Jan 3, 2008; Goat Wall and beyond, North Cascades

Our route poodles (Kevin & Ian) threaded a mellow ascent path yesterday up benches and well-anchored ramps on Goat Wall near Mazama.  Skinning from the rental cabin€™s doorsteps, we (Kevin, Mark, Kelli, and myself) headed up the track set by Kevin & Ian the day before, then broke trail ~1,200 vf further up the forested well anchored and/or low-angle slopes on a broad shoulder of Goat Peak.  Excellent views from rock outcroppings on the ascent route and from our stopping point on the Goat Peak road.

Our route was on southerly aspects between ~2,200-ft up to ~4,800-ft in elevation.  Steered well away from avy terrain owing to obvious signs of on-going snowpack instability (whumpfing sounds and easy clean shears on faceted snow near the base of the snowpack and also easy clean shears on potential buried surface hoar/poor bond below ~8-to-10" of newer storm snow from earlier in the week).  The snowpack on our route was still relatively shallow (about 18-to-24") with an €œupside-down€ structure remaining in the lower snowpack with a relatively dense cohesive snow layer overlying ~5" of faceted/rotten snow at/near the ground surface. 

The low angle/well-anchored terrain still allowed for excellent powder turns, though the lower ~1,000 vertical feet of the route involved a lot of slow-speed rock-dodging.  Not a bad day in the Methow Valley.