TR Replies
I skied lower down today, 3000' elevation. I made one ugly turn and scraped the ground the whole way. Then I traversed, kick-turn, traverse, kick-turn... for 750 feet until I could whimper home with my tail tucked between my legs. No slides or sloughs for me though.
LOL
author=PhilH link=topic=31025.msg130077#msg130077 date=1394074689]
They obviously should have dug a pit before deciding to park there.
author=kciari link=topic=31014.msg130056#msg130056 date=1394050230">
I've only skied the slot once, and the time I did we took the approach from below. I skied it in early June 2012, but here's my trip report (wrote on my blog prior to being on TAY, so not overly technical in nature) from the adventure.
Small world, we actually met at Keith's hut a year or...
Yes , We were up in that area same day on the commonwealth side. The good runs of that day is keeping me alive till this Pineapple crap is over.
author=flowing alpy link=topic=31014.msg130083#msg130083 date=1394076402]
nice report from spring but i still wouldn't choose your path up.
b
Definitely agree - for such a high traffic run with the "standard route" of climbing the phantom and skiing from the top of the col, you're in the shooting gallery from someone above. In powder you could get washed down in an avy from someone that didn't e...
author=kciari link=topic=31014.msg130056#msg130056 date=1394050230">nice report from spring but i still wouldn't choose your path up.<...
I've only skied the slot once, and the time I did we took the approach from below. I skied it in early June 2012, but here's my trip report (wrote on my blog prior to being on TAY, so not overly technical in nature) from the adventure.
Nice article in Backcountry mag. for that locale.
They obviously should have dug a pit before deciding to park there.
author=flowing alpy link=topic=31014.msg130041#msg130041 date=1394038977]
not many reports of starting a trip up the slot before skiing it first.
b
I'd say that this is mostly due to the approach easily placing you on the uphill end of the slot, thus making skiing it without climbing it a quicker option than skiing down to the bottom of the slot and boot-packing it up. I'd also rather not take the risk of having ski...
author=flowing alpy link=topic=31014.msg130041#msg130041 date=1394038977">
not many reports of starting a trip up the slot before skiing it first.
I've only skied the slot once, and the time I did we took the approach from below. I skied it in early June 2012, but here's my trip report (wrote on my blog prior to being on TAY, so not overly technical in nature) from the adventure.
...
not many reports of starting a trip up the slot before skiing it first.
b
b
Thanks for linking this story, a close shave for everyone involved. That slot has been on my list for awhile, good to be reminded, never let your guard down.
I'd use one of those swivels so long as I don't have to go to yoga to get one.
That's an interesting TR from a area I have only driven through as fast as possible.
That's an interesting TR from a area I have only driven through as fast as possible.
Where do you park to ski around Satus Pass? Is the old State Park a good starting point?
Very cool. I really need to make it down to White Pass one day. I've always wanted to check it out, and it seems like a neat, less mainstream area. Is the sculpture building a yearly event? If so, I would probably time a visit to coincide with that! Though I imagine it must be somewhat sad when a warm rain event finally occurs and they begin to degrade. Then again, doing it all over next time is half the fun, like a sandcastle on the beach.
author=JoshK link=topic=31014.msg129988#msg129988 date=1393965349">
Edit: perhaps this posting (or a link to the page) should be cross-posted in the weak layers forum?
Good idea - thanks! Cross-posted here :)
author=JoshK link=topic=31013.msg129991#msg129991 date=1393966649]
Wow, those snow sculptures are amazing.
Josh, we were told that the castle building started on Valentine's day, Feb 14. The crew was still going on Thursday when we arrived. I'd guess there were 12 people working on that castle with more than one chain saw and walls being built by stomping snow into concrete wall forms.
I was impressed by how mu...
Wow, those snow sculptures are amazing. Maybe that needs to be my new hobby for horrid breakable crust days.
Thank you for sharing this. Please tell your friend thank you for writing this up (I found it an excellent piece of writing) and glad they are all relatively ok.
I think this bears worth repeating...
Digging my pit tests I felt confident in them but there was some "feeling" that I had about today. A weird enough feeling that if there was any other doubt in the group on continuing to reaffirm this feeling, I would of bailed.
