Relatively Obscure Shelter in the Woods

March 7, 8, and 9 2013

Skiers: Lindsey Clark and Erik Schmidt

Erik had been wanting to go on this trip for years. We spent a day a few summers ago on a reconaissance mission that involved hours of driving my Tacoma on an extremely steep and bumpy jeep trail to a relatively obscure shelter in the woods. Due to its proximity to some remote, lesser-known mountains with rad-looking ski terrain, he really wanted to see what it was all about.

The time was finally right to check out this particular spot in the winter: I had some time off of work, we had two functioning snowmobiles, and (most importantly) we had a big, low-elevation storm that covered the entire center of Oregon in well over a foot of snow in the days before our trip. It was on! We packed up some overnight gear, loaded up the snowmobiles, and drove South.

We arrived to an unplowed sno-park. Erik, with utmost confidence in Rumble Vanskin's abilities, plowed into over two feet of snow, with multiple layers from recent storms. We got stuck.

First, we started digging. Then the snowmobiles came out to take weight off the trailer, shoot some snow out of our path, and pack down the rest. Erik disconnected the trailer so we could focus on getting the van out, which eventually did happen! Once the van was unstuck and parked in a reasonable location, we had to move the trailer. We did some synchronized snowmobiling to tow the trailer through the snowy parking lot, back to the van.

After all that effort, we decided to gather all our extra food and spend two nights in the shelter, rather than the one we had originally planned for. With huge relief and plenty of anticipation, we hit the approximately 20-mile trail to the shelter.

The ride out was amazing: freshly-groomed trails with fresh powder on top, riding along ridgelines with expansive views of the surrounding area as the sun set! 

As we got closer to our destination, we rode into a storm that sucked all the light from the sky. We left the sno-park in the sunshine, and arrived at the shelter in a snowstorm!

The first order of business was to dig out the front doors, make some steps, and build a fire in the wood stove. Then dinner, then popcorn, then to bed... to be fully prepared for a big day of chasing powder!

The next day dawned in classic conditions: cold and clear. We set off toward our objective, crossing two frozen lakes and within a few miles, beginning to climb the mountain.

The mountain was full of possibilities! We headed toward looker's right, where there were some beautiful chutes just begging to be skied! We skinned past lots of steep ice, which was definitely a sign of what we'd encounter higher up on the mountain where the exposed slopes had seen plenty of wind during the storm.

As we got higher, and the snow got more firm, we decided to stop climbing and enjoy some nice turns back down the face we'd just climbed up. They sure were enjoyable!

We headed back across the lakes and through the woods to the shelter, where we spent another cozy/cold night. Discovered a sign of a notorious visitor from the past...

The next day, we explored some other ski terrain near the shelter, then did our final frozen lake crossing and headed out.

The area is full of possibilities, and we can't wait to get back out there and explore some more! If you want to know where this sweet little spot is located, I won't tell you here... but we will take you there!