Feb 24, 2014 Musings of a Whiner Baby

Maybe I'm just too jumpy, but it seems that people are easing their way onto bigger and bigger lines, and I feel like this snow pack is just like one of those 18 foot crocodiles that lays in the shallow water where the Wildebeest cross. When one steps in just the right place CHOMP!

Well, if what you're saying is that you're not ready to step onto bigger lines right now, I and the crew I ski with was with you this weekend. We chose a route that nearly entirely avoided slide hazard on the ascent and allowed for poking our way into mellow-but-fun slopes for turning and a few slightly steeper but short shots as well (one very consistent thing I've seen with the Canadian ski guides I've skied with is avoidance of sustained steep pitches soon after storm events or when they have a funky layer - then they lean toward slopes that are broken up by benches etc.). Were we "too wimpy?" Who cares? We were all smiles at the car! We weren't comparing "how we did" to how others did...

That said, I'm also aware that there are other folks who consciously decide to accept a different level of risk than me, and I'm also aware that I and my crew did not eliminate all risk of deadly hazard. So we're all choosing some degree of risk. My hope is that the folks getting onto the bigger lines in recent days are reasonably aware of where they are on the risk continuum.

I wouldn't mind a pineapple to flush out this deep instability, the mountains need to go poop.

I'm not allowed to go into the BC this week. Be Safe. Caution the ignorant.

Thanks for starting this thread.
Personally, I was sort of amazed and a bit concerned over a few of the TRs and statements about the goings on around Snoqualmie. Although the Phantom, Slot and Chair Peak circum-nav are some of my very favorite tours. I wouldn't want to get near them with the "low probability/high consequence" persistent weak layer we have now. Perhaps that makes me a wuss, but I am ok with that. There will be other days for my favorite tours. Might be next season before I like the idea of spending time under hang-fire in big country. The tough part is knowing when the terrain is safe and when someone "got away with it".
Selfishly what concerns me is that if a culture is established of going big in bad (my opinion) conditions, then everything will get skied out for everyone who practices good behavior (and patience for things to settle out). About 10 years ago, I decided I really wanted to ski DOA on Blackcomb peak. However, the fact that it is an avy chute bothered me, and I decided I would only go when it was a low danger day (and still relatively untracked). Fast forward a few years, people do it all the time in all conditions and if I wait for safe conditions, I will end up with moguls on that sweet, sweet run. My conditions might never happen.
Hopefully that is not the future for all of our avalanche-able accessible backcountry. Though I know that is already the conditions on some nice "side country", especially around Baker.
End muse.
Stay on the right side of the snow!

I'm annoyed by this trend to post a TR apologizing to the b/c skiing community at large if something happens, including a step-by-step bullet point tome about "what I did wrong".  It's ok to be un-apologetically brash in your approach to skiing and reporting of your skiing.  I'm thankful that the Hummels, Sjue, Dan H., Pretiore, Lurie, et. al's skiing wasn't (and isn't) influenced by the b/c skiing community's opinion of what is acceptable risk.  I and I'm sure many others have used their experiences as inspiration for further adventures.

Go big, medium or small.  Who cares.  But please, stop the self flagellation about it afterwards, because it only detracts from a potentially great read!