I think this bears worth repeating...
boy that's a scary story. Thanks for sharing.
author=Edgesport link=topic=30990.msg129938#msg129938 date=1393901025]
What route did you access from? Cold springs?
Can't get anywhere close to cold springs without a snomo. Parked at snow king to get to meadow skippy stuff.
author=garyabrill link=topic=30926.msg129943#msg129943 date=1393904980]I would suspect this layer will be unheard from after this cycle until about the second week of May when prolonged warm temperatures will again reawaken the monster in isolated locations.
Queue HWY 20 washouts.
To be honest, I am a little confused by the OP's critique of NWAC. Is the claim that they were warning of too high a risk? Of too low a risk? It seems both. Granted, it is parsed between human and natural triggered, but, on the assumption that this was naturally triggered from something happening above, in the wind loading by the ridge, isn't it a fair guess that a human would have triggered a similar slide if they ventured onto the starting zone? And doesn't the "considerabl...
When your skiing buddy gives you the "sign", it's turn around time. ;)
It would be interesting to fly around the Cascades (were there visibility) and see just how many and how big of slides will go between Tuesday afternoon and Thursday PM. Baker has already had 46" of new snow since Saturday and snow levels are going to 6000-7000' for the first time. I would suspect this layer will be unheard from after this cycle until about the second week of May when prolonged warm temperatures will again reawaken the monster in isolated locations.
author=garyabrill link=topic=30926.msg129839#msg129839 date=1393721611]
I will also ask the OP if he had been following the avalanche forecasts regularly (on a daily basis) prior to planning this trip. I would note that the persistent weak layer and failures in this layer were noted nearly daily from first snowfall that buried the weak layer through about Wednesday (Thursday's avalanche forecast) before the accident (3 days previous to the accident).
author=Patarero link=topic=30990.msg129916#msg129916 date=1393880488]
Fluffy, pretty much rode the very hard crusty bedlayer. Temp break seemed to be at the Columbia, picked up ~9" @1800ft north of Hood River. Skied around ~4-5k, south facing aspect. Not worth the 5 mile approach.
What route did you access from? Cold springs?
author=haggis link=topic=30926.msg129903#msg129903 date=1393869651]
I suspect all of this "atmospheric river" precip this week will take care of a lot of the PWL areas and might hit the reset button for most of the snowpack where I ski, Stevens to Crystal. Of course it might still be there, especially up higher, but it will certainly help alleviate my fears. PWL in Colorado don't get this kind of soaker now do they hence why they stick around...
author=flowing alpy link=topic=30926.msg129918#msg129918 date=1393882352]
.....and were back to flaunting high risk maneuvers for interwebz adulations, hope that anyone below the cornice is as lucky as the op's party was.
b
Sorry, I forgot sarcasm doesn't translate well over text. I guess I should have stayed with my original comment recommending that he "look for a cornice over a frequently traveled trail.&quo...
.....and were back to flaunting high risk maneuvers for interwebz adulations, hope that anyone below the cornice is as lucky as the op's party was.
b
b
Fluffy, pretty much rode the very hard crusty bedlayer. Temp break seemed to be at the Columbia, picked up ~9" @1800ft north of Hood River. Skied around ~4-5k, south facing aspect. Not worth the 5 mile approach.
author=Patarero link=topic=30990.msg129908#msg129908 date=1393874101]
Just curious, were you bottoming out on a crust layer on the turns?
Toured on Adams yesterday,8+ inches of pow over a very hard crust, which I hit on every turn. Not ideal.
Yes and no. If you set a hard turn to scrub speed you were edging on some pretty firm snow but I wouldn't necessarily call it a crust.
Was the pow on Adams fl...
Way to score, gentlemen! Someday I hpe to try the east face approach, but not this year, I suppose. Those slopes look like they were quite fun, and the trees were pretty to tour up in.
author=powhound link=topic=30926.msg129909#msg129909 date=1393874872]
I've thought of going up safe routes that lead to the tops of avy terrain and dropping some big cornices, and see where we stand.
If you end up doing this, please record video in case you get something to go, and then share it. :)
author=haggis link=topic=30926.msg129903#msg129903 date=1393869651]
I suspect all of this "atmospheric river" precip this week will take care of a lot of the PWL areas and might hit the reset button for most of the snowpack where I ski, Stevens to Crystal. Of course it might still be there, especially up higher, but it will certainly help alleviate my fears. PWL in Colorado don't get this kind of soaker now do they hence why they stick around...
