TR: Little Agnes Mountain Ski (12 Feb 2016)

(Last Updated On: March 20, 2016)

After a month of good snowfall up north, Frank and I headed up to Steamboat to check out some of the backcountry zones back in mid-February. It had been over 10 years since I had been in Steamboat, and over 20 for Frank. And although I’d skied there many times, I’d never ventured into the backcountry.

But, in researching the Steamboat backcountry zones, Little Agnes Mountain seems like it was a good one to put on the hit list. So, when my friend Marko offered to change up a day of work to show us around the Zirkels along with his friend Larry, I was ecstatic. Who doesn’t love exploring cool new places?

We used snowmobiles to access Little Agnes, shown in this photo.
Little Agnes Mountain in the Zirkel Wilderness

Frank models his Big Agnes jacket in the shadows of both Little Agnes and Big Agnes mountains.
Little Agnes.

The area surrounding Little Agnes is scarred with a magical forest of skeleton trees. The forest died as a result of a combination of forces including a blow-down in 1997, drought, pine beatles, and a fire in 2002. But, what’s left behind is perfect for us skiers!
Skeleton tree on Little Agnes Mountain.

We skinned the ridge to gain the summit of Little Agnes.
Skinning ridge to summit on Little Agnes.

Skinning Little Agnes Mountain to go backcountry skiing.

The boys on the summit!
Summit of Little Agnes Mountain.

Big Agnes taunted us from afar. I need to come back for that one some day….
Big Agnes Mountain seen from Little Agnes Mountain.

The snow looked creamy on the northeast bowl.
Backcountry skiing Little Agnes Mountain.

Larry dropped in first.
Larry Fontaine backcountry skiing Little Agnes Mountain.

And it became evident that the snow was actually more variable than anticipated.
Larry Fontaine backcountry skiing Little Agnes Mountain.

Me.
Brittany Walker Konsella backcountry skiing Little Agnes Mountain.

Brittany Walker Konsella backcountry skiing Little Agnes Mountain.

Marko.
Marko Ross-Bryant backcountry snowboarding Little Agnes Mountain.

Marko Ross-Bryant backcountry snowboarding Little Agnes Mountain.

Marko Ross-Bryant backcountry snowboarding Little Agnes Mountain.

Larry.
Larry Fontaine backcountry skiing Little Agnes Mountain.

Larry Fontaine backcountry skiing Little Agnes Mountain.

Larry Fontaine backcountry skiing Little Agnes Mountain.

Marko.
Marko Ross-Bryant backcountry snowboarding Little Agnes Mountain.

Me.
Brittany Walker Konsella backcountry skiing Little Agnes Mountain.

Brittany Konsella backcountry skiing Little Agnes Mountain.

A view of the northeast bowl.
Northeast bowl of Little Agnes.

Making our way out the Agnes Creek drainage, we saw all kinds of great skiable terrain.
Agnes Creek drainage

Backcountry skiing on Little Agnes Mountain.

But the true north side of Little Agnes was the money.
North face of Little Agnes Mountain.

But we still had a ways to go…. Frank enjoying turns in the burned forest.
Frank Konsella backcountry skiing Little Agnes Mountain.

Me.
Brittany Konsella backcountry skiing Zirkel Wilderness.

Larry scoping for more goods.
Larry Fontaine backcountry skiing Zirkel Wilderness.

Marko was doing quite well with the splitboard-ski technique.
Marko Ross-Bryant backcountry skiing Zirkel Wilderness.

The exit got a little flat….
Marko Ross-Bryant backcountry skiing Zirkel Wilderness.

But, we went back for more. We found ourselves again on the northwest ridge of Little Agnes.
Big Agnes and Little Agnes.

And we enjoyed a few more laps through the burn. Me.
Brittany Konsella backcountry skiing Little Agnes.

Frank.
Frank Konsella backcountry skiing Little Agnes.

I’d heard about the Zirkels for years but knew nothing about them. It was great to finally venture a bit into the Wilderness and enjoy some turns off a cool peak and into the burned forest. Sweet scenery for sure, and Little Agnes Mountain is a backcountry skier’s paradise! Can’t wait to head back for more!

Brittany Walker Konsella

Aside from skiing, biking, and all outdoorsy things,Brittany Walker Konsella also loves smiles and chocolate 🙂 Even though she excels at higher level math and chemistry, she still confuses left from right. Find out more about Brittany!

Summary
Little Agnes Mountain Ski
Article Name
Little Agnes Mountain Ski
Description
Little Agnes, on the border of the Zirkel Wilderness, is a backcountry skier's dream - skiable on all aspects, with a wide variety of terrain for all levels!
Author

Brittany Walker Konsella

Aside from skiing, biking, and all outdoorsy things, Brittany Walker Konsella also loves smiles and chocolate :) Even though she excels at higher level math and chemistry, she still confuses left from right. Find out more about Brittany!

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