My Idaho at 120 BPM

The Owyhee Mountains have been a special place for me ever since I moved to Idaho. The understated beauty of the desert is just stunning. The isolation and quiet is rare so close to the city. Although hot and dry in the late summer months, the spring is glorious with the explosion of wildflowers and seasonal streams running crystal clear through the high desert.

As I leave my home every morning to go to work, I have a great view of the Owyhee Mountains. From the 5th floor of the shop I have an even better view. I can see the snow level fluctuate in the winter and watch the thunder storms in the summer. The northern side of the Owyhee features a couple of higher peaks, War Eagle and Quicksilver. War Eagle is near the old mining town of Silver City and we have trekked it’s western slope over the years from that side. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I became curious about Quicksilver, a peak directly adjacent to War Eagle to the east. What really intrigued me about Quicksilver was this incredible ribbon of snow on it’s northeast slope that would linger into the late spring year after year.

I have trekked around the approach to Quicksilver from the top of Bachman grade several times with Leisa, the boys and the dogs over the years, but that magical ribbon of corn snow in the distance was always too far away for a day trek. None-the-less I became obsessed with the idea of skiing it one day.

It was late April when I decided to do a solo day trip to Quicksilver to scout the potential of a backcountry ski. I started early and packed light. After about four to five hours I was close enough to know a couple of things. One… this was doable, Two… not with out a lot of help and support. I returned late that night pondering the possibilities. I finally concluded that for me, that many miles with ski and backpack gear was probably out of reach physically for me at this point in my life.

I reached out to Tayler and Christian to see if there was some way to put together a trip that would get one of us to the top of Quicksilver. Tayler and I decided that we would be the support team for Christian. He’s a big strong guy and he could likely carry the extra ski gear in addition to his backpack gear.

Packs loaded, we headed out early on a beautiful late May morning. The trail is well defined for most of the way but the elevation gains and losses make it much more difficult. The Lupine were in bloom and the Juniper pungent. Classic Owyhee essence. By early afternoon we had reached a beautiful spot for base camp approximately a mile and a half from the bottom of the snow ribbon and the final ascent.

After setting up tents and organizing our gear, we scoped out Quicksilver, still a good jaunt away. Our base camp was next to some snow fields and they were still fairly firm for that time of the day, so we thought we just might have enough day left for Christian to ski that evening as opposed to the next morning. We thought the snow might take a while to soften in the morning and that might set us up for a late trek out the following day. We decided to go for it. Getting this close after all these years was a thrill for me. I wasn’t going to be the one making the turns but watching one of my kids go for it was going to be the next best thing and I will probably never be here again.

We made it to the bottom of the ribbon, the snow was in great shape. The ribbon is the result of snows drifting and building throughout the winter on the long ridge that descends from the top of Quicksilver. It is the last snow to melt in the spring and visible from the valley. I had suspected that the ribbon was long, but standing at the bottom, it was everything I had hoped for, plenty wide for big turns and a fantastic pitch.

I waited near the bottom as Tayler and Christian continued the ascent. Tayler set up about half way to the summit to take photos while Christian continued. As Christian disappeared over the top we waited. The sun was brilliant and the snow glistened. Early evening is a unique time of day for a backcountry ski so this was special. Finally Christian appeared over the summit. I could hear his skis carving turns in the spring corn. Left, right, left. The sun was behind him so the snow spray was illuminated. He flew by Tayler and in no time past me. Watching him continue below me was pure joy. We did it. Bucket list item accomplished. The Quicksilver ribbon had been skied by a Parrott.

Tayler and I hiked down to the bottom and caught up with Christian. Mission accomplished, time for dinner. We built a fire in the rocks at our base camp and finished out the long day.

I was the last one up the next morning. A bit unusual for me but there was no hurry, we had all day to make it back to the car. We relaxed in the morning sun and then packed up camp. It was a long way out and I’m pretty sure Christian’s shoulders were screaming at him carrying all that weight. With only a couple miles left I could hear that cold IPA in the cooler calling my name.

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