Written by Spencer Cordovano, PowExplorer contributor
When March 2011 produced big snow and stability, I had a chance to get up to the Williams Yurt with Josh Dirksen, Mikey Basich, Pat Lee, and Corey Smith. A snowboard specific hiking trip with our well versed split-boarding Sawtooth Mountain Guide, Clark Corey, was a highlight of winter 2011. Frequency – The Snowboarder’s Journal felt the same, covering the trip in the newest issue 9.2, which is on news stands as we speak. The trip was documented by Mark Welsh, who captured the yurt in a fashion, not so ordinary. The photos are exceptional, as is the accessible terrain outside the front door at the Williams Yurt .
As the snow starts to fall, I look at the mountains and ponder. Even now that I know where to go, I want to be sure it is safe before I get back in some couloirs around 10,000 ft. For that reason, below is the Sawtooth Mountain Guides Winter 2012 Avalanche Education schedule. Sawtooth Mountain Guides offers one of the best avalanche education experiences in the lower 48. Course fees on many Avalanche Education Courses include a stay in the Yurt, and awesome food.
If you are at all serious about riding backcountry, it is necessary to indulge in one of the many courses offered. From backcountry skills to spring time mountaineering, there is a course offered for all levels of shred and interest. Since we ride together, PowExplorer Jeremy Black and I took AIARE Level 1 last winter. We had a blast learning in the Sawtooth Mountains. I will be taking my Level 1 refresher and AIARE Level 2 from Sawtooth Mountain Guides this winter. The Level 1 refresher is a great avalanche safety class for Level 1′s to check in, and continue education without the sum of a Level 2 course. The owners/instructors are advisors to the American Avalanche Association(AAA), American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE), and American Mountain Guide Association (AMGA).
Sawtooth Mountain Guides offer classes in a realistic format to enhance learning opportunities. Hands on interaction with the life saving tools we all carry in our packs, and access to terrain relevant to discussion, prompts one to grasp knowledge needed to execute safety in the backcountry. Check out their website at www.SawtoothGuides.com for more information.
Below is what happens when Smith Optics brings in the big boys and everything goes right. Steep and Deep Idaho Couloirs! Pray for snow!
About the author: Spencer Cordovano is a snowboarder based out of Sun Valley, Idaho. This powerful rider throws it big and handles a snowmobile in the backcountry. Watch out for him this season in Smith Optics’ “Prospecting Idaho” series. See more from Spencer and his crew at: powexplorer.com
Photo by Shannon Quirk
