Mt Snoqualmie Slot Attempt 2/11/09
2/15/09
WA Snoqualmie Pass
3552
11
Gorp and I thought we'd take advantage of some of the recent snow and ski the slot yesterday. A few inches of light fluffy stuff over the old icy crust made skinning difficult and we found booting to be faster as we headed up the Phantom. Stability in the area of the Phantom was good. There were some loose snow sluffs, but nothing too concerning. Conditions above ~4500' were extremely variable and we encountered deep pockets of powder, wind-scoured and sun affected hard spots, as well as styrofoam. We continued booting due to the variability of the snow.
We entered The Slot apprehensively. Although there were no major signs of instability on the approach, we were concerned about a windslab in the upper Slot. Sure enough, about 40' into the slot a vigorous ski cut released a soft slab ~10-12" deep. Concerned about stability below the Slot, we climbed back out and skied back down in the general vicinity of the Phantom.
The sun had already had a dramatic effect on the fluffy stuff, but some good turns were found in foggy glades on the way down.
A couple more pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/petey5287/Winter09?feat=directlink#
We entered The Slot apprehensively. Although there were no major signs of instability on the approach, we were concerned about a windslab in the upper Slot. Sure enough, about 40' into the slot a vigorous ski cut released a soft slab ~10-12" deep. Concerned about stability below the Slot, we climbed back out and skied back down in the general vicinity of the Phantom.
The sun had already had a dramatic effect on the fluffy stuff, but some good turns were found in foggy glades on the way down.
A couple more pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/petey5287/Winter09?feat=directlink#
Good call. That chute looks awesome, but that snow looks Skkkkketchy!
Thanks for the report, was that release on the first big roll over skiers left?
author=RonL link=topic=12269.msg51261#msg51261 date=1234469901]
was that release on the first big roll over skiers left?
It was on the first big roll over, but the release came more from skier's right. In the picture above, Gorp is standing at the skier's leftmost edge and I am standing pretty much in the middle. The crown extends another 10 or more feet out of frame behind me.
Gorp - did you loose Rock Paper Scissors with Clarence at the top of the Slot? I'm wondering how you decided on who got to do the ski cut....
Glad you're both fine and that the ski back down the Phantom was fun. Thanks for the report and the useful information.
RonL - the last couple shots in the linked Picassa Gallery show where the crown was pretty well.
Glad you're both fine and that the ski back down the Phantom was fun. Thanks for the report and the useful information.
RonL - the last couple shots in the linked Picassa Gallery show where the crown was pretty well.
Ha. I mentioned before dropping in that there never seems to be a discussion, I always get nominated to be first. It's a dubious honor. On the positive side, it ripped exactly where we expected it to. I think the rest of the Slot would have been safe, our main concern was booting out of the basin on a similar aspect. In any case, the few inches of new snow have improved the skiing in the area quite a bit; generally 4-6" low density fluff on top of carvable crust.
Ah, I didn't look at the other pictures at first. Glad conditions are better.
Neat report. Any estimate on the size of the avalanche? SS-AS-(R1)-(D1)? Just curious.
CookieMonster, I had to look up the scale to refresh my memory, but I'd estimate it was SS-AS-D2-R2, maybe R3 because it ran a long way.
Were you roped while making the ski cut ?
Randy, No we didn't use a rope, but in retrospect we probably should have. A fair bit of the slab released from above me and I was lucky not to be swept down.
Thanks very much for the information.
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