Thinking about making the drive up from Ogden Utah on sunday. Thoughts?
2019/2020 Alpine Wyoming Snow Report, Rockin' M Ranch
- Thread starter rockinmranch
- Start date
Need a guide? I'll be in Alpine/Star Valley the first week in March. My brother had a family emergency and had to back out. So, I need people to ride with (Mon-Thu). I know the area well and can take you in areas from beginner to extreme, or I can just following along and help dig sleds out.
To answer my own question... the snowpack in the greys river are appears to be very stable overall. We saw very little activity other than some small sloughs on sunbaked slopes mid afternoon. We did come across one slide that was decent sized, wind loading appeared to be the issue, not a persistent slab. You can actually see the “divets” along the right side of the slide path where this huge chunk of cornice tumbled down. Pretty wild. Good time to get out and explore.
Went out Sunday, and got back Thursday. We rented a pair of 850 pro 155's, and had an absolute blast. Snow was a bit packed down, but powder was still able to be found if you looked for it. It was my first time out there, and ended up putting just under 300 miles on the sled, and it was a total breathtaking awesome experience! During the week very few people out and about, and those we did bump into were all very very cool! In the end we fared OK, but looking back, we were VERY green and under prepared. Lots of lessons learned. Pulling on the start cord and having it snap 30 miles in puts things in perspective in a hurry, lol! Luckily we arent total dopes and knew how to start it off the primary.... however, seeing some elderly people back in there just putting around on a scenic tour was a bit scary.
We rode from Alpine and did the A, B, and C trails and explored quite a bit off of each one. I particularly liked C, as you could make your own way to the top if you dared, and seeing lines other guys were pulling was simply amazing. I will have to look at the map, but we went east of Box Y to Blind Bull???? and it was amazing and scary how vast and big the hills were. We found the warming cabin and met some cool folks there. No offense, but all older dudes, but all on badass long track turbo sleds. Probably the least amount of powder of the trip (was expecting the opposite) and there were a few previous slides seen. The meadows had the best powder, but I was a bit timid because it appeared to have lots of deep creek bottoms that looked sketchy.
I wish I had more time to spend back at the Meadows, but it was getting late and we had to boggie out of there (as the previous night we stayed way too late and it is just too sketchy at night.) NW of Mccain Cabin there looked to be some great places to play and climb with low risk, but I never made it back there. Playing off of C was super fun, but also high risk for a novice like me as the drops are quite severe.
Hope to go back next year. A total blast. Not sure I ever want to ride in the north east again!
We rode from Alpine and did the A, B, and C trails and explored quite a bit off of each one. I particularly liked C, as you could make your own way to the top if you dared, and seeing lines other guys were pulling was simply amazing. I will have to look at the map, but we went east of Box Y to Blind Bull???? and it was amazing and scary how vast and big the hills were. We found the warming cabin and met some cool folks there. No offense, but all older dudes, but all on badass long track turbo sleds. Probably the least amount of powder of the trip (was expecting the opposite) and there were a few previous slides seen. The meadows had the best powder, but I was a bit timid because it appeared to have lots of deep creek bottoms that looked sketchy.
I wish I had more time to spend back at the Meadows, but it was getting late and we had to boggie out of there (as the previous night we stayed way too late and it is just too sketchy at night.) NW of Mccain Cabin there looked to be some great places to play and climb with low risk, but I never made it back there. Playing off of C was super fun, but also high risk for a novice like me as the drops are quite severe.
Hope to go back next year. A total blast. Not sure I ever want to ride in the north east again!
March 1st, 2020 Alpine Wyoming Snow Report Rockin' M Ranch
Thanks to you all posting your rides, it makes this forum more interesting. Your assessment of the conditions seems pretty spot on to me. I rode the Idaho side two days ago. Snow seems very stable. very few signs of slides, old or new. Looking 360 degrees up high in all directions very few slides up in the big chutes and bowls, which is rare for most years. Snow is still soft enough to carve and some powder is left in the trees.
Last night a quick storm cane through and left 4" here at the cabins. Should help freshen things up a bit.
Thanks to you all posting your rides, it makes this forum more interesting. Your assessment of the conditions seems pretty spot on to me. I rode the Idaho side two days ago. Snow seems very stable. very few signs of slides, old or new. Looking 360 degrees up high in all directions very few slides up in the big chutes and bowls, which is rare for most years. Snow is still soft enough to carve and some powder is left in the trees.
Last night a quick storm cane through and left 4" here at the cabins. Should help freshen things up a bit.
Curious how riding is this week with the warmer weather? I am already looking forward to a trip back out next year, and trying to learn about the area and the best time to go. Two weeks ago we had a blast, but on the sunny side of the mountains the sun sure was making the snow harder pretty quick........ and it was quite cold- I was surprised how quick is did away with the powder. Wondering how these warm days are towards the conditions? Was this a typical winter?
Update for this week and forcast for the weekend of the 14th?
Be careful this spring. Last week I rode the Bedford area. There is an icy layer about 8" deep. Bad sign for future slides. It made me very nervous.
