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Backcountry Skiing Road Trip: Advice?

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RussellK141
Posts: 810 - Karma: 63
Hello people of newschoolers!
So, over thanksgiving break, my friends and I would like to take a ski trip over Thanksgiving break. the clincher is that this is a trip revolves around keeping a low budget, as we are taking a few trips this year. We would like to do some backcountry-only skiing to avoid paying ticket prices, and instead possibly rent snowmobiles. have any of you ever done a trip like this? where would be a good place to ski at that time of year? Is renting snowmobiles a good idea? We were looking at guardsman pass or somewhere in utah, but we arent really sure of where to go yet. also, what else should we know?

Nov 7 2007 11:59PM
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Aenigma
Posts: 11256 - Karma: 424
Renting snowmobiles isn't going to save you money, that's for sure.  But if that's what you want to do, you should go around january or february at Cooke City, Montana.  The mountains are huge and the base is usually around 100" up there, not to mention it's a big snowmobile town--it's also been in a couple movies and on a few magazine covers.  Make sure to bring all your backcountry gear and check www.mtavalanche.com for snowpack information before you go (and while you're there, if you can).  Right now it isn't looking like anything is going to be all that great around thanksgiving, so plan later in the year if possible.
Nov 8 2007 12:11AM
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Yauch
Posts: 1685 - Karma: 62
yeah i was gonna say snobomiles are sexpensive

try to tame a moose or a buffalo and get it to tow you up the hill
Nov 8 2007 12:14AM
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televback1
Posts: 386 - Karma: 11
go to like utah and colorado kind of deal and ski off the passes and area close to ski resorts such as little cotton wood, vail pass, ect. these are usually monitored and have realitly realiable baes espically all the snow that utha got in october. but if there is any way that you can post pone you trip you will have better snow and much more reliable snow pack.
Nov 8 2007 12:25AM
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GUZ
Posts: 1371 - Karma: 255
i prefer mountain goats they can scale steep rocky pitches
Nov 8 2007 12:55AM
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eljefe
Posts: 915 - Karma: 467
sled rentals are typically 150-300 per day per machine.  Plus you will need to have a vehicle to tow it.  The way things are looking right now guardsmans is not shaping up for thanksgiving. 
Nov 8 2007 1:27AM
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ValPow
Posts: 1049 - Karma: 10
surely it would be cheaper for you to pay ticket prices........

sounds like a sick trip tho
Nov 8 2007 3:24AM
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RussellK141
Posts: 810 - Karma: 63
thanks for the advice, sounds like we may have to wait
Nov 8 2007 10:14AM
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DaLiNeRiDEr21
Posts: 3687 - Karma: 39
hike mt snow hahah
Nov 8 2007 10:37AM
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=FLO=
Posts: 1969 - Karma: 39
Thanksgiving is way too early for backcountry in Colorado, we have not gotten that much snow

FYI - Crested Butte has free lift tickets from November 25 to December 17, you could stay at the hostel pretty cheap too
Nov 8 2007 12:59PM
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