Mill Point, Bitterroot

Date: 2/3/2018
Trip leader: Joshua Phillips & Susanna Girolamo
Participants: John Bardsley, Dan Escalante, Eric Munsing, and Kylie Paul.

We had a great day in the mountains, skiing Mill Point, which sticks out into the Bitterroot Valley, making it visible from many spots in Missoula, even though it is nearly as far south as Hamilton. We started at the Mill Creek trailhead and had nearly a mile of walking before we donned our skis and skins. With the warm valley temps and rain, there was concern that it would be wet and warm up high, but it wasn’t long before we were in full winter conditions, skinning through creamy powder. We dug a pit not far from the summit, and determined that the stability was reasonably good (no propagation in our extended column test). From the summit we skied down to Tag Alder Lake, and then did it again, before heading back down the way we had come up. Joshua had done this tour many times, providing a relaxed vibe to the outing. We were all happy and tired on the walk back to the car. John Bardsley