February DAY, 2005, LOCATION
3/15/05
1979
0
Feb05,2005, Green Mountain
Gentleman's start: Starbucks in Seattle at 0830, left the car at 1100. There was one other car at the trailhead.
Patches of snow until we turned the ridge at 5300 feet. Then the snow cover became continuous. At this point Bill and I switched from running shoes to skis. The many-layered, swirling clouds, snow flurries, and occasional sun gave no hint of a trend.
The neve on the actual south face of the peak was frozen hard, suggesting a potential sliding layer if we ever get more snow. By the time we reached the summit, it had cleared. We ate lunch and waited in vain for the sun to soften the snow. The wind and cold finally drove us off the summit for a rapid descent.
The thing about backcountry skiing is that by the time you find your pace or comfort zone on steep terrain, you're halfway down the run! Over-edging caused my skis to chatter on this not-quite-boilerplate. Subtlety was the key here.
We stopped on the terminal morain to admire the trace of our passing. Even though the upper surface was firmly frozen, our tracks were plainly visible. What a ride! But not so great that we went back for seconds.
We reached the car at 1800.
Gentleman's start: Starbucks in Seattle at 0830, left the car at 1100. There was one other car at the trailhead.
Patches of snow until we turned the ridge at 5300 feet. Then the snow cover became continuous. At this point Bill and I switched from running shoes to skis. The many-layered, swirling clouds, snow flurries, and occasional sun gave no hint of a trend.
The neve on the actual south face of the peak was frozen hard, suggesting a potential sliding layer if we ever get more snow. By the time we reached the summit, it had cleared. We ate lunch and waited in vain for the sun to soften the snow. The wind and cold finally drove us off the summit for a rapid descent.
The thing about backcountry skiing is that by the time you find your pace or comfort zone on steep terrain, you're halfway down the run! Over-edging caused my skis to chatter on this not-quite-boilerplate. Subtlety was the key here.
We stopped on the terminal morain to admire the trace of our passing. Even though the upper surface was firmly frozen, our tracks were plainly visible. What a ride! But not so great that we went back for seconds.
We reached the car at 1800.
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