Just curious, were you bottoming out on a crust layer on the turns?
Toured on Adams yesterday,8+ inches of pow over a very hard crust, which I hit on every turn. Not ideal.
Toured on Adams yesterday,8+ inches of pow over a very hard crust, which I hit on every turn. Not ideal.
We had a day and a half of clear weather at the end of the trip so we were able to fully comprehend the awesomeness of the alpine there, but didn’t venture too far with the avy conditions. We’ll be back for more.
The sauna is alive and well. Tough to beat a hot sauna and a cold beer after a day out touring.
The sauna is alive and well. Tough to beat a hot sauna and a cold beer after a day out touring.
I suspect all of this "atmospheric river" precip this week will take care of a lot of the PWL areas and might hit the reset button for most of the snowpack where I ski, Stevens to Crystal. Of course it might still be there, especially up higher, but it will certainly help alleviate my fears. PWL in Colorado don't get this kind of soaker now do they hence why they stick around for a long time during the season?
Up in Whistler and noting a recent forecaster blog. Should be a great inbounds powder day tomorrow. Today there was still some breakable crust to contend with off the groomed.
Some decisions are easy. Like the choice I made this morning to have a second cup of coffee after my toddler kept me awake for half the night. Also easy was the decision I made not to wear my florescent purple jacket I still have from the early 90′s and the decision I made not to click on the link to...
Some decisions are easy. Like the choice I made this morning to have a second cup of coffee after my toddler kept me awake for half the night. Also easy was the decision I made not to wear my florescent purple jacket I still have from the early 90′s and the decision I made not to click on the link to...
I too have felt the hot breath of the Chair dragon
Take it to heart
Live
Take it to heart
Live
author=rlsg
Thanks for the write-up and glad you are ok--you are not alone, I too have learned the hard way.
lucky they get another chance to keep learning, even the hard way.
b
Rebob on Earn Your Turns discusses deep persistent weak layer:
Having said that, although the local bulletin for Whistler/Blackcomb is L/L/L it clearly notes that there is a deep persistent weak layer that has not been reacting lately but could be reactive in some isolated areas. My take on that would be that I would want to avoid the areas most likely to see that layer activated--for the moment, big, unsupported steep slopes would be completely off my l...
Too bad you weren't able to romp up in the amazing alpine there, but nice that you got plenty of refills for that patch of tree skiing and did get up for a bit of viewtastic skiing as well. When I went, after about 1.5 days of really nice snow with perfect powder on the Granite Glacier etc., we sort of had the reverse issue - wind came up and cooked most of the snow except the trees (which we ran out of quickly w/o refills) and some sheltered bits here and there like the Shoestring. But we...
author=danpeck link=topic=30933.msg129784#msg129784 date=1393645114]
Echoing the jealousy. And thanks for the good ideas!
Me too! Nice work Branimal and crew!
I don't what a guide or guides say are definitive by any means or the NWAC --there info is only a small part of my decision making of which I am ultimately responsible for...there are NO EXPERTS only people that know more than me (possibly..). Just because everybody else (who is an "expert" ) is doing something does not tell me it is safe, no matter how long they have been doing it.
If you see no sign of activity, and there are all sorts of indicators of potential...
If you see no sign of activity, and there are all sorts of indicators of potential...
Thanks for the pics Lar, my cellphone doesn't do as well as your camera. Even though this trip didn't have any to die for turns in it, it was special to be out in classic mid winter scenery. Love going up that way for all the snow and moss on the trees. The depth in the woods was probably half that of the open areas. Just glad to be snug in my tent before the snow bombs really started to fall. On the way back out down the road the trap crust was really impressive - maybe an inch thick...
And then if it seriously warms up later in the week...possible collapsing of crust/step down, too?
author=jj link=topic=30926.msg129797#msg129797 date=1393663808]It seems we all agree that there's a persistent weak layer (or whatever you prefer to call it). When will you be comfortable to ski routes like Chair (or similar terrain) given that knowledge?
The answer is "who knows?". We'll just have to see how it plays out. I certainly won't be pushing it for a while, but there is always plenty of safe, fun skiing to...