1/3/2012, Stevens Pass, Mt McCausland

Left SEA with Mark a little late at 0645, arrived at the pull-out for Smith Brook Rd (FS 6700) by a touch before 0900. NWAC telem said 8in of new, and there it was. Telem also indicated a touch of precip (.025") had fallen with temps above freezing, and during the hike in we noted a slight crust on the surface of the new snow up to about 4500ft. While originally intending to head for Lichtenberg, a sled track provided a pre-broken trail up the road to the second hairpin, along with a skin track headed up towards McCausland. As we were feeling lazy, the lemming variation of McCausland it was (thanks guys, we owe you some cold beverages). Thin clouds filtered the sunlight just above the peaks, which we hoped would preserve the snow, but it was not to be. By the time we topped out just before noon, the snow had settled into an excellent impression of setting Quikrete. We noted some wind slab on the lee of the summit, but skied the trees and we couldn't make anything move... at times including our skis. I clearly need to rewax, as standing still for more than 15 seconds resulted in glopping to the bases. Hi5s kept me on top with a little weight towards the tails, and the turns were fun, if not super pretty. A pitch of nice pillows back to the road was probably the highlight of the ski out. All in all, a nice day in spite of the snow. Will add some pics soon.