December 23-24, 2003, On the road: Mazama

Hooked up with my friend Larry and super avalance dog Scooby for a couple of days of turns off of the NC highway.  Day one was spent up Cutthroat Pass off of the north slopes of Washington Pass Peak.  Day of poor visibility but great snow with super stability.
Christmas Eve day started with five inches of fresh powder.  With improved vis and the fresh powder we put in a big day in a local secret stash.  (Since I like going out with Larry I can't pass on the location.)  Steve from Boulder (National Sales Manager for BCA) gets towed up the road with us to partake of the goodies that Larry has waiting for us.
Three thousand feet of skinning up to 7,000 has us gazing into an alpine cirque with cold, white runs that would take a week to track out.  We made three runs down through spaced larch trees and burnt trees in sweet light powder.  Wonderful terrain in a spectacular location.  A former Seattle resident, Steve wishes he were working back at home.  He tells us lots of horrer stories about the CO snowpack.  You know we have it great out here when a CO resident tells us that the skiing in the Northwest is far better than CO!
Out on the second shortest day of the year we have to unfortunately cut the day off with all of us wanting more.  From the col there waits a 3k foot run down to the road.  A bit of sun crust lies under the snow but the trees hold preserved snow that is quite nice.  With burning thights we buzz down in a half hour with a few stops to wait for Scooby coming down the skin track.  (Scooby is the best avy/ski dog out there.  Besides helping to find you if your buried, he walks on the track without stepping on skiis, will clear the glide track with a warning, and has great instincts.) Back at the sleds, there are high fives and big grins on all of our faces.

Next stop: Roger's Pass