May 4 08, Colchuck Glacier
5/15/08
WA Cascades East Slopes Central
2417
2
On 5/4/08, my buddies & I intended on doing a short ski tour. Stopping at Stevens Pass, we weren't too enthused at the prospect of spending such a fine day on a minor objective so we opted for the Colchuck Glacier. Starting late at 10 am, we parked a mile or so below the trailhead due to snow, which tact on another 40 mins. We booted up the hard pack through the trail until reaching softer snow that permitted skinning. John packed his downhill set up and used hiking boots & snowshoes for the approach while Andrew & I rocked the AT setup. We ran into two snowshoers who turned around due to navigation difficulties before reaching Colchuck Lake. Upon reaching Colchuck Lake at 3 pm, we had a renewed vigor.
The snow wasn't breakable crust but a light layer of corn instead. No one else was there, but a nice skin track.We set our turn around time at 5, not wanting to ski through the trees in the dark. About 1000 feet short of the col, we descended. A fantastic run in ideal spring conditions, I thought the best was over, but the real challenge was skiing through the trees back to the trail head. Hard pack, rocks, trees, and sharp turns with high banks from previous traffic made it a delightful second run. We made it back to the car at 9 without using our headlamps which is a successful day trip in my book.
The snow wasn't breakable crust but a light layer of corn instead. No one else was there, but a nice skin track.We set our turn around time at 5, not wanting to ski through the trees in the dark. About 1000 feet short of the col, we descended. A fantastic run in ideal spring conditions, I thought the best was over, but the real challenge was skiing through the trees back to the trail head. Hard pack, rocks, trees, and sharp turns with high banks from previous traffic made it a delightful second run. We made it back to the car at 9 without using our headlamps which is a successful day trip in my book.
Right on with the trip, so I take it the gate is open now? Are those tracks high up on the glacier or a slide?
I was with Hendershot on the trip. The gate is open and you can drive within a mile and a half of the trailhead. The debris is almost certainly a loose slide (possibly skier triggered, there was a skin track all the way up to the col), although we didn't quite make it up that high.
However, the snowpack felt bomber on the glacier, at least the parts that we were on, which hadn't received much afternoon sun. There was no evidence of the 12-18 inches of water saturated garbage below the weak melt-freeze crust that I found around snoqualmie pass last week. Pole penetration was no more than 4 or 5 inches, and we didn't observe anything come down except snow on the cliffs on Dragontail, which didn't slide far once it hit the glacier. Lower down in the trees, it was sometimes pretty junky, with our hapless snowshoer penetrating occasionally up to the knee. Get it quickly, before the trail melts out more. It's already getting a lil' rocky in places.
However, the snowpack felt bomber on the glacier, at least the parts that we were on, which hadn't received much afternoon sun. There was no evidence of the 12-18 inches of water saturated garbage below the weak melt-freeze crust that I found around snoqualmie pass last week. Pole penetration was no more than 4 or 5 inches, and we didn't observe anything come down except snow on the cliffs on Dragontail, which didn't slide far once it hit the glacier. Lower down in the trees, it was sometimes pretty junky, with our hapless snowshoer penetrating occasionally up to the knee. Get it quickly, before the trail melts out more. It's already getting a lil' rocky in places.
Reply to this TR
Please login first: