The Lake Basin gullies are some great terrain a ways away from where most people go. With them being Northeast facing and on the eastern side of the crest they are the perfect aspect as well as usually better weather. Since they are gullies they can be loaded with snow while other areas are scoured. Knowing all of this we decided to make our way out there at the tail end of the first big storm of the season and were not disappointing.

The plans were simple, find a North facing slope that had both great fall line and deep untracked snow. Over the years I have worked on mapping out the terrain and have always loved these lines. It would prove to be a worthy objective for the day and possibly the deepest turns we would experience in the season.

Breaking Trail up the Bullion Basin Trail

We parked in the nearly empty upper C lot within shouting distance of Crystal Mountain ski resort. Below us was around 6 inches of fallen snow under our feet.  As we got out of the car we noticed that the sun was attempting to break through the dark clouds. It was hard to be optimistic as there were clouds everywhere and it felt like a tease. After a few minutes of stretching we were on a freshly placed skin track heading up towards East Peak.

The snow was deep as we switch backed up the southwest face noticing that the base seemed thin through the steep rock bands. If we wanted the best coverage for our descent we would have to go through the sparse trees. Soon we acquired the ridge and were quickly greeted by strong winds that were loading east facing slopes. With a quick traverse across the ridge line we were standing near the summit and getting ready to drop into the east facing slopes of Cement Basin.

Riding into Cement Basin

A quick pit test showed the conditions to be surprisingly stable yet ridiculously deep as we transitioned for our first line of the day. The visibility was semi flat light so with that in mind we decided to head into the trees instead of the wide open alpine below us. One by one we dropped in.

It was knee deep pow with every turn following each others tracks loosely. With every turn the snow would explode all around us and we would disappear for a few second before riding out of the cloud. After around 700 feet of amazing snow we arrived at our destination, a flat bench at the base of Cement Basin.

The strong winds cooled us off rapidly, forcing us to put on more layers as we stood around transitioning to skinning. Being in the shelter of some trees we took the opportunity to have a quick snack. We had expected the snow to be good but it was amazing and just deep enough to ride.

We quickly started moving to warm ourselves up breaking trail through knee deep snow where every step was a battle. While ascending the occasional bit of sunlight would light up our route. It was giving us the faint hope that we could experience yet another day of bluebird powder. To our surprise the weather slowly deteriorated as we skinned up to the summit of our objective leaving us with grey bird conditions and strong winds that were loading the slopes we intended on riding.

Dropping into the Lake Basin Gullies

From the top you could see that the line was filled in and the fall line was perfect. We had no idea exactly how deep the powder would be but we knew it would be good. Dan dropped in and we watched him ripping down the slopes and disappearing in the river of white before reappearing halfway down the slope in a safe zone. It was hard to hear his voice through the constant wind but we were able to tell that the snow he had just experienced was deep and that he was at a safe spot.

Scott dropped in next and was making his way down chest deep snow doing what he could to keep his speed, then submerging with every turn. Final he was below the choke point and quickly traversed to a safe spot from potential avalanches. From his vantage point could see both Dan and I as I dropped into the line.

As we regrouped at the base we were all in disbelief of the conditions we had experienced, commenting on both the deepness and quality of the snow as we celebrated with food and much needed rest.

Heading Back from the Lake Basin Gullies

With our objective now tracked we decided it was time to head back toward East Peak and get one final run back to the car. It was starting to get dark as we wrapped around Lake Basin trying to take advantage of mellow slopes before heading up the ridge to East Peak.

The sun came out giving us breath taking views of Norse Peak as we switch backed towards a low saddle. We quickly gained the ridge and took in the views of Crystal Mountain beneath dark clouds. We traversed the ridge for well over a mile in thigh deep wind effected pow. Soon enough we were at our descent route. The sun was starting to set over the horizon as we arrived at East Peak. By now the skies were quickly darkening so with that in mind we hastily put our gear in downhill mode.

Riding Down East Peak

The low angled slopes of East Peak provided excellent turns as we ripped down side by side. Before long we had reached the step rock covered rollers around 1000 feet below, which are synonymous for causing avalanches.

One by one we traversed into a section covered in trees and dropped down to Bullion Basin trail. By now it was packed firm from a full day of people skinning. The final two miles back were some of the funniest conditions I had experienced. There was almost a foot of fresh snow on each side yet firm and slick enough to gain speed. We would hit up the walls and slash the occasional wind drift.

Soon we were back at the car packing our gear as the last lights of day faded both exhausted and stoked to experience such amazing conditions (especially for Early November). It was some of the deepest turns I would experience in the Crystal Mountain Backcountry and a great day in Lake Basin Gullies.

Thank you for reading this trip riding the Lake Basin Gullies. If you want to see more ski tours within Crystal Mountain Backcountry check out this link.