+ 8
Morse Creek Chutes
Backcountry Skiing Route
Details
7.42 mi
4,724 ft
Making the most of of some great North Facing Chutes
The Morse Creek Chutes are a handful of nice north facing lines within Morse Creek Basin and Just beyond the ski resort. Standing on top of the King you can see this lines but without ski touring gear there is no way to access them. Being chutes they are pure fall line bliss although a bit complicated to get to but once there they are as straightforward as it gets. While the skiers left ones are pretty easy to get to the skiers left one is a much longer approach, that being said in my opinion this is the best of the lines.
Starting off at the base of Crystal Mountain make your way up the Quicksilver ski run before entering Silver Basin. Once within the basin make your way towards the East Col of 3 Way Peak. Standing on top you have a clear view of the days objective while switching over to descent mode. From here you can ride fall line down the south facing slope with a small traverse to the skiers sure not to end up in the lower basin of Morse Creek as the extra turns don’t validate it in my option and it will give you more time to ski the better lines.
Once in Morse Creek Basin make your way Southwest towards a small col know as Sourdough Gap. Standing on top you need to drop south into Sheep Lake Basin but immediately start traversing hard to the skiers left until there is an obvious ridge to your left. Switch back to skinning and climb up said ridge. Before long you will be on top and looking into a nice bowl but actually need to start heading West to make it to the entrance of the chute. This section is relatively easy but does require a bit of down climbing before you arrive on top of the main Morse Creek Basin Chute. This line normally has a huge cornice up top so be careful but in my experience you could wrap around it on the skiers right side before descending into the main basin.
Now being back in the basin make your way back up to Sourdough Gap and instead of dropping into the south slope keep following the ridge to the East. There are a handful of chutes you can drop into but they can be hard to see so make sure to grab a photo from the bottom and reference it once up top. If and when you are 100% sure you’re on the right line strap in and make your descent.
There are two different ways to make a descent exit one of which is Dogleg Peak but it is a ways away and can be tricky from this area so I will refer to the other and a bit less technical exit. Just to the Southwest of 3 Way Peak is a low col that you can climb up and over. This will take you to the top of Crystal Lakes Basin where you can easily wrap counter clockwise around 3 Way Peak but if you just want to get out fast then head Northwest to the North side of 3 Way Peak but if you do choose to go this way know that you are in the ski resort boundaries and there is a good chance you won’t find any fresh tracks.
Click here for a trip within the area and much more photos
Written by Kyle Miller
The Morse Creek Chutes are a handful of nice north facing lines within Morse Creek Basin and Just beyond the ski resort. Standing on top of the King you can see this lines but without ski touring gear there is no way to access them. Being chutes they are pure fall line bliss although a bit complicated to get to but once there they are as straightforward as it gets. While the skiers left ones are pretty easy to get to the skiers left one is a much longer approach, that being said in my opinion this is the best of the lines.
Starting off at the base of Crystal Mountain make your way up the Quicksilver ski run before entering Silver Basin. Once within the basin make your way towards the East Col of 3 Way Peak. Standing on top you have a clear view of the days objective while switching over to descent mode. From here you can ride fall line down the south facing slope with a small traverse to the skiers sure not to end up in the lower basin of Morse Creek as the extra turns don’t validate it in my option and it will give you more time to ski the better lines.
Once in Morse Creek Basin make your way Southwest towards a small col know as Sourdough Gap. Standing on top you need to drop south into Sheep Lake Basin but immediately start traversing hard to the skiers left until there is an obvious ridge to your left. Switch back to skinning and climb up said ridge. Before long you will be on top and looking into a nice bowl but actually need to start heading West to make it to the entrance of the chute. This section is relatively easy but does require a bit of down climbing before you arrive on top of the main Morse Creek Basin Chute. This line normally has a huge cornice up top so be careful but in my experience you could wrap around it on the skiers right side before descending into the main basin.
Now being back in the basin make your way back up to Sourdough Gap and instead of dropping into the south slope keep following the ridge to the East. There are a handful of chutes you can drop into but they can be hard to see so make sure to grab a photo from the bottom and reference it once up top. If and when you are 100% sure you’re on the right line strap in and make your descent.
There are two different ways to make a descent exit one of which is Dogleg Peak but it is a ways away and can be tricky from this area so I will refer to the other and a bit less technical exit. Just to the Southwest of 3 Way Peak is a low col that you can climb up and over. This will take you to the top of Crystal Lakes Basin where you can easily wrap counter clockwise around 3 Way Peak but if you just want to get out fast then head Northwest to the North side of 3 Way Peak but if you do choose to go this way know that you are in the ski resort boundaries and there is a good chance you won’t find any fresh tracks.
Click here for a trip within the area and much more photos
Written by Kyle Miller
Created By
Strava Routes
