Journeys: 1st Snowshoe Adventure

I had never been snowshoeing, but was interested in cutting my teeth now that I was out west and enjoying recent snowfall. I stopped by REI and rented a pair of MSR EVO Ascent snowshoes. I liked that the snowshoes had an optional tail for deep powder. I wanted to hike around Mount Blackmore in Hyalite Canyon south of Bozeman, but the avalanche conditions were bad enough that I needed to change plans. Having hiked at Bridger Bowl a few times I decided I would snowshoe there since I had seen the conditions first hand.

It was a great sunny day and I eagerly started up the slopes from the Bridger lodge. I could tell a huge difference between hiking in my snowboard boots versus the snowshoes almost immediately. I was moving quickly up the green bunny slope, then kept good speed up the steeper blue slope at the Bridger lift. The snowshoes were faster than me. I could move so quickly on the snow that I had to slow down and catch my breath for the first time.

Surprisingly, I only made it to the Bridger lift mid station seven minutes faster than with my snowboard boots. I looked up the black diamond slope in front of me and trudged straight up the steepest part, pushing the snowshoes to their fullest potential. The snowshoes performed well, but in the deeper powder I had to stomp my feet down a few times before taking a step. Otherwise I would slip and did not want to cartwheel backwards down the slope. I continued up, moving slowly, but efficiently. I reached the bottom of the t-bar lift. I had not been this high before and the view was great, but I was eager to get to the top and play on the ridge. Slow and steep hiking finally brought me to the top of the t-bar lift and the ridge. The 360 degree view of the valley and other mountain ranges was spectacular. I hiked around on the ridge for another hour, taking pictures and planning destinations for future trips.

Snowshoeing on Bridger ridge.
Self Portrait.

After an hour I started to get cold in the howling wind and started down the mountain. I quickly found out that descending with snowshoes was much harder than ascending. I was a mess. Slipping and sliding down the steep slope. Near the top of the ridge it was not too difficult sliding down deep powder, but I as I descended I ran into frozen snow pack and had trouble staying upright. Walking straight down the slope seemed dangerous for my ankles and knees, so I started zigzagging. It was slow going, but I was focused on keeping my balance. Occasionally the frozen snow would break through and I would slip and fall, but no serious injuries resulted. I did take a doozy lower down when I stepped into deep powder and the snowhoe caught on a small tree. My next step forward sent me sprawling forward, my foot still caught in the tree. Frustrated, I collected my self and marched on. I had made it back down to the blue (easier) slope and was able to move faster, but still felt like I could have gone faster if I had just taken the snowshoes off.

At the bottom of the Bridger lift I ran into a dude named Mark and his buddy. They were skiers building a jump for some late afternoon action. I jumped in and helped them move snow and asked if I could take a few pictures. They were down with the pictures and thankful for the help. 45 minutes later we were finished and Mark got busy sticking backflips and 360s.

Bridger Backflip.
Photograph by Chas. B.

All in all it was a great day. I look forward to hitting some more remote snowshoe trails, hopefully near the Spanish Peaks.