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Trip Reports Girls Backcountry Ski Camp

Slim

Making fresh tracks
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Oct 2, 2017
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Duluth, MN
I am posting a ‘trip report’ for a trip I didn’t go on :ogbiggrin:.

Last weekend, my oldest daughter (14) attended Keely’s Backcountry Ski Camp in Montana.

From their webpage:
With an overwhelming positive response from our ski racing camps, we’ve now branched out into more outdoor camps for girls all over the world including backcountry skiing, ski mountaineering, and whitewater kayaking

Cooke City, Montana is literally the end of the road in winter. A steep narrow valley, with skiable slopes dropping right down to the cabins and motels lining the street. No cell phone reception, and the only way to get there is driving through Yellowstone National Park. It is about 2.5 hours from Livinston, the closest town to connect to other roads.

It was an amazing experience.
7 Teenage girls, most of them trying backcountry skiing for the first time. An off grid cabin in the mountains, with a wood stove to melt snow. 2.5 miles from the parking lot, on the edge on federal wilderness. They didn’t see anyone else all three days.

4 awesome women to guide/mentor them. Like Nina Hance, local AMGA certified ski guide.

My daughter put it this way: “We met as strangers, and left as best friends”. 3 days of team work out in the snow and back at the cabin will do that for you. Even the dishwashing was fun she said!

As I mentioned in my trip report, Avalanche conditions were tricky, with fresh snow, heavy wind loading and a persistent weak layer in place, so they kept it to low angle terrain the entire time. When the powder and friends are this good, that’s hardly a downer though!

On Saturday night, Tasha Woodswordth, one of the 4 coaches/guides, talked to the girls about her job as ski gear designer for Patagonia.

I am sure the other guides, with their wide range of experience all over the world in skiing and mountaineering, also shared stories and experiences.

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AmyPJ

Skiing the powder
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I've been following this adventure on Instagram! That's really cool that your daughter was one of the lucky girls!
 

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