TR Replies
For some reason, I was having trouble adding more photos yesterday, but here's a link to the album. Let me know if it doesn't work. :-) And here's a pic of Dragontail.
BTW, I heard Poppy skied the Chutes over the weekend! That girl is a champ! :-)
https://plus.google.com/photos/113799246037132869263/albums/6116941655231830961?banner=pwa
BTW, I heard Poppy skied the Chutes over the weekend! That girl is a champ! :-)
https://plus.google.com/photos/113799246037132869263/albums/6116941655231830961?banner=pwa
Colfax was fun but the ski out was even better! Any more info to offer on Larrabee conditions? How far can you drive the road? How is coverage holding up? Thanks
Nice work! How far were you able to drive on Cascade River Road?
Phil, that's the direction Canada has gone with their training, as I understand it: divide recreational and career professional training.
Speaking of Canada, Rusty, yes that is indeed Peter holding the column upside down in the photo & video.
Speaking of Canada, Rusty, yes that is indeed Peter holding the column upside down in the photo & video.
Yea... Judging by the spray patterns from your tracks, you had much warmer snow. The chunks from your turns were frozen pretty hard all day. I think we would have had much improved (softened) snow if it weren't for the high clouds obscuring the sun for most of the afternoon.
Thanks again for sharing your trip info in so timely a manner ;D
Thanks again for sharing your trip info in so timely a manner ;D
Looks good! More photos!
Nice to read the report after Eric told us of your trip.
Nice to read the report after Eric told us of your trip.
thanks for taking photos Eric! and good to meet you John.
The chutes felt a bit like International (Alpental) last Sunday... a record day for traffic? And how many ten year olds have skied the chutes? Great conditions... gotta take advantage when you can.
Didn't see the cat but wish we had!
The chutes felt a bit like International (Alpental) last Sunday... a record day for traffic? And how many ten year olds have skied the chutes? Great conditions... gotta take advantage when you can.
Didn't see the cat but wish we had!
International is down, Nisquall(it)y Chutes are up! Here's Poppy going down:
It was great to meet you guys up there! Sorry we forgot to tell you where we cached the whiskey for your board out..!
Easton skiied wonderfully... we dropped the Roman Wall at 2PM - looked firm but skiied great. Little challenging in parts of the middle mountain with small pockets of packed pow mixed in with decent corn, but the 1-1.5k skiied like a dream. HERO corn!
We carried to the meadows, but were able to trail ski down enough so we only had to walk 1000' out. The snow coverage down low was better last Ju...
We carried to the meadows, but were able to trail ski down enough so we only had to walk 1000' out. The snow coverage down low was better last Ju...
Interesting to hear about your conditions.
The climbers we talked to said Saturday was cloudy with snowfall. During our ascent and descent, the snow didn't really feel like corn--more like edgeable styrofoam with a little new snow on top. You can see Ross kicking some of it around in my pictures.
I think there was more sun effect on Sunday than I realized at the time. So when the temperatures dropped and the wind picked up Sunday night, everything set up hard and fast....
The climbers we talked to said Saturday was cloudy with snowfall. During our ascent and descent, the snow didn't really feel like corn--more like edgeable styrofoam with a little new snow on top. You can see Ross kicking some of it around in my pictures.
I think there was more sun effect on Sunday than I realized at the time. So when the temperatures dropped and the wind picked up Sunday night, everything set up hard and fast....
Nice work. I almost went there on 2/16 but went for Eldo instead. Next time..., probably soon. Thanks for posting.
Thanks Charlie! I remember that you and Susan did a cool trip out there a couple of years ago!
Nice work! That's a good place to be when the snow is poor and the views are good.
Great photos and good discussion re: glacier gear. Thanks for posting! I'm stoked to try this myself now.
We all voted - you won the "Most Inspirational" trophy.
Congratulations on beating a field of at least 103 skiers! Did the first place come with a brand new car from the race sponsor?
Bravo.
Your TR confirms what my furtive glances from the freeway suspected: Hood is In!
Your TR confirms what my furtive glances from the freeway suspected: Hood is In!
Imo the views are better than at Mt Baker, the skiing wasn't that nasty, and "side slipping to the lodge" is surely an exaggeration. 'Course by 10am on Sunday Todd and I were having beers in the lodge. okay he didn't have any and I had one. Looks like you guys had fun out there.
