March 9, 2019, Stemilt to Squilchuck
3/9/19
WA Cascades East Slopes Central
2325
3
We had a very nice tour from top of Mission Ridge through the Stemilt basin, and across the Wheeler Hill plateau to a slope across the road from my house. The skiing in Stemilt was really good preserved powder from late February over the now compressed Feb 9 storm layer. We skied north facing slopes and it was good enough for a second lap. Then Jtack and Cam let me lead us through the thickest bramble patches from the bottom of the talus slope to Upper Wheeler Reservoir where I had to admit that just about any other way would have been better.
The "across the street" run is about 1200 feet and west facing. We were prepared for crust, but we got great snow almost the whole way. The work/ski ratio was crazy. We used the chair lift to get to the top, so for the cost of less than 800 feet of climb, we skied 4500 vert. The top of the Ridge is at about 6800 and my house is at 2700.
First turns into Stemilt
Backlight in the Stemilt Basin
The basalt field at the bottom
The home run into the Squilchuck - my place is just across the street!
Skiing into the Squilchuck - Wenatchee in the distance
Driveway approach
Tracks seen from my house
As we were negotiating the snowplow berm, a friend stopped on his way home from Mission and told us he saw our tracks! It was a really great tour, with great partners, and so satisfying to see our tracks right from my home.
The "across the street" run is about 1200 feet and west facing. We were prepared for crust, but we got great snow almost the whole way. The work/ski ratio was crazy. We used the chair lift to get to the top, so for the cost of less than 800 feet of climb, we skied 4500 vert. The top of the Ridge is at about 6800 and my house is at 2700.
First turns into Stemilt
Backlight in the Stemilt Basin
The basalt field at the bottom
The home run into the Squilchuck - my place is just across the street!
Skiing into the Squilchuck - Wenatchee in the distance
Driveway approach
Tracks seen from my house
As we were negotiating the snowplow berm, a friend stopped on his way home from Mission and told us he saw our tracks! It was a really great tour, with great partners, and so satisfying to see our tracks right from my home.
After reading your TR I sent it to Thad, who had been skirting toward the Stemilt basin, and we decided to tackle it on the 14th before things deteriorated too far. It wasn't hard to convince a couple other friends making it the perfect foursome, two splitboarders and two skiers.
Due to a forgotten parking pass we got a later start than anticipated and with a hard return-to-work- time were only able to get one lap in the upper basin. Had we know what lay ahead we would have opted for another lap and then just ducked back inbounds, maybe even riding it to the lower basin before returning. But we were determined to do the point to point and like you got suckered into the trees below the last talus field and wallowed our way down toward Wheeler. From there it was a short road ski down to a drop in point to the park and our waiting chariot.
Thanks for the inspiration Mike!
Screen Shot 2019-03-14 at 7.52.40 PM by
Screen Shot 2019-03-14 at 7.53.22 PM by
Image-2 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/111809075@N04/
Due to a forgotten parking pass we got a later start than anticipated and with a hard return-to-work- time were only able to get one lap in the upper basin. Had we know what lay ahead we would have opted for another lap and then just ducked back inbounds, maybe even riding it to the lower basin before returning. But we were determined to do the point to point and like you got suckered into the trees below the last talus field and wallowed our way down toward Wheeler. From there it was a short road ski down to a drop in point to the park and our waiting chariot.
Thanks for the inspiration Mike!
Screen Shot 2019-03-14 at 7.52.40 PM by Screen Shot 2019-03-14 at 7.53.22 PM by Image-2 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/111809075@N04/Awesome!!! Jtack and I skied in Squilchuck State Park today and I think we saw your tracks diving off the road in the park. Definitely at least one snowboard. Pretty fun loop,eh? We for sure saw your tracks on the Wheeler plateau. You didn't skin down the road, but skied it. We skinned downhill. I think your way was better.
It was a great route, and it seems more fun in my mind the more I think about it. Yes, we followed the road for a bit then dove into the park once we found a good looking opening. And we did ski the road from Wheeler down, which was pretty humorous/terrifying as a snowboarder on a splitboard in ski mode with free heels on the icy/refrozen snowshoe and snowmobile track! I probably would have felt better skinning it with long controlled glides ;-)
Nice job on the Squilchuck couloir! That was the route Thad wanted to drop but that nagging time constraint wouldn't allow for it
Nice job on the Squilchuck couloir! That was the route Thad wanted to drop but that nagging time constraint wouldn't allow for it
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