Wow, this place exceeded my expectations. I went in thinking we'd be meadow skipping on low angle terrain.
We scheduled this place as a good half to a drive up to Washington to meet up with the BBI16 participants. It's about 6-7 hours from Salt Lake to Baker City, which is where we stayed the night. We drove up Thursday, checked into our hotel in Baker City and took a drive up to the mountain.
The mountain range rises up from farmland, it was rather foggy and we only knew we were going uphill by the steady accumulation of snow on the road. Once you start rising above the farm fields the terrain quickly changes to deep alpine snow. Being in Eastern Oregon the trees aren't quite as large and sport a bit less moss than their brethren on the Western side of the state. That also means the powder is a bit different species as well. Whereas the Western side of Oregon breeds the heavier snow that coats the mountainside and creates famous cascade concrete, Anthony Lakes resides in a much drier climate that results in more enjoyable riding conditions.
Driving into the lot we couldn't see much as it was pretty foggy and snowing fairly well, always a sign that things are looking up. We could see the one chairlift and the main face it services, there were still plenty of untracked lines remaining. The lift served area is open from Thursday to Sunday, lift tickets are $35 and Thursday's are half off. The area seems to survive from local kids programs and dedicated local skiers.
We kicked the tires on the place a bit, drove through the RV lot (which included hook ups), and checked out the throwback lodge. If skiing has a soul it resides somewhere near Anthony Lakes. While researching dinner choices it seemed Barley Brown Brew Pub was the call. We decided to hit up the brew pub first and sample some of their goods, it was pretty funny to see a Bassett hound seeming to be at home, entertaining the bar. We started chatting with the owner of the hound only to find out it was Chelsea from Anthony Lakes who we'd been emailing with securing our reservation. At that point I'd fallen in love with the town, the rural feel and closeness of the uncrowded range had me calling my wife proclaiming I'd found our retirement town.
The next morning we awoke to a 7 inch in 24 hours report. Driving up the road was snow covered and once again fog dominated. We were convinced we'd be having a soup day and were resigned to the fact. About 3/4 of the way up the drive we burst through the cloud layer, the glorious sun became the dominant force and burned off any clouds.
We checked in and paid our ridiculously cheap price of $199. Yes, I said $199, that price included delicious cinnamon rolls and coffee for breakfast, a sack lunch including a decent sub, chips, orange, granola bar, and a cookie. We signed the usual waivers and those that needed beacons were provided them with no additional charge.
This place has been running cat trips since the 70's, as such they have their terrain pretty well dialed. We loaded onto a luxurious cat, the seats were like a greyhound bus, plenty of hooks for gear, warmth and a fan circulating air, sound system ready for your music source (although it does cut out a bit, heh). On our way up the guides introduced themselves and ran over safety protocols and the plans for the day. As we climbed past the lift served area we had plenty of time to all introduce ourselves and get to know one another.
Our cat was filled mostly with a group from Portland that had been out the day prior, which was the first day of the season for the cat. My buddy from Michigan, myself and a pair from Park City rounded out our group. The cat took us up to the top of their permitted terrain. The cat terrain is quite a bit larger than their lift served area, the terrain surrounding both of those are even larger, the touring possibilities are endless, although with the pressure you wouldn't have to go far to get away.
Once we were atop the ridge line the lead guide set a track and pretty let us have at it. We followed Cougar ridge down a bit and trended left into upper horseshoe. My thoughts of meadow skipping were quickly gone as we encountered kick ass steep timbered lines. Diving down into slots between pines began the day. There were just enough openings to allow you to throttle up between trees.
This began a lather rinse repeat for the day. What began as a strong group became stronger as folks tired and dropped out, we lost two at mid day and another soon after lunch. Don't get me wrong, these people had a spectacular day and didn't detract from our pick ups, but the group picked up speed as the day went on and we tallied 12 runs for the day. I rarely crossed a track all day, if I did I merely cut right or left a bit and quickly found the freshness.
The snow was better up top and we milked the upper stretches for laps after lunch (which was eaten in the cat on the way up to insure more runs) To end the day we hit a couple top to bottom runs and then finished on Poster Ridge, some steep turns down to the bottom of the resort area.
We ended up doing 12 runs, we were supposed to do a shorty to pick up 1 for our last run, but the cat driver had switched to guiding us and had "gotten lost" on the way down and we ended up with a top to bottom run. I can't say enough about the place, the people you encounter truly love the area and not only have been there for years but have ties to the community.
Kyle, Keith, and Mark made our trip stellar, even after skiing Alpental today with a kick ass crew I'm still dreaming of Anthony Lakes turns.
Baker City, Barley Browns Brew Pup is highly recommended.
The soul of skiing.
Base facilities.
Yeah, that's the prices, Thursday is half off...
The clouds burst throug...
Load up, Kyle and Mark.
Trail map...
Pickup 1, Bert's Trees. Kick ass quick terrain pod, steep trees that allowed us to quickly climb to the top.
We didn't take many action pics even though we had a bit of a lull between cat rides, the lulls were short and the group was moving along pretty well.
