Join us for an interview with our team about our first splitboarding adventure in the backcountry near Anthony Lakes, Oregon. We will talk about what we learned and how it helped us plan for our future backcountry trips.
So what made you guys choose to head out to Anthony Lakes for your first adventure?
Tyese: Well it wasn’t snowing in Bend, and for some odd reason they were getting snow out there. We kept hearing about this little-known spot that had awesome backcountry, so thought we’d check it out.
Jay: Anthony Lakes was special because it is a resort connected to backcountry. Cat tours were regularly scheduled for the backside of Anthony Lakes and we figured with our limited avalanche knowledge that if the cat tours were going we would be safe.
Was ‘awesome backcountry’ what you found?
Tyese: I think it was there, I mean I know it was there, but being our first outing, we were nervous and didn’t really know how to plan a good trip. We didn’t know what was in our ability level, what was safe, and how to find good lines. Every tour we found on the internet talked about dropping really steep stuff. Moreover, the people doing it had all the gear and knowledge already, which we didn’t have yet. We just wanted something for beginners!
So can you tell us a little bit about your time there?
Tyese: Overall we had a surprisingly good time in La Grande. We spent a day just snowboarding at the one-lift resort in Anthony Lakes. We were hoping to get a good look at the terrain so we could have an idea of what to expect doing backcountry the next day. It snowed all day and almost nobody else was there, so we had fresh tracks and were loving life. Unfortunately, the visibility was bad, so we couldn’t see the backcountry terrain as we had hoped to.
Jay: For a one-lift resort, Anthony Lakes was awesome! There was a lot of terrain and we hit it during a snow storm so there was lots of powder. It was a fun day despite the wintery conditions.
What was your experience going out the next day and where did you go?
Tyese: So there’s a loop at Anthony Lakes that goes up the Elkhorn Crest Trail, over a pass, and meets Crawfish Basin trail (where a lot of Cat Skiing happens) and then you can ride out through the resort. We thought about doing that. Since we didn’t even have beacons or crampons yet, we opted to just go out Elkhorn Crest Trail a few miles to see how we felt.
Jay: We had high hopes of doing the loop from Elkhorn Crest Trail to Crawfish Basin Trail. However, the storm had brought a few feet of snow and the avalanche forecast for the area was heightened. At the trailhead we were reminded by signs that a beacon, shovel, and probe were minimum requirements for entry into the backcountry (all of which we did not have). We decided to play it safe and just follow the Elkhorn Crest Trail for a few miles and turn around before the pass.
Did you get any snowboarding in or did you just tour around?
Tyese: We skinned out until we could see the pass, and then we dropped some glades to our left and circled back to our original trail. The glades were tighter than I imagined they would be. We met a few guys who were telling us about all of the peaks and ridges you can drop, so with a little more experience, I’d love to go back to Anthony Lakes.
Jay: I think we all wanted more than the little drop in the glades that we did. It was short but fun and the snow was phenomenal… we were hooked. It was good motivation to come back from this little adventure, get the proper avalanche gear and training and figure out how to safely accomplish more backcountry adventures.
I see your boards all lined up in the picture, what are you all riding?
Tyese: I’m on the Pallas Epiphany Splitboard, Jay is on the Jones Solution Splitboard, and Liz is on the Season Pass Splitboard.
What did you learn overall on this first outing?
Tyese: We were asked right in the parking lot if we had all our avalanche gear. So I learned to always carry that, even if what we are doing isn’t big or a high-risk area. I also learned a lot about maps. I was looking at trails on year-round maps. But when we got to the trailhead, those trails didn’t exist in the winter. We actually had to skin through some x-country ski trails to link up to Elkhorn Crest Trail which I wasn’t expecting. I also learned how to read map overlays to see the slope angle of the hills and look at where the highest avalanche danger is. After this tour, we started using the CalTopo and Fatmap App’s the most.
Jay: I think we were all bummed we didn’t get to drop something bigger on our first outing. The snow was epic and we played it very safe. But the truth is, we did exactly what we should have done with the gear and knowledge we had. As hard as it was to make the safe decision, it was the right decision to make. I was very motivated to get the knowledge and safety gear to be able to hit bigger objectives the next time.
Sounds like you learned a lot! Any extra tips for hanging in the Anthony Lakes area?
Tyese: Yes we found three awesome places worth mentioning. First, we went to some hot springs at Hot Lake Springs. It was a funky old hospital they are renovating into a hotel / hot spring destination. They had a bar and a ping pong table, and the hot springs were open. They are still working on the rest of the resort. It looked like they’ll even be putting a restaurant and theater in at some point!
Jay: Second, we had an amazing breakfast at The Landing Hotel and Dining. It was such a cozy and chill vibe with really good and healthy food. I bet their dinner is amazing too! Lastly, we went to Side A Brewing for dinner one night. They had great food and drinks as well.
Any final words? And can you share your map details with us?
Tyese: If you’re just getting into backcountry touring, get all the gear right away! Now that we have beacons, shovels, probes, and crampons, I feel way more confident to do another trip to Anthony Lakes. Of course, learn how to use it as well. And yes, here’s the map of what we did. While there was not a lot of snowboarding involved, it was still absolutely gorgeous!
Jay: I think a little adventure like Anthony Lakes is the perfect start for beginning splitboarding. It taught us that whether the terrain is big or small, backcountry travel requires beacons, shovels, and probes if there is even the slightest level of avalanche danger. It’s kinda corny, but the saying that sometimes ‘the journey is the destination’, really rang true on our outing. The views were epic! We did way more skinning than splitboarding, but we honed our route-finding skills and practiced our kick turns. It really prepared us mentally and gave us a little boost in confidence for our next objectives.
