off with a road climb -- a great way to warm up the legs!

4th o' July campers

The next part of the ride started to climb with a bit more gusto, alternating between meadows and coniferous forests. Eventually, the trail opened up as it brought us up toward Castle Point and some great views off to the north. Once we’d taken in the view, we dropped in for a short descent, which led us to a crossing over Hwy 88.

Matt puts his tires on the first singletrack of the day

A few small meadows like this one along the way

The author coasting through a flat bit of trail
(photo by Bill Riedl)

Approaching the first topout of the day

Bill, trying to keep his eye on the trail

The author checks out the view from his bike
(photo by Bill Riedl)

Matt with a more appropriate method of taking it in
(photo by Bill Riedl)

Enjoying the first (short) descent of our ride

On the other side of the highway the trail began to climb quite steeply, forcing me to shift down into my granny gear and settle in for a bit of suffering. The trail soon entered a large meadow carpeted in Wooly Mule’s Ears and Lupine. We also caught our first glimpse of Martin Point, one of the prominent peaks along the trail. As the trail re-entered the woods, the wildflowers really started to pop and I found myself stopping every minute or so to snap off photos, which got a little bit out of control. I had to remind myself that this wasn’t a solo ride and that I needed to catch back up with the boys.

Bill, starting off the real climb.

Thumbs up, so far.

The author, mid climb.
(photo by Bill Riedl)

Matt cruises past. Note the windbreaks lining the ridge on rider's left. 

Martin Point

Wooly Mule's Ears and Lupine abound

Another photo of the wildflower carpet

Bill digs in on one of the few switchbacks

Another view of Martin Point, from the trail.

The first of many lava rock formations

I soon caught up to the others at the Two Sentinels, a couple of volcanic rock formations lining the top of the rim that looked out to the northeast over the Kirkwood Valley. The views were pretty damn impressive. In addition to the Two Sentinels, there were a few other volcanic hoodoos scattered across the landscape which created a cool contrast with the wildflowers and the surrounding granite terrain.

The view of the Kirkwood valley, from the Two Sentinels.

The trail flattens out a bit at the Sentinels 

As we continued, the trail followed along the ridge above Kirkwood, with the scenery getting better and better the further we went. We soon reached the first hike-a-bike section, which took us up and around a few steep & loose switchbacks. After the trail had finished traversing under and past Martin Point, Thunder Mountain came into view, with its eastern summit in the form of a large volcanic mass reaching up toward the sky. The trail headed straight toward the mountain as it snaked its way through a labyrinth of lava rock.

Back on the bikes

Bill pointing out the names of the surronding landmarks

The great alpine scenery starting to build

Looking back toward the Sentinels

Yet another hoodoo

Starting off the next climb

The author along the traverse
(photo by Bill Riedl)

First hike-a-bike of the day

Steep and loose switchy

Another one of the author on the ridge traverse
(photo by Bill Riedl)

Bill gets his first view of Thunder Mountain

The trail now going up Thunder Mountain becomes visible

Matt enjoying the alpine scenery

Heading into the lava labyrinth

Bill, hidden somewhere amongst the rocks

More stunning alpine scenery

Ominous signage at the ski resort boundary
(photo by Bill Riedl)

Closing in on Thunder Mountain it became clear that the trail actually went through a small pass at the base of the eastern summit pinnacle. This was one of the few places where we saw other people – two groups of hikers and a group of mountain bikers heading up toward the pass in front of us. The climb up quickly turned into another hike-a-bike, due to how steep and loose it was. I didn’t mind, since it allowed me to take in the view without worrying about riding off the trail while I did so. Sure enough, we topped out at the base of the pinnacle. Flanking the other side of the small pass was another lava rock pillar.

Bill, stoked for the upcoming climb / hike-a-bike

Off the bikes once again

One of the few ridable sections on the steep pitch up Thunder Mountain

The author doing some hiking
(photo by Bill Riedl)

Bill closes in on the pass

Made it!

The author gets in on the celebration
(photo by Matt Perkins)

From here, the trail descended from the pass at a modest rate as it rounded the bend and headed off toward the west. We soon reached a trail intersection, with a left turn continuing the trail loop and a right turn heading up toward the western summit of Thunder Mountain. Since we were treating this as an adventure ride, we chose the latter and made our way toward the other summit.

The trail, heading down from the pass

Bill, dropping down from the pass.

Some exposure in this section, but not too bad.

Matt, dropping down from the pass.

More good views on the other side

Even though we knew we’d eventually have to start hiking, we decided to ride our bikes as far as we could. The trail climbed gradually with one small patch of snow that required a foot dab. Soon after the trail became very steep and rocky, forcing us from our bikes. Along the way, we found a cool little rock arch that would have been easy to miss if we hadn’t been taking in our surroundings. The short hike to the summit didn’t gain much elevation but did require some careful footwork and minor route finding. Eventually, we reached what we believed to be the western summit of Thunder Mountain, where we found a nice little vista that overlooked Silver Lake to the south. There was also a metal ID badge that was mounted to the rock, which read, “John Bandy Volcano CA 8-11”. A quick Google search turned up nothing on this, so your guess is as good as mine on who mounted it there and why.

