TR Replies
Oh damn! Glad we turned around then! Were you all stuck or fighting it out? It definitely was a battle between the ego and wanting a good story vs fun/safety. I feel like the failed attempts are good for keeping the desire going.
I wish I had read this before we went in and out Long's for West Notch Couloir.
Awesome Trip!! I've always thought that last leg to stevens looked no fun and that it would be mellower to just come out the Surprise lake trail but having a cabin at the end is good motivation to do it properly to the pass. Kendall Catwalk looked spicy!
Very cool trip. The ski from Hinman down into that hole then the Pea Soup - Lynch glacier - back down to Marmot/Jade link up is really fun travel as you say.
I’ve often thought of departing Stevens and heading in the direction of Daniel but the initial terrain on the PCT south has always deterred me.. Seems like it was as unpleasant as one would imagine.
My first real trip upon moving to the North Cascades in June 1999 was 4 days of blowing snain on the Sulphide. Came away with blisters so deep I got septic. Still remember shivering in the tent.
You must have been just ahead of me today. Remarkably good skiing down to 7000', then just a little slushy-grabby. With so many people up there today I can only speculate as to why so few go down the Paradise Glacier route. The snow totally exceeded expectations.
You don't know untill you go - so, good on you for trying. Based on your description, sounds like pulling the plug was the right thing to do.
@andyrew Yeah!? Looking back at van trump from the Tattoosh, I kept wondering if you could have booted straight out of the drainage. Glad to hear it is doable! What did you all do for the return? We kept asking ourselves "this is soft at 6am, whats 3pm going to look like?"
Amazing feat, especially, given the conditions, guys. Strong skiing with those heavy packs, too.
Killer shot at 1:58 in the vid.
I bet the sauna felt super good after all that.
Cool, been thinking about this but last few outings, finding same mush down low. Hoping next week after melt freezing levels it will mean rage on!
This traverse/tour/run/hike is humbly done in both directions and in all seasons most years.
Stay thirsty, my friends.
A nice video of part of the route plus the photo of the "route".😀
Was this inspired by the movie, by chance?
@danthemtn-man it's a technique so cutting-edge that even the guides don't know about it! In all seriousness though, if you have holes in the tips of your skis give it a shot, you'll never want to make an A-frame again.
Yeah looking at their site the tracks definitely match up with their converted SUVs they use for transport to the base. Maybe they had to launch a rescue for their guests or something like that? I'll hold out hope that they weren't blatantly disregarding wilderness regulations... 😒
Nice report, always wanted to check out that cirque.
We saw tracks similar to those near the top of the Swath earlier this spring. For the record, this is deep in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness so motorized vehicles are not allowed here. I assumed they came up from the east, from somewhere near the Scottish Lakes camp (https://www.alpinelakeshighcamp.com/) as accessing via the west, south, or no...
Nice! Did this one a few years back and a LOT of ski yoga was involved on the climbers' trail. Glad to hear the flagging is still up
So rad! And a good reminder that there is solitude to be found still.
What's going on with the skis tethered in the bootpack?
With the warm weather we bailed a little over an hour in after crossing across one to many steep slopes with already soft snow below avalanche chutes down low for our comfort level
Indeed, I found all the traversing the summer trail does above the creek (terrain trap extraordinaire!) to be spooky in the spring. Once upon a time, I had reasonable success heading due north after the...
Thanks for the report! Was wondering how the trail to Bedal was holding up as some past reports had suggested it was in worse condition.
Nice to see a good, long traverse. Way to dream it and then make it true.
Cool trip and nice photos, especially like the cloud shot!
That's Snowgrass from the East in the third pict. Maybe taken from the climb up towards Big Jim.
Looks really fun you guys. Thanks for the pics, too. Is the 3rd as you're approaching Snowgrass from the W?
Glad to hear there was corn somewhere! I want to see the wieners.
Gorgeous pictures!
At the risk of sounding like a total boomer/dad, please oh please if you go back there just drop down and cross the stream and ascend the far bank rather than use a rotting bridge for a photo op. It's faster and way safer.
Funny, I was about to post this. It was really a satisfying walk. Highlights for me included: departing directly from my house, pondering and wandering past descents from recent winters in the area, crawling through mind blowing jack straws from the mid feb cycle, picking up friends (and dog friends) on the Icicle Ridge, and of course the hot dog finish as well as great partners.
While the high peaks further afield often seem pressing, this tour solidified how great (and often empty)...
Yea, I don't care about route options, how many corn dogs were consumed?
Lowell, would be great to see that photo if you can find a chance to re-upload it. Expect that the road was in much better shape way back when.
Thanks Jason! Sorry to say yes, phone photos for this weight weenie -- but the light and the scenery made it hard to take a bad picture back there, much as I tried.
For future reference: With snow on that abandoned road, the approach we took could serve as a reasonable entry to some interesting traverses...
Cool idea; glad to hear the corn cycle is happening east of the crest.
Not that I know of but the Bavarians sure get after it in the surrounding mountains and rarely talk so it's hard to imagine that it has not been done.
That sounds like a nice route. Are you aware of previous ski parties doing it?
Next time save the hours of driving and just come on up to ANC 😉. Nice to hear the synopsis!
Hell yeah that’s quite a tour of the west!
Thanks for posting. Very inspirational. (Like, I'm questioning my life choices now...)
Looks like a great trip Ted and of course beautiful weather which makes for a very scenic day. too bad you didn't get to summit but it surely sounds like the right call.
@dakota-jensen Road is plowed slightly past reflection lakes, but was closed when we were up there. Snow machines were still doing work past reflection.
@tooslim Haha thanks, every day out cant be epic, but it can be fun!
Nice photos - I really appreciate some good quality photography.
DAMN!!! So impressive, that descent and country, in all that heat. Way to thread the needle and avoid slurpee death.
The light in some of those shots is pretty impressive, please don't tell me that those are your phone photos Hedonaut?
I saw the road was partly plowed at the fork. Is there snow on the road above Narada Falls?
@cumulus if this is what New England skiing is like, then I'm sorta jealous...
Honestly this is the most easy, fun terrain I have ever skied in the Snoqualmie area. Just pure, type 1 fun. Maybe it isn't steep or rad, but it sure is a hoot.