Good to see you had at least some of the same view that those of us who have skied with Ross have gotten used to: And that is of Ross way the hell ahead on the uptrack while looking like he's barely breaking a sweat.
Beautiful trip!
Beautiful trip!
author=jakedouglas link=topic=33675.msg139249#msg139249 date=1424123315]
After posting my question I managed to find a couple photos of late season conditions including this one: http://photodb.danielarndt.com/2003/2003-08-eldorado/110-1075-p.eldorado.4.jpg
If this is a representative example of typical crevasse formation here, it seems that a person would be very unlikely to cross something that wasn't well filled in this time of year, assumin...
Thanks for explaining. Your answers are about what I expected.
After posting my question I managed to find a couple photos of late season conditions including this one: http://photodb.danielarndt.com/2003/2003-08-eldorado/110-1075-p.eldorado.4.jpg
If this is a representative example of typical crevasse formation here, it seems that a person would be very unlikely to cross something that wasn't well filled in this time of year, assuming you gained the ridge via the notc...
After posting my question I managed to find a couple photos of late season conditions including this one: http://photodb.danielarndt.com/2003/2003-08-eldorado/110-1075-p.eldorado.4.jpg
If this is a representative example of typical crevasse formation here, it seems that a person would be very unlikely to cross something that wasn't well filled in this time of year, assuming you gained the ridge via the notc...
I probably have my pro observers swizzled. I saw someone with a full, big pack and NWAC hat ski by while waiting for others at the top of Skyline ~4pm yesterday. I guess it could've been anyone, but it seemed odd to have that much gear for a daytrip on a sunny day with relatively little action.
I caught a chair with a lift attendant who was going to work for the evening shift. He asked if I'd been hiking lately and when I told him I hadn't, he said I'd missed out....
I caught a chair with a lift attendant who was going to work for the evening shift. He asked if I'd been hiking lately and when I told him I hadn't, he said I'd missed out....
I should also mention something about this winter season.
If this had been an extremely cold, dry winter so far, with little new snow even on the high glaciers. I might have made a different choice on Eldorado yesterday.
However, it has been a warm, wet winter, with lots of snowfall on the higher elevation peaks (which I consider Eldorado to be). I think the glaciers on the standard route on Eldorado have received quite a bit of snow this year, and also a fair amount of rai...
If this had been an extremely cold, dry winter so far, with little new snow even on the high glaciers. I might have made a different choice on Eldorado yesterday.
However, it has been a warm, wet winter, with lots of snowfall on the higher elevation peaks (which I consider Eldorado to be). I think the glaciers on the standard route on Eldorado have received quite a bit of snow this year, and also a fair amount of rai...
Good question Jake.
You're right that we didn't take glacier gear on this trip and I have done the trip solo in the past. I don't necessarily recommend either practice.
I've carried glacier gear on ski trips where I've deployed it fully (wearing harnesses, roping up, pre-rigging prusiks, even belaying). I've also carried glacier gear and only partially deployed it (e.g. wearing harnesses without roping up). These decisions are made on a case-by...
You're right that we didn't take glacier gear on this trip and I have done the trip solo in the past. I don't necessarily recommend either practice.
I've carried glacier gear on ski trips where I've deployed it fully (wearing harnesses, roping up, pre-rigging prusiks, even belaying). I've also carried glacier gear and only partially deployed it (e.g. wearing harnesses without roping up). These decisions are made on a case-by...
Silas, Did you happen to see what the route looked like over to the Cowlitz Rocks (or see anyone over there)? It's been on my list for awhile and I'd like to get up there maybe next weekend.
Great TR.
I noticed that I don't see your partner wearing a harness and I recall that you skied this route solo last year as well. Never having been beyond the Roush-Eldorado divide, I'm not familiar with the ensuing glacier travel, aside from what I could see and photos online. My understanding was that it is more serious than something like the Sahale "Glacier", and not as serious as on say, Baker or Rainier. Still, I thought it was common practice to carry the e...
