| Greens Basin | |
|---|---|
| Terrain | Trees and Glades |
| Location | 40.6268° / -111.6287° |
| Online Map | View on wbskiing.com |
Greens Basin is a small drainage nestled at the base of the ridge that separates Silver Fork from Days Fork. Peak 9699 is at the top of Greens Basin. The north-facing basin provides sheltered tree skiing in intermediate terrain.
The glades on the westward slopes of Greens are approximately 30° to 35° and offer great turns, but you can
really ski anywhere within the Basin—it isn't necessary to go to the top to find a good line.
The terrain below the meadow at the bottom of Greens Basin gets steeper, the trees get tighter, and you
can end up with a slog along the flats to return to your car. If you came in from Spruces, you can follow
your skin track back out from the meadow to Days Fork to avoid getting caught on the flats.
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|
| Greens Basin from Spruces Trailhead | |
|---|---|
| Trailhead | Spruces Trailhead |
| Ascent Vertical | 2,200' |
| Skiing Vertical | 1,000' |
| Skinning Distance | 2.0 miles |
| Online Map | View on wbskiing.com |
Park at the Spruces parking lot and skin up the Days Fork trail which begins in the southwest (far-right) corner of the parking lot. The trail passes to the right of some bathrooms (they're locked in the winter), crosses a small meadow, and enters the Days Fork drainage. After about 5 minutes the trail steepens and becomes a shallow gully. At the top of this short gully, the Greens Basin skin track departs the Days Fork trail with a hard left-hand turn.
The skin track then works uphill as it contours to the left (east). After reaching the top of a small rise, the trail continues to climb gently and bear left where it eventually reaches a meadow at the bottom of Greens.
You can skin up the west (right) rim of Greens, continue across the meadow and skin directly up one of several clearings, or cross the meadow and skin up the east (left) rim.
You can also get to Greens Basin by parking at the lower Solitude parking lot, following the instructions to Brad's Line, and entering Greens Basin as you are heading to Peak 9699.
About the name
Greens Basin is named after Alvin Green who built a mill near Beartrap Fork in the 1880s, but he got the logs from Greens Basin.
Beginner terrain
that is good as you develop your backcountry skills and when the avalanche danger is higher. Click for details.
Intermediate
terrain that requires more experience in skinning and skiing. Click for details.
Advanced terrain
that requires strong skiing and skinning skills. Click for details.
Expert terrain that is
challenging and a small mistake can have serious consequences. Click for details.
Extreme terrain
that includes insanely difficult chute skiing and beyond. Click for details.
The difficulty of this terrain
varies widely. Click for details.
This terrain hasn't
been rated. Click for details.