The only snow patch we'd ride through on this day -- pretty weak

Going up

Some cool rocks formations along the way toward the western summit

Bill waiting for someone to play king of the mountain with him

This section looks more ridable than it was, at least for mortals.

A natural arch that can be seen from the summit 

A bit of a scramble to get there, but nothing too treacherous

Matt closes in on the west summit

The final scramble

Rewarded with more spectacular views

Silver Lake

The badge

Heading back down from the summit, we quickly reached the trail intersection, this time taking the other fork as part of the Thunder Mountain Loop. Since I wanted to snap some photos of the downhill, I jumped out ahead while the other two padded up. The descent started out with nice sightlines that allowed for some good speed. I soon found another cool rock formation to grab some snaps of while the others rode past. Before long, they zipped by, and after getting a few shots off I saddled back up and gave chase. The trail continued its rapid descent where Bill and I leapfrogged, taking photos along the way.

Heading back down toward the intersection

Back on the loop, near the start of the descent.

Droping into the forest for a bit

A change of scenery

You could build up some really good speed in this section

The author, getting up to speed.
(photo by Bill Riedl)

First signs of granite on the descent

Within a mile or so of the previous intersection, we ran into another, with a right turn continuing downhill toward the car and a left turn heading toward Scout Carson Lake, at least according to the sign. Bill suggested we head left and add some miles as an out-n-back, which Matt and I quickly signed up for – since we’d started to get into some granite, we had high hopes that we’d find some good stuff along the way. The trail started off with loose rock that wasn’t necessary the terrain we’d hoped for. It did transition into some fun boulder tech for a short bit but soon returned to the unstable rock. The real saving grace of this stretch was the incredible scenery, which drew us further and further down the trail. We ended up riding about two miles before the trail essentially turned into a streambed of un-rideable terrain. It also headed straight up the hill into the unknown. It was at this point that we’d decided to cut our losses and head back, which was probably a good call since all three of us were getting a little low on water and the sun was cookin’.

One of the good sections of the side trail, near the start.

Entering the large meadow section, which would make up a large portion of this section.

A bit of hike-a-bike over loose rock

Pretty fantastic sightlines
(photo by Bill Riedl)

Patches of small trees broke up the meadow from time to time

Bill, where the trail ends... At least for us.

Heading back

The author, enjoying the views more than the trail.
(photo by Bill Riedl)

Bill, working on a boulder problem

One of the few fun bits on this section

Now back at the intersection with the Thunder Mountain Loop, we padded up and prepared ourselves for the final descent. Once again, we leapfrogged along the way while being treated to some pretty spectacular riding. Just as the beta we received had indicated, the riding was a lot like Toad's, with lots of challenging rock drops that were all rideable. Even between the bigger drops were plenty of natural features that spiced things up a bit.

Bill, finding the goods!

Finishing up another

Matt styles on of the best boulder gardens on the descent

More bouldery fun

A small slab, thrown in for good measure.

The techie stuff lasted for quite a while before transitioning into natural flow trail, with lots of fast straight-aways and swoopy turns – I was having way too much fun to stop for photos in this stretch, so you’ll just have to take my word for it! There was one notable section where the trail snaked its way through a volcanic maze. I quickly parked my bike and snapped off some shots as the others rode through. More flow trail followed for a short bit until it finally ended at Hwy 88.

Bill rides through a really cool lava field

The author gets a boost near the end of the ride.
(photo by Bill Riedl)

After a quick double-check of the map we confirmed that we needed to ride up the road for about a quarter mile to the turnoff where we’d left the car. Luckily, we avoided being run over and finished our loop, totally stoked on what we’d just ridden!

Conclusion:
I think it goes without saying that I really enjoyed this loop – It has everything I look for in a ride, mainly great views and challenging tech! This combined with it being an adventure ride really sealed the deal for me, and I’d certainly consider it one of the top rides in the Tahoe area. Regarding the views, and as I stated before, it’s really unlike any other riding area that I’ve been to in Tahoe, mainly due to the volcanic rock in lieu of granite. That said, the granite does return for the last descent, which provides similar riding to that found on Toads, which of course is a big plus. The only real downside I see is that it’s pretty far from Tahoe proper, at approximately 40 miles/minutes south of South Lake. If you’re in the Truckee area this might be a bit far, but if you’re at the bottom end of the lake it’s well worth the drive. Also, if you’re looking for a good shuttle ride, this is not the ride for you.

As for the two out-n-back side trails: The one leading to the summit of Thunder Mountain was well worth it in my opinion, at least the first time you do the ride. On the other hand, I can’t recommend doing the one that headed east toward Scout Carson Lake, unless you’re just trying to put in some more miles and take in a few more views.

The tracks from our ride:

Relive 'Morning Jul 3rd'