On Tuesday April 23, I had the pleasure of walking up Chaffin Creek and skiing the Silver couloir on Sugarloaf peak. Sugarloaf peak is a beautiful mountain tucked away in the southern Bitterroot mountains, and stands at around 9500 feet. Sugarloaf itself holds a lot of skiing opportunity to anyone willing to walk the distance to get at it. Chaffin creek holds a lot of skiing opportunity further down the drainage and has a very nice trail as well. I found the approach to be exceptionally easy going, and did not have to bushwhack at all which was a nice treat for what I have experienced previously in the Bitterroot.
The Silver couloir is a line on the north face of Sugarloaf, and is a classic looking couloir with a hallway like feature at the start, and a wide finish that spits you out into the approach bowl.
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| North Face of Sugarloaf |
I woke up to the classic 3:30 alarm and was headed for Darby just after 4. The drive went smoothly, and was over a little too soon as I was hoping to see some morning light at the trailhead. However it was still pitch black out, so I waited for a little bit and drank the rest of my coffee before deciding it was time to start walking. I was greeted with a great sunrise, and was able to see the mountains at the back of Chaffin creek just when the morning light hit them.
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Looking up Chaffin
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Looking down Chaffin
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| Silver Couloir on lookers left |
There was not much snow on the trail, and I was able to blast almost to the base of the mountain before having to transition into ski boots. From there I started touring toward Sugarloaf. A solid melt freeze cycle made the traveling very efficient, and when I got to the lower slopes below the north face I put on the ski crampons I had bought from a buddy the day prior. Ski crampons are insane. It was my first time ever using them and they made a world of difference, especially on the steep icy side hilling I had to do on the steeper pitches.
I toured up the lower apron below the Silver couloir and then figured it might be quicker, and easier to just boot my way up. I was almost wishing I had boot crampons because the snow was pretty bomb proof, however I was able to cruise up with no issues. Once I got to the exit of the Silver, I cut right, and booted up the chute right next to it which took me to the upper slopes of Sugarloaf.
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| Upper slopes of Sugarloaf |
I took in the views, and continued questing towards the summit. This part was a big slog through variable snow. I tried to stay on the rocks to avoid post-holing, but for the most part post-holed my way up to the summit. I was able to put skis on and cut across the less steep slope directly below the summit ridge, but had to take them off to hike the last 15 feet to the summit.
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| Summit looking into North Trapper Creek |
The view from the summit was extremely rewarding, and I was able to see El Cap to the north, and the Trapper Peaks right across.
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The Trapper Peaks
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| Looking down the upper north face of Sugarloaf |
I reached the summit at 10:40, which I was very shocked to see because that was much faster than I figured. But I did not stay on the summit long, on my way to the top I noticed a cornice that was hanging over the left wall of the couloir and it was, at this time, being hit by sun. It wasn’t super concerning however because the cornice itself wasn't extremely overhung and it wasn’t very hot out. Regardless I didn't want to risk waiting around too long so after some peaceful minutes on the summit, I began my descent.
I was able to make some nice turns on the upper slopes of Sugarloaf, all while cutting across towards the entrance of the Silver. The 800 or so feet of exposure below me made this a very exciting portion of the mountain!
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| The entrance to the silver couloir |
I made it to the entrance of the Silver and was feeling very excited because the entrance choke was much wider than I expected it to be. I dropped in, and noticed the snowpack was very firm, and as I kept moving down it soon turned almost to ice. I did several hop turns down through the choke, and as the couloir opened up I was able to make smaller turns weaving from wall to wall. About half way down I found that the right most side of the couloir held the best snow, and that the left side had a layer of pure ice on the top. Then towards the bottom the couloir opened up significantly, and I was able to make very wide fast turns into the sun-lit apron. At this point my legs were burning, and I was happy to make it to the bottom of the bowl where I sat down on a rock and ate some lunch.
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The exit of the Silver Couloir
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| The approach bowl |
This was, so far, the best lunch I have had in the Bitterroot so far. The sun peeked over the rock I was on soon after I sat down and I really got to take in the solitude of being alone with Sugarloaf, and the surrounding peaks.
After I refueled I headed out of Chaffin creek, and made it back to my car around 2:15 making it a little over an 8 hour day which I was pretty proud of. This is, so far, my favorite ski descent in the Bitterroots, and I would highly recommend this line to all Bitterroot skiers.
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Beer and scrog I had waiting in the car
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| Sugarloaf from the highway |
