LTSA is located on the west side of US Highway 93 about 73.6 kilometres north of Salmon, Idaho or 75.6 kilometres south of Hamilton, Montana.

Upon arriving at LTSA, Zosia and I purchased a couple of one-ride lift tickets which are only valid for Chairlift 4 at the north end of the resort.  We were told that Chairlift 4 usually begins operations at around 10:00 AM, and therefore, we delayed our start a bit by hanging out at the day lodge.  Once we got going, we shuffled along a groomed path beside the resort's parking lot to reach the top of Chairlift 3 before enjoying a wonderful ski down "Gunsmoke" to the bottom of Chairlift 4.  Sitting in the double chair felt a bit cramped since we both were wearing backpacks, but even without a safety bar, we managed to ride all the way up without falling out.  At the top of Chairlift 4, we shuffled uphill a little further on another groomed track and glided right over the high point of Lewis and Clark Ridge without even realizing it.  Reluctantly, we abandoned the groomed track and turned westward to exit the resort.  Right away, we had to break trail, but fortunately, the snow was not too deep.  Descending the west arm of Lewis and Clark Ridge, we eventually merged with a skier track on a forestry road.  The skier track originated from a nearby backcountry yurt, and the slopes and bowls here are the main playground for skiers and snowboarders staying there.  As tempting as it was to do turns here, we stayed on the road and followed the skier track across a flatter section of the west arm.  The skier track eventually turned off to descend into one of the bowls, but we resumed breaking trail along the road which winds around a couple of humps near the terminus of the west arm.  At one point, we briefly lost the road but regained it when we connected to the main mass of Saddle Mountain.  Other than taking a steep short cut which shortened a single switchback, we pretty much followed the road to its end just below the summit ridge.  Ascending the summit ridge was a little steeper but still generally easy except for a short rocky section guarding the top.  A slight breeze made it uncomfortable to linger on the summit, and we only stopped there long enough for a requisite photograph before retreating to take a break in the shelter of some trees.

For our descent, Zosia and I skied down the summit ridge and back along the road almost to our short cut.  During our ascent, we noticed that many of the south-facing slopes on Saddle Mountain were full of tangled deadfall likely due to previous wildfires.  However, near our short cut was a patch of untouched forest, and this spot provided us three minutes of glorious skiing through pristine powder.  Had we more time, this would have been an ideal place for some yo-yo skiing, but knowing we still had a long haul back to the ski resort, we simply dropped into our up-tracks and turned homeward.  The return along the west arm of Lewis and Clark Ridge was not difficult but felt largely uninspiring.  Instead of climbing back over the high point of the ridge, we followed the road all the way to the yurt and re-entered the ski resort shortly beyond.  Unfamiliar with LTSA, we were not entirely sure which ski runs we needed to take to get back to the day lodge, but as it turned out, we did not have much to choose from and ended up on a major thoroughfare called "Lower Oreo".  Perhaps the most challenging aspect of the descent was having to cling for dear life on a short rope tow to get over a final minor hump just before the day lodge.  I found this to be an odd design for a ski run that is supposed to funnel skiers efficiently back to the base area.  I am not even sure if we were technically allowed to use the rope tow without a full lift ticket, but the attendant there was not checking anyway.

	Zosia sets off along a groomed path beside the ski resort's parking lot.  She will eventually take Chairlift 4 to the top of Lewis and Clark Ridge at far left.
	Zosia descends the green ski run known as "Gunsmoke".
	Sonny prepares to ride up Chairlift 4. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Sonny skis over the high point of both Lewis and Clark Ridge (2504 metres) and the ski resort.  He will soon turn right to exit the resort and head into the backcountry. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Zosia follows some old tracks down the slope on the Idaho side of the state boundary.
	Zosia skis along the west arm of Lewis and Clark Ridge.
	Zosia gets her first look at Saddle Mountain in the distance.
	There is actually a road here which is covered with snow drifts.
	Sonny breaks trail along the continuation of the road and re-enters Montana. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Saddle Mountain comes back into view as Sonny winds around the west end of Lewis and Clark Ridge. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	After briefly losing the road, Zosia regains it below the south-facing slopes of Saddle Mountain.
	This steep short cut shaves off about half a kilometre from the approach.
	The road ends here before the final rise to the summit.
	Snow coverage is a little thin in some spots near the top.
	Sonny and Zosia stand on the summit of Saddle Mountain (2594 metres).
	This is looking southeast toward the high point of Lewis and Clark Ridge.

Despite the cloud cover, some intriguing peaks can be seen to the west.

 

	Zosia carefully skis back down the west end of Saddle Mountain's summit ridge.
	Descending the summit ridge is a bit of a mixed bag, but there would be some excellent skiing to come later off the west ridge. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak

Here is a last look at Saddle Mountain from the west arm of Lewis and Clark Ridge.

 

	The sky finally begins to clear up late in the day as Sonny makes his way back to the ski resort. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Zosia descends the blue ski run known as "Lower Oreo".
	Total Distance:  17.8 kilometres Round-Trip Time:  6 hours 5 minutes Cumulative Elevation Gain:  ~268 metres (excludes ski lift gain) GPX Data