January 23, 2003, Alpental

Once again Nick and I trudged up to the Pass hoping for the best, yet fearing the worst.  We decided on the Alpental ski area due to concern about avalanche hazard in the backcountry.  We arrived to driving rain and about a half inch of water over ice in the parking lot.  I made a last appeal to reason, but could not refute Nick's reply that we both needed the workout.  About 10 minutes into our ascent, the rain stopped for the duration of the trip.  It was wet snow to be sure, but the cats had done their work at least up to Midway (4350 ft) so the lower part was a lot like Spring skiing.  Above that, there appeared to be a slight crust with powder underneath.  Skiing was strenuous above Midway, though Nick fared better than I (a combination of skiied out conditions and usual Cascade sludge to blast through).  We got up to about 5200 feet - just below the top ski lift - before heading down.  Nice views across the valley.  Still a few branches sticking out along the way.  Ski legs are slowly returning.