I noticed that I don't see your partner wearing a harness and I recall that you skied this route solo last year as well. Never having been beyond the Roush-Eldorado divide, I'm not familiar with the ensuing glacier travel, aside from what I could see and photos online. My understanding was that it is more serious than something like the Sahale "Glacier", and not as serious as on say, Baker or Rainier. Still, I thought it was common practice to carry the e...
Great pics, the chutes looked amazing. Whose cat was that?
Harlan led our group for the latter 3 days of the course. We dropped back into the area ~4pm along Skid Road. If you saw Dallas, perhaps he was out skiing in the sun? :).
Snowpack-wise, I've been surprised how much stratigraphy has been preserved in our snowpack in the face of all of this rain, something apparent even at Snoqualmie a few weeks ago.
From Stevens yesterday, though we didn't do full profiles: A bunch of ~2-5mm icy crusts in the upper snowpack are qu...
Snowpack-wise, I've been surprised how much stratigraphy has been preserved in our snowpack in the face of all of this rain, something apparent even at Snoqualmie a few weeks ago.
From Stevens yesterday, though we didn't do full profiles: A bunch of ~2-5mm icy crusts in the upper snowpack are qu...
Well that would explain why I saw Dallas schussing down beneath Skyline in the late afternoon... probably not a whole lot of layers to examine, huh?
author=jakedouglas link=topic=33679.msg139236#msg139236 date=1424114962]
Any idea what the mileage/gain is from the car before skinning begins?
It's about 2 miles / 2000' according to Hillmap...on mostly snow free trail.
Lovely photos as always. Any idea what the mileage/gain is from the car before skinning begins?
We dropped in Nisqually chutes about 230 PM. The upper ~1800 vf from Muir to the entry was kind of icy hard and satstrugi-ish with occasional nice turns where smooth. The chutes themselves were really really nice; a few inches of soft and predictable snow on a firm base. The exit as mentioned recently was well trodden and not bad at all. All in all a fantastic drop. A few pics at https://www.flickr.com/photos/koelle/sets/72157650791395806/ (includes bonus snow cat)
India pics hik...
India pics hik...
Looks like a fantastic day in the mountains, thanks for the great pictures.
Wow, driving to the trail head in February. That must be unusual.
Thanks for the great report, Lowell. Dan, I might be a few days behind you!
Thanks for the great report, Lowell. Dan, I might be a few days behind you!
We toured around in the BC as students in a Northwest Mountain School AIARE 2 course on Saturday. First time there; fun place! Snow and sun together are a fine combination.
In full profiles off the NE side of point 6780, we found quite the 130-cm snowpack layer cake. We discerned up to 25 layers, most in the upper half of the snowpack, with plenty of faceted forms and crusts. Snowpack tests ranged from moderate to hard, with sudden results in three-out-of-four pits at depths ranging...
In full profiles off the NE side of point 6780, we found quite the 130-cm snowpack layer cake. We discerned up to 25 layers, most in the upper half of the snowpack, with plenty of faceted forms and crusts. Snowpack tests ranged from moderate to hard, with sudden results in three-out-of-four pits at depths ranging...
Wonderful, Lowell. Thanks for the stoke, glad you had a great day!
Lowell. Thank you for this timely post. It's 5 am and I on my way. Can't resist such amazing terrain.
Actually on Saturday the Paradise skied nice except the top portion. It was actually a tiny bit of new snow or corn on it. You may have seen our tracks. We actually turned around before reaching the upper part of it since you could tell the snow was getting icky. There was also a shorter run we skied a couple of times just below the Paradise that was really nice turning. I rated this part of the skiing which was most of the day a +6 on my scale of +10...
Mike thanks for keeping me of the couch! Just another example of if you don't go you don't know. Great fun.
All I want this year is to ride to the bridge!
I felt bad about my conditions report in the Blewett area so I hiked another 1,000 feet higher.
Dennis, thanks for the tip on the "Going Deep" series, I'll check it out. At the Avy I class we were told that AIARE is reworking the Avy II class and plans to split it into 2 tracts - recreational and professional. I think this will be a good option for 'amateurs' like us.
Lovely photography. I will be sharing on my FB page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shot-8-Freeride-Team/561702940520155
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shot-8-Freeride-Team/561702940520155
Hey, is that Peter intently looking at the snow block? I seem to remember following those red tele boots through Canadian powder last winter...