May 12, 2001, Washington Pass

Jill and I parked at the Blue Lake trailhead and saw Paul's group heading for the Birthday tour. We climbed the same direction but swung west of the cliffs in hope of finding firmer snow. Unfortunately, all aspects had unconsolidated snow. After soaking in the views at the top of the cornice, we skied the bowl.We then downclimbed the top 10 yards of the slot next to South Early Winter Spire until we reached continuous snow. The slot/couloir provides a continuous 2100' shot down to the hairpin turn. The snow was soft and our wide skis were perfect for the conditions.The slot opens quickly and provides a beautiful background for high speed turns. Met a local snowboarder who shuttled me back to the trailhead for the van.

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