In February 2016, Lora, Huck, and I packed up the Chalet and headed on a three-week trip to ski, snowboard, hike, and enjoy a number of western states. Day one started out slowly with last minute shopping, packing, and equipment checks. We arrived at a Sno-Park north of the Gorge on our first night and woke up to some nice, fresh snow the next day; perfect for a cross-country tour and a great way to test out all the systems in the Chalet.

 

Our second stop was Bluewood Ski Area near the town of Dayton, WA. Bluewood is generally closed during part of the week allowing for solitude on the mountain. Additionally, there is some great backcountry riding and cross country skiing in the area. We arrived there following a storm, which provided deep, light powder and no other snowboarders, skiers, or campers; allowing us to spend a few days here exploring some great terrain in relative solitude.

 

Next we headed towards Anthony Lakes Ski Area in northeast Oregon. Along the way we ran into a nice snowstorm and stopped for a few turns at Spout Springs Ski Area before making it to Anthony Lakes Ski Area. We arrived at Anthony Lakes to enjoy plenty of snow, some great sunrises and sunrise touring, and a fantastic single-lift ski area.

 

 

After leaving Anthony Lakes, we passed through Idaho, stopping for a night to camp near the Snake River, and headed to Utah for some soaking in one of our favorite hot springs. During the winter, access to Fifth Water Hot Spring is limited, which reduced the crowds substantially. We camped at Diamond Campground and spent a day hiking into Fifth Water Hot Springs, enjoying a soak, and a fantastic sunset.

 

Our next stop was Moab, Utah. We spent a few days camping, skiing, and snowboarding in the La Sal Mountains. We followed this up with some dayhiking in the area and relaxing near Gobblin Valley before heading towards Escalante.

 

 

 

The Escalante, Utah, area is one of our favorite places to explore, and we have been making trips to this area since 2009. We enjoyed some fantastic sunsets, sunrises, and slot canyons on this trip.