Beartooth Pass conditions?

So, about that fire:

Quote:

---

The Robertson Draw Fire, burning south of Red Lodge, Montana near Clark, Wyoming is estimated to be 2,000 acres as of the morning of June 15. Evacuations and Evacuation Warnings are in place for multiple areas near the fire. Firefighters are anticipating a critical fire weather day as the hot, dry, and windy weather conditions persist. With the expected weather, active fire behavior and continued growth is anticipated.

---

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/75...n4WBEGNN_Hhjpc

200 to 2,000 acres in 24 hours with continued dry and windy conditions forecast. While the Pass itself is largely alpine (and thus short on fuel load), the forest just northeast on the lower mountains seems to be in at risk, and if that lights up, I would expect the pass to get shut down.

telee, vibes to your family; I hope they, their animals, and their property can avoid the fire.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by anotherVTskibum

So, about that fire:


https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/75...n4WBEGNN_Hhjpc

200 to 2,000 acres in 24 hours with continued dry and windy conditions forecast. While the Pass itself is largely alpine (and thus short on fuel load), the forest just northeast on the lower mountains seems to be in at risk, and if that lights up, I would expect the pass to get shut down.

telee, vibes to your family; I hope they, their animals, and their property can avoid the fire.

---

Doesn't look you'll be able to do any biking on Line Creek for a while...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by total_immortal

Doesn't look you'll be able to do any biking on Line Creek for a while...

---

and in the Billings Gazette:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Public Information Officer for CGNF

“Due to the extreme weather today, we are also trying to make it known that this fire has the potential to spark into the Main Fork of Rock Creek,” Chapman said.

---

Yikes.

In case anyone’s wondering how the snowpack is looking, these were taken yesterday, 6/14:

Gardener Headwall. Still skiing great.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...39983dae69.jpg

The Basin
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...94d6c6f1f8.jpg

Rock Creek Headwall, middle chute was primo. A bit of rock walking to connect the last few patches
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...0f6b21d8b1.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by anotherVTskibum

So, about that fire:


https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/75...n4WBEGNN_Hhjpc

200 to 2,000 acres in 24 hours with continued dry and windy conditions forecast. While the Pass itself is largely alpine (and thus short on fuel load), the forest just northeast on the lower mountains seems to be in at risk, and if that lights up, I would expect the pass to get shut down.

telee, vibes to your family; I hope they, their animals, and their property can avoid the fire.

---

Thanks it’s dangerously close to some of the outbuilding and fall corrals. My aunt sent me these photos last night.
Attachment 377243
Attachment 377244
Attachment 377245


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MegaStoke

Rock Creek Headwall, middle chute was primo. A bit of rock walking to connect the last few patches
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...0f6b21d8b1.jpg

---

holy shit that went fast

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by east or bust

holy shit that went fast

---

So did the fire. If anyone is planning travel to the area, please double check for closures and evacuation orders. At this point, the dispersed camping up Main Fork seems to still be open, but a lot of the stuff between there and town is closed. Personally, I'd want to be staying somewhere with cell service to be able to get updates.

If you believe in any deity or deities, their assistance would probably be appreciated.

Sent from my SM-G892A using TGR Forums mobile app

Fuck. Vibes prayers. All of it.

Did not expect this. Twitters says it is moving away from Red Lodge and 20k acres now.

Our hike up to Lost Lake revealed to our wide Iowa eyes huge amounts of deadfall. Definitely some fuel to burn if it gets there.


https://twitter.com/hashtag/RobertsonDrawFire?s=09https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...d12e21aa8a.jpg

Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by uglymoney

Fuck. Vibes prayers. All of it.

Did not expect this. Twitters says it is moving away from Red Lodge and 20k acres now.

Our hike up to Lost Lake revealed to our wide Iowa eyes huge amounts of deadfall. Definitely some fuel to burn if it gets there.

---

Wife and I did the same hike Memorial Day week and were thinking the same thing. :( Hope everyone stays safe over there.

Damn, that's a depressing site.

:frown:

Still hoping to get up to the pass for some skiing and camping this weekend. Hope for everyone's sake the fire cooperates. Guess we will keep an eye out for updates. We spent a day sled lapping a shallower slope east of the top of the pass last year. Wondering if there is enough snow for the sled this year. Gardner and the basin look decent. Is there much less snow compared to this time last year?

Not sure on snowpack--in photos it looks pretty low--but be aware that the USFS has decided to close access to camping on Main Fork and Lake Fork, leaving West Fork to absorb the entire demand near Red Lodge, whatever that may be.

I'd note that the closure of the Glacier Lake road (Main Fork) wasn't in the original order, but it makes a lot of sense to me--no cell service, and if the fire were to get into that drainage and across 212, it would get to the mouth of the road first, thus cutting off the only easy way out (and the only way with a vehicle).

