Ptarmigan Glacier

Type: Backcountry or Sidecountry

The Ptarmigan Glacier and basin is an epic area with endless descents. There are several ways down the headwall alone, and afterwards, much like in Tyndall Gorge, a glorious four-mile ski back to the car awaits you.

Skin either Flattop Mountain: East Face via Bear Lake Trail or the Flattop Mountain Approach.

If you're skinning the Banana Bowls approach, you simply keep going north, via the Fern Lake and Lake Helene trails. In winter these should be well established hiker paths / skintracks.

Once at Lake Helene, the glacier, as well as the rest of the endless options in this gorge, lay in front of you. Choose the most efficient line up and ski back down to the TH via the skintrack after your descent.

If coming into the glacier from the top (Flattop Mountain Approach), simply ski down the glacier, to Lake Helene (which you can see from the Divide / top of the glacier), then ski the obvious trails to Bear Lake (Helene/Fern/Flattop).

This glacier, as well as the rest of the gorge, and even parts of the skintrack in and out of the basin, are in serious avalanche terrain. Choose a smart line on the approach as well as the descent, and ski this line and this zone on a day when conditions are friendly. This is a remote and less-traveled area of the park; one must take this into consideration when planning an outing.