Backcountry Biathlon

Mt. Porte Crayon, March 13-14, 2021

One of the premier spots in the mid Atlantic for all sorts of adventures, particularly cycling and skiing, is Canaan Valley, West Virginia. Likely the most wild and wonderful of all the places I’ve explored in the state, it is the perfect backdrop for the first official “trip report” of this site.

In early March of 2021, I received the good news that I cleared the pre-employment process for a job that I had been coveting for months. I put in my two weeks notice at my current job, picked a start date three weeks away, and immediately started planning trips for the spontaneous week of vacation time I had just granted myself.

It just so happened that my dad also had the itch for an adventure. He had been putting together a route to the peak of Mt. Porte Crayon, that due to the mid-March snow conditions would require bicycles and backcountry skis to ascend. I could not have been more thrilled, having just watched The Mountain Why, a film by pro skier Cody Townsend about a 1,000 mile bikepacking/ski mountaineering trip across the west coast. Inspired and excited to have some time off in the woods, I packed up my gear and drove from Arlington, Virginia to Canaan Valley to meet my dad and head into the mountains.

The climb

We opted to skip the bike bags and pack everything in backpacks for an easy transition at the point where  the snow would inevitably force us onto our skis. I quickly realized as we spun our way up the seemingly endless gravel road that carrying a 20 pound pack on my back is not the most fun way to ride a bicycle. Eventually, the route turned on to a significantly less maintained fire road, and there we started running into  deep puddles of mud and snow patches. It was  more challenging, but also reassuring because we had no idea if we were going to have enough snow cover to get any real skiing in. But before we knew it, the snow was too deep to keep riding.

We took a break to eat delicious leftover cuban sandwiches from Farm Up Table of Thomas, West Virginia, then stashed our bikes behind a tree and booted up. Skiing was not much of a reprieve, as the road kept winding up and up, with few flat places for natural breaks. The snow was still patchy and we had to step over countless bare spots. We realized just how high we had climbed at this point, though, as several beautiful vistas appeared through the trees, and we had ample snow pack for our ski ascent.

Once we reached the pipeline, we hurried to the top so we could drop our packs and catch some turns on the soft corn snow before the sun set. We set up a quick campsite and returned to the hill. It would be fair to say that neither my nor my dad’s telemark skills were quite up to par, despite some lucky photographs, because we each had a few comical spills.

Afternoon turns

When we decided it was time for food and beer, we headed back to our campsite to get to cooking. I should mention that our “campsite” was really just our tents set up on the side of a forest road…And since the road was essentially a creek, we safely built a fire on the raised middle part of the road. For dinner we sautéed fresh mushrooms, onions, and peppers in butter and then added ramen noodles and powdered cream of mushroom sauce. We complemented this with Stumptown Ales IPAs. As our fire died and the temperature dropped, we were forced into our sleeping bags, full, content, and just a little bit cold.

Coffee and oatmeal!

In the morning, we reviewed our game plan over coffee. The peak of Mt. Porte Crayon was just a short distance away from our campsite, and neither of us are the type to forego reaching the top, so we hiked up to it. Unfortunately the top is covered in trees so it is difficult to get a great view, but we were satisfied that we peaked.

Upon returning to our campsite, we had a quick snack and broke camp. We had to descend the same pipeline we skied laps on the day before. Over the course of less than 24 hours, so much snow had melted that thin spots were now bare spots. We tried to ski down regardless, this time with packs on, resulting in even more comical crashes (all caught on camera thankfully).

The rest of the descent was uneventful, and we soon made it back to our bikes, stashed behind a tree just twenty feet below the road. After re-strapping the skis to our bikes, we were ready for the final leg of our adventure. The long gravel climb that took so much energy the day before took what seemed like just a few minutes to descend. Before I knew it, I was back at the car, with my dad not far behind me.

Before heading home, we finished our adventure with a stop at the legendary Canaan Valley destination White Grass Ski Touring Center for sandwiches, soup, and beers.

Parting Words: Canaan Valley is one of the most interesting places on the east coast to explore in so many regards. Its weather, terrain, and people are incredible and unique. Mt. Porte Crayon is just one of several great destinations in and around the valley, and whichever mode of adventure you choose (although the bike/ski combination added another layer of fun to this trip), I highly recommend adding this place to your adventure to-do list.

Map: https://www.topozone.com/west-virginia/pendleton-wv/summit/mount-porte-crayon/