Cayuse and Crystal

Finally able to register as a TAY crew; thanks new website!  First TR is just a quick one to provide some conditions beta.

Not wanting to get hopes up about when real life will resume (read: ski when I want and not feel weird about it), I hadn't been doing much research on conditions, freeze levels, avy conditions and the like.  So when the FS opened back up we hit up some easy spots to enjoy the sun and just get out.

1) Cayuse Saturday afternoon/evening.  Originally we were going to go for a sunset tour but arriving at the pull out just past the Cayuse-Chinook intersection we were happy to see only two other cars at ~2:30pm.  No real objective but we toured up to Chinook and the shoulder of Naches. 

Words:  coverage is strong from Cayuse up to Chinook.  Snow was microwaved potatoes but who cares when the sun is out and skis are on the feet.  We took the direct route up to Chinook while a lot of walkers followed the road.  We walked the bare road for about 200 yards on the left hand switch back but heard plowing is currently somewhere between the left- and right-hand switchbacks of 410 between Cayuse turnoff and Chinook.  Once we arrived at Tipsoo the road was still under numerous feet of snow and crews had only made one large dozer pass just to reach Chinook but very little "plowing".  410 on the east side is plowed up to and under the bridge at the pass so that is ready.   

2) Found a quiet on the Crystal Blvd side roads Saturday night and hit up the resort first thing Sunday morning.  An employee was walking around early reminding everyone there were no services or rescue or avy control but otherwise super friendly.  Other Crystal report from this weekend has a great shot of our route up to the top of the Gonolda via Tinkerbell > bottom of Forest Queen > bottom of REX > up Lucky Shot service road and around Powder Pass.  Down via Ferks.  

Words: Ferks will have a melted out choke very soon and has a healthy creek underneath that while skiing by an opening was much louder and deeper than I expected.  Otherwise the snow was much more enjoyable than true fresh, untouched as the compaction from the season made it much quicker than Cayuse the day before.

Pics: