Hogback 2/11 and 2/12
2/15/09
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
1489
2
Headed back from the top of the resort and skied a NE facking bowl that was protected by a bergshrund and cliff from the light east winds. Temps were in the low 20's and the snow was deep with hoar crystals on the surface. It was about 500' vert so lapped it several times before calling it a day.
On Thursday hiked back to the southern rim of the cordillera after skiing an east face at about 7000' The winds affected the slope and it was difficult skiing on the crust. After ascending the south ridge all of the north facing aspects were loaded with shin deep pow and giant hoar crystals on the surface well into the afternoon. 1500' vert was near perfect except a little set up down in the treed section, but still really fun to ski. As long as the winds remain light, temps low, and a little bit of snow making it's way up from the south the week ahead should still be nice.
On Thursday hiked back to the southern rim of the cordillera after skiing an east face at about 7000' The winds affected the slope and it was difficult skiing on the crust. After ascending the south ridge all of the north facing aspects were loaded with shin deep pow and giant hoar crystals on the surface well into the afternoon. 1500' vert was near perfect except a little set up down in the treed section, but still really fun to ski. As long as the winds remain light, temps low, and a little bit of snow making it's way up from the south the week ahead should still be nice.
Cool trip. I was skiing WP in-bounds on Tuesday and it was money. Lots of fresh and better throughout the day. I often times wonder about the Hogback and want to ski it before it becomes lift served. How is the approach from the top of the chair? Looks intruiging. Do you think that the crowds will grow in response to the expansion, or will it become a powder hound paradise? I have visions of current crowds with the expansion....man that will be sweet in some ways. Curious to hear a WP skier opinion.
The hike from the top of the chair is money. You're really following a forested ridge line with a very easy grade. Takes about 45 minutes to reach the first skiable bowl, from there the main peak is visible and the ascent is in open terrain and steeper and takes another 45 minutes to an hour, unless your breaking trail and then the amount of snow dictates your progress.
Heres my two cents about the expansion. The resort could have become a powder skiers bc place to go already if the management had embraced adventurre skiing and the growing trend in that direction, but because of the resistance to the expansion over the years by preservation groups the bc skiers have never been looked on as a viable resource to the skiing community. It is sad to say that the once popular $10 one ride lift ticket that many bc skiers without season passes loved was raised to a not friendly $20 last season. There is so much promotion wise that was possible, but never even considered, that perhaps with the expansion lifts set to run two winters from now their may be a view to that end.
One lift trail has already been cut so as I hike and ski this year I can see exactly where they will be and my assessment is that the closest bowl, which some call gunsight will become a new place for adventurous boarders and skiers to boot hike to, because it will be so close and the hike out is not that difficult. It will become pretty well used and popular with the young. It's so close that many people will go there without avy gear, because it will truly be side country. The new lift that will go farther back into the area will make the main peak at 7000' about a twenty to thirty minute hike and maybe a ten minute skin, more or less. This will make Hogback bowl another easy to reach spot that can be skied and if one cuts a traverse across the bottom of the bowl a hike out is not necessary.
All in all I see these two portions of the bc becoming very popular and well used. The southern rim of the cordillera will now become much more accessable in a much shorter time. Now it takes anywhere from two to three hours to hit that ridge and in the future it should be possible to get back there in an hour and lap it. I see the back country skiing in the area becoming much more popular than it is now and consequently a big rise in the ignorant quotient that is very minimal at the present time due to a more experienced group in general that make use of the terrain. It is such a large area that as long as there are people to set an example in what are good common sense approaches to adventure skiing in the wilderness we will all benefit in some way from the expansion.
Heres my two cents about the expansion. The resort could have become a powder skiers bc place to go already if the management had embraced adventurre skiing and the growing trend in that direction, but because of the resistance to the expansion over the years by preservation groups the bc skiers have never been looked on as a viable resource to the skiing community. It is sad to say that the once popular $10 one ride lift ticket that many bc skiers without season passes loved was raised to a not friendly $20 last season. There is so much promotion wise that was possible, but never even considered, that perhaps with the expansion lifts set to run two winters from now their may be a view to that end.
One lift trail has already been cut so as I hike and ski this year I can see exactly where they will be and my assessment is that the closest bowl, which some call gunsight will become a new place for adventurous boarders and skiers to boot hike to, because it will be so close and the hike out is not that difficult. It will become pretty well used and popular with the young. It's so close that many people will go there without avy gear, because it will truly be side country. The new lift that will go farther back into the area will make the main peak at 7000' about a twenty to thirty minute hike and maybe a ten minute skin, more or less. This will make Hogback bowl another easy to reach spot that can be skied and if one cuts a traverse across the bottom of the bowl a hike out is not necessary.
All in all I see these two portions of the bc becoming very popular and well used. The southern rim of the cordillera will now become much more accessable in a much shorter time. Now it takes anywhere from two to three hours to hit that ridge and in the future it should be possible to get back there in an hour and lap it. I see the back country skiing in the area becoming much more popular than it is now and consequently a big rise in the ignorant quotient that is very minimal at the present time due to a more experienced group in general that make use of the terrain. It is such a large area that as long as there are people to set an example in what are good common sense approaches to adventure skiing in the wilderness we will all benefit in some way from the expansion.
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