Wildlife while skiing/skinning?

[palikona]

Curious if anyone has run into ”dangerous” wildlife while out skiing in the backcountry? Moose? Mountain lions? Bears?

One early June, I was up in the Long Lake area in the Indian Peaks west of Boulder and came upon huge mountain lion tracks. As I continued to skin, I got that feeling of being watched. Turned back soon after.

Has anyone been skiing, making turns through the trees and boom...there’s a big moose?

 

[Coach13]

No real encounter skiing but our 1st trip to Vail it was mid-April and they had experienced a warmer than normal spring. There were signs around where we were staying warning of early bear sightings. Our 1st skiing day we were at 2 Elk lodge and a patroller was holding everyone back from heading into China Bowl as there was a bear crossing the slope near the bottom. As soon ss the bear passed everyone skied down like it was a normal occurrence and we did the same. No fear or danger on our part but it was an eye opener. That said, we run onto black bear in Virginia walking near our house and biking on the C&O canal all the time. It’s never been an issue.

 

[Analisa]

Ran into a bear on the approach trail to ski Eldorado in the NCNP. It was right before a boulder field from hell, so I didn't mind the break.

 

[Pete in Idaho]

Wife had a coyote chase her at Mammoth about 20 yrs ago.

Palikona. You were probably right to retreat when you think you are being watched by a Mt. Lion. A few years ago I was fishing/wading in the St Joe river and felt I was being watched. This went on for about a hour and finally as dark was coming I decided I had better get back to truck. I reached the edge of the river and stopped and started to check the riverbank. About 80 yds downstream I saw some movement next to a rock area. I was close to my truck and got there and while I was taking off my waders I looked down the road and there was one very big mt. lion looking at me. I jumped in my truck and blew the horn, he/she took one leap and cleared a 20 ft cliff and disappeared.

While skiing the only thing I have seen was a small herd of Elk about 150 yards across the hill where I was skiing.

 

[newfydog]

I had a really cute coyote follow me up Mt. Hood. It wanted me to chase it, and it would come real close, then scoot away doing bunny hops.

 

[Mike Rogers]

I've skinned very close to a cow moose....She got out of the way.

This last October I was flying downhill towards a creek before an uphill section.....Trying to keep my speed up....and as I rounded the corner, I saw a large Male griz in my way. I slammed on the breaks, but I startled him too....he ran off pretty quick, but kept looking back at me. That was interesting....

 

[scottyb]

Buddy of mine had a black bear run across the slope in front of him at Snowshoe resort, like 10 yds away. This happened early season back in Dec.

My personal BC experience with wild life is mostly deer running about. About once a winter Wally, my friends Australian cattle dog, would case a deer down and kill it while we were out skiing. We would find a big mess spot on the snow and he would drag it back to the cabin all happy and bloody.

Wally was one heck of a ski dog.

 

[KevinF]

Ran into a bear on the approach trail to ski Eldorado in the NCNP. It was right before a boulder field from hell, so I didn't mind the break.

Hopefully the “ran into a bear” part is not to be taken literally...

 

[KevinF]

I encountered a moose on the trails of Killington Vermont one time. He was pawing at the snow, digging for food I guess. Didn’t seem terribly concerned about me. I elected to give him a wwwwiiiidddddeeeee berth.

 

[sparty]

A number of years ago, I was hiking for spring turns in Vermont and got charged by a momma moose who was escorting her newborn (wobbly legs) calf. That was terrifying and very cool at the same time. I've also seen a bull moose in the same vicinity mid-winter, but he seemed far less concerned with my presence (still kept my distance, though).

I've seen fresh bear tracks b/c skiing in Montana (probably black bear, size didn't seem right for girzz), but my bear spray generally came skiing with me April through October there. I did one solo skin in Yellowstone and decided not to do that again—it's one thing in areas where grizz are known to hang out if it's wide-open terrain with good visibility, but skinning through the trees got spooky a couple of times with limited visibility.

 

[Beartown]

I've seen moose in-bounds while skiing at both Jackson and Big Sky. Also saw a brown bear under the lift at Jackson, but that was in the summer.

 

[Uncle-A]

Moose on the loose at Breck, two wondered on to a lift line. I was watching the news this morning and they showed the video.

 

[karlo]

Today, something that looked like a chipmunk, but had no stripes, scurried across right in front of me. Not dangerous. But would have been ugly had I skied over him.

 

[Uncle-A]

Today, something that looked like a chipmunk, but had no stripes, scurried across right in front of me. Not dangerous. But would have been ugly had I skied over him.

Where were you skiing?

 

[4ster]

Mountain lion tracks, bear tracks in the backcountry but the closest was mama moose & calf at the ski resort. This was a number of years ago while I was approaching the base area along the woods on the beginner run. I was skiing at a moderate pace when out of the woods popped a large cow moose. I hockey stopped as fast as I could and was close enough to see her eyes grow large as the spray hit her in the face. I think at this time both of us had a very shocked look on our faces. Luckily for me she bolted across the run just as her calf appeared in front of me and chased mama toward the other side where there was a small roped off terrain park. The poor baby moose proceeded to get tangled in the rope line and pull the whole thing down. The incident could have ended much worse as getting between a mama and her calf does not always end well. Moose are huge!

Not the first time for me but the other day I scared a grouse out of the powder as I was passing by. I think they like to burrow in the snow when it is storming heavily. The sound of their wings flapping out of the snow can be a little alarming till you realize what it is.

 

[karlo]

Where were you skiing?

Whiteface! Not exactly backcountry, but wildlife nevertheless.

 

[Jerez]

Moose cow and calf at the bottom. Of Mary Jane today

 

[Tin Pants]

Curious if anyone has run into ”dangerous” wildlife while out skiing in the backcountry? Moose? Mountain lions? Bears?

One early June, I was up in the Long Lake area in the Indian Peaks west of Boulder and came upon huge mountain lion tracks. As I continued to skin, I got that feeling of being watched. Turned back soon after.

Has anyone been skiing, making turns through the trees and boom...there’s a big moose?

not backcountry, but I was skiing back to whistler village on the whistler side,it was quite, I stopped within sight of the village. I looked back uphill and there was a bobcat trotting across the trail, a few yards away. the one and only time I have seen one, beautiful animals.

 

[Crank]

Moose at Jackson,check.

Had a fox encounter in the trees at Sun Peaks. I think he wanted me to give him a treat. Alas I was foodless.

Skiing down the run under the Ptarmigan chair at Lake Louise last month we did not see a ptarmigan, but, we did see a mother and cub lynx crossing the trail!

Paw a porcupine in a tree at Park City once.

A Coyote at Telluride.

 

[Tin Pants]

Mountain lion tracks, bear tracks in the backcountry but the closest was mama moose & calf at the ski resort. This was a number of years ago while I was approaching the base area along the woods on the beginner run. I was skiing at a moderate pace when out of the woods popped a large cow moose. I hockey stopped as fast as I could and was close enough to see her eyes grow large as the spray hit her in the face. I think at this time both of us had a very shocked look on our faces. Luckily for me she bolted across the run just as her calf appeared in front of me and chased mama toward the other side where there was a small roped off terrain park. The poor baby moose proceeded to get tangled in the rope line and pull the whole thing down. The incident could have ended much worse as getting between a mama and her calf does not always end well. Moose are huge!
View attachment 67995

Not the first time for me but the other day I scared a grouse out of the powder as I was passing by. I think they like to burrow in the snow when it is storming heavily. The sound of their wings flapping out of the snow can be a little alarming till you realize what it is.
View attachment 67996

I think it is a ptarmingan