Peter Estin beta

[bethie b]

We are looking to go into Peter Estin hut this winter for 3 days/2 nights. 2 of my friends will be coming in in the evening up in the dark the Ironedge Trail using GPS, map & compass. It's 5 miles & only 2100 ft elevation gain. The book says this takes 6 hours to get to?? I would think only 3 hours. Has anyone been to this hut on this route? If so, how long did it take you? And was it difficult routefinding. Please share your thoughts. Thanks!!

[david b]

you're right about the time. We did it last season between 3 and 4 hrs. not sure about doing this in the dark. the blazes marking the trail are blue paint ( not sure how well they will show up in a headlamp)

[Phil W]

I'd figure 4 -5 hours unless your group is all good skiiers and in really good shape. You're on climbing skins pretty much all the way to hut past the Fulford Cave campground area. Assuming you aren't navigating in a snowstorm, and the tracks are there from previous skiiers, route finding is pretty straightforward. If you can't see old ski tracks on the trail though, I agree with the other poster that it may be difficult to see the blue diamonds. There is a false trail going off to the left just past the Fulford Campground area (called "Pack Trail" on the 10th Mountain map), paralleling Brush Creek. It had fresh ski tracks when we skiied in last winter and we briefly considered giving it a try before we saw the blue diamond ahead in the trees. Ignore the false trail, and go straight ahead into the trees.

There is another trail junction at the Hat Creek drainage. We found an alternate trail to the hut during a day ski. From the Hat Creek drainage trail junction you can follow the summer road to the hut (shown on the 10th Mountain map, just west of the main trail). It had been groomed by snowmobiles, and was easy to ski on. It's a lot less steep, and we were able to skip some steep sections approaching the hut and didn't need climbing skins.

FYI - we skiied down the Hat Creek trail on the return trip from Estin to Yeoman Park. There wasn't much snow on Ironedge, and looked like it would have been a luge run down. Hat Creek was a much easier ski down. There weren't very many blue diamonds at all on the Hat Creek trail, but there were ski and snowmobile tracks, and route finding was pretty easy.

Good luck!

[tomgos]

I think it could be a bit of a crap shoot to ski up that trail in the dark. I live in Eagle, near the Estin Hut, and have skied/hiked/biked that trail many times. If it hasn't snowed and the trail is clearly visibile it's a 2.5 hour ski from Yeoman Park. If you have to break trail it can easily be a 4+ hour ski for a fit group. The blue diamonds and tree blazes are woefully far apart and difficult to see, particularly just past the Fulford Cave campground. I certainly think it's possible to ski up there in 3 hours in the dark if conditions are good, but it could turn into a long night with the wrong conditions. Going up the Hat Creek Road is an easier route to follow as it is an obvious road platform and is often packed down by snowmobiles (but not groomed), but this route is over 8 miles and is a real death march - I much prefer to go the Ironedge trail.