Sent from my SM-G892A using TGR Forums mobile app

Vertigo inducing drop in with refrozen chunder.

Attachment 377341

Same picture with a looser crop just to show I'm not tilting the camera to make it look steeper than it is.

Attachment 377343

I was there on Saturday.

why so many racers backpacks?? is there a course set up below and no facilities to leave them anywhere else? or is it that some 'summer put your boots in your bag' hiking thing they all have going on?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by powdork

why so many racers backpacks?? is there a course set up below and no facilities to leave them anywhere else? or is it that some 'summer put your boots in your bag' hiking thing they all have going on?

---

The race training courses get set on the lower poma, so it's much more efficient to bring everything down and not need to come all the way back up for snack and hydration breaks...especially when the top is refrozen.

Sent from my SM-G892A using TGR Forums mobile app

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by powdork

why so many racers backpacks?? is there a course set up below and no facilities to leave them anywhere else? or is it that some 'summer put your boots in your bag' hiking thing they all have going on?

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by anotherVTskibum

The race training courses get set on the lower poma, so it's much more efficient to bring everything down and not need to come all the way back up for snack and hydration breaks...especially when the top is refrozen.

---

Yeah. When the upper Poma was broken they had to hike out (Tues, Wed) so they did bring hiking boots. Water, granola, race protection, sunscreen, layers etc. They take breaks on the rocks. It is rad for them or anyone to chill at the bottom with a full view of the cirque.

My daughter is not a super fantastic racer, she is 11 and was just focusing on bashing slalom gates and was on brand new skis and being from the midwest she really hates soft snow when on race courses. The races she finishes on the podium have usually been super hard to ice where her peers struggle and she excels. We were just thrilled to know a coach that knows our coach and to get her into a camp. That being said here is a video of the course set on Thursday and her actually crashing some gates instead of skiing around them. Lots of salt and the grom showing some good progress.



Here is the hike out to the lower lot. Really not that bad at all.

Attachment 377445

This is her dropping into a brush course Wednesday when it was super warm and hauling salt wasn't really an option because the poma was broken. But...private ski area!

Attachment 377446

Unknown skier who was part of the freeride group out of Red Lodge (and beyond?) that was also allowed in on Wednesday. Caught this shot while we were watching our girl lap the shit out of those brushes.

Attachment 377448

Attachment 378344

Still a little left this past weekend. Man, what a place.

Attachment 378345

Six weeks out from today the lift starts spinning. Hopefully.

Anyone making plans for a trip up to the pass?

I'm in tentatively.

Last year's opener had some sketchy condish...

I'll be up there.

Nice bump. Chalk me up as a firm maybe.

I think heading up there was in my top three highlights from last year. Just a spectacular place.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by byates1

I'll be up there.

---

Nice, look forward to meeting up witcha and throwing down some laps.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by east or bust

Nice bump. Chalk me up as a firm maybe.

I think heading up there was in my top three highlights from last year. Just a spectacular place.

---

It is special fosho.

Memba how much of a last minute cluster it was? Yet we ended up in the camping zone within 30 minutes of each other.

What a good time, decent food and comfy digs. Turns didn't completely suck either.

And I do love Red Lodge; still funkytown, USA.

Trying to get Upallnight to join us. Yo!

Myself and the daughter have a paid campsite reserved June 5th thru the 11th at Limber Pines which is arrive Sunday night and leave to go home on Saturday morning. Last year on Friday we packed up the campsite in the evening scored a room in town.

We are about 50/50 on if we go. One of my dirtbag friends was on a two week Indy Pass tour to the west coast in early Apr and he said the snow was super duper thin at Red Lodge and his plans to join us fizzled with that...funny we passed him going home on the interstate on our way to Aspen. Her race camp coach from last year moved to Winter Park so he isn't going to be there this year, which stinks but it also gives us more freedom to explore the area and chill, and free all mountain skiing is what we are all about anyway.

These last storms have helped stoke the fire though for sure. Was watching the Red Lodge cams this morning while suffering through my taxes.

I guess we'll see. A strong maybe. My lack of weekend attendance makes it hard to hook up with anybody anyway...though did meet Stealurface last year the last day.

Yeah, thinking this last storm put down a good layer and hopefully more between now and then.
Best skiing and camping is on weekdays up there. Less people and quiet at night.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Djongo Unchained

Yeah, thinking this last storm put down a good layer and hopefully more between now and then.
Best skiing and camping is on weekdays up there. Less people and quiet at night.

---

All that wind had to have helped fill things in.

BB has been quiet on social media. Not unusual for this time of year though. Would expect them to start posting soon.

What is a good snow stake to look at in the area?