Trip Report: KINGS PEAK SKI TOUR (36th Annual) 2009


KINGS PEAK SKI TOUR (36th Annual) 2009
By Larry Swanson
SKI 03/27/2009 MSD

The road was deceptively dry from Mountain View, belying the amount of snow that had fallen and drifted into Henry's Fork drainage. With a totally clear sky, stars that only can be seen at 9000 feet were spectacular. In the crisp, but not really frosty, morning the first two headlamps bobbed by car windows at 4:20am. Enthusiasm runs high! Everyone was up and out shortly, headlamps illuminating the road to the trail head campground where the actual route begins. A substantial creek route track, that had been set by many helpers in the weeks before the KPT, was difficult to find so the early folks had some serious trenching to do. When they hit the track, it was light cruising; when they didn't it was WORK. The day was mostly sunny and calm (in the drainage), a great day for ski touring. Above Gunsight, a pretty stiff wind was tolerable (for some), and a number made it to the summit. A forecasted evening storm didn't arrive before the last people got out. Another successful trip by twenty-one folks.
Larry and Steve Swanson