TR Replies
Hey Stefan,
You are right, I should have expected that others would tell me their opinions on snow safety haha. It is a backcountry skiing forum after all. I think my self confidence has been challenged over the past year and when I got a bunch of opinions raining in from people I have never met, from the internet, I got defensive.
Either way, I will continue to check this website for conditions reports but don't plan on posting trip reports. I wish I liked skiing more,...
Thanks for the TR, Brian! Was fun to join this party on Saturday, despite the tree-bombed exit (the good company made up for it : )
Glad you lived Mike. This world needs you! Thanks for the detailed writeup.
Sean, you reminded me of a short period in 2016 when we saw similar avalanche action. The concern was windslab, so we sought out areas not affected by wind, and what we found was the same situation where surface hoar was covered by gently deposited snow that fell in sheltered areas and was super touchy! I wrote a TR about similar almost exactly 5 years ago: https://turns-all-year.com/trip-repor...
While Kyle and I were skinning through the forest I commented how the sunrise Saturday morning was probably beautiful, thanks for confirming that! Good work on the traverse and tagging the couloir as well.
Probably 20 years ago I started wearing a helmet after buying helmets for the kids. For me it was so comfortable and warm that I never gave it a second thought. I just kept doing it when I started going into the backcountry more. With the often poor conditions, and the frequent tree skiing, it seems to me to be maybe even more appropriate than in the resort....but I can’t judge, for years I never wore one rock climbing...Just saying...
Nice looking day. Sometimes i think I could use a machine...
Thanks for posting. I think good timely reports are very helpful to the community. Great pictures!
Great Effort! Beautiful day for nice pictures
Jack-TAY-lor, you can't leave unless you change your name! (: or get re-born... It's too late!
Enjoyed your post and having bumped into you at least twice up-arounds-there I know you're no stranger to the Slot. Forums like this need opinions and informed views, and judging by the response you're a success! That's a good thing, more info for everybody--but don't confuse peoples opinions for gospel.
but if you are serious, I'll take your skis... I know they'...
We basically mirrored your ascent but an hour later, great day to be in the hills, not a great day to exit though the ice fields.
Thanks everyone! And yea, @mtnpavlas, we have been arriving pretty early to avoid crowds! With the lifts opening generally around 8-8:30 though, we were able to get a couple of hot laps down Forest Queen before we took off on this tour.
Very good - my first thought was - "How did he get up there?". Only those wishing they had a snow machine would call riding on a road cheating!
Mike, was this the slope we skied during our course a couple of years back? It certainly looks familiar.
I think the biggest indicator of a safety record is whether the frequency of close calls (or hits) are increasing or decreasing. We can never eliminate risk, but with proper training and application, stack the deck either for or against us. To me, just the fact that one person was caught in a low-likelihood, small slide is pretty telling about your commitment to safety. By th...
Aha, nice, good time to have a sled... I'm looking into it....
Minimal, but the road in is 8-9 miles of snow each way that you can't drive so I ran my trusty 4 stroke yamaha up the road to the trailhead. Some would call it cheating, but I figure people run their cars up all summer long so what harm is my snowmobile for a winter trip. I'm not out to ski the roads.....
Hey Jacob! Thanks dude, I'm fired up from doing that link but I might be done for the year now 😅 . Gonna stick to sport climbing haha. There is less moving snow to worry about, generally.
I agree there are no right answers and everyone is allowed to have their own opinions.
Does anyone want to buy some skis?
Sweet! Looked at your site. That Nason ridge looks tasty, eh?
Looks like some nice turns in a scenic spot!
Minimal approach shenanigans?
Nice work Jack!!! I appreciated your snow safety insights, I think you made solid choices given the day. Snow safety is hard because everyone has different risk tolerance and perspectives. There is no signal "right" answer I think..
Hey Charlie, I hear you. I feel like I came in guns blazing with the idea of ski cutting the exit route before going onto the upper mountain. It was not meant as general advice. Having lost multiple friends to avalanche fatalities I am not one to take decisions regarding snow safety lightly. I have also been in multiple skier-triggered slides and I am scared of skiing. Honestly, I am a climber not a skier, I hate the objective hazard feeling of gravity sports.
I completely agree with...
Kam, I think you make a good point, I was totally shaken by Mikes ride. We went back today to have another look,I guess what I would say as an after action review, is make sure you fully understand the terrain you are about to descend into. We had skied that line a few days before. We gave it a cursory look, and had a great run, no problems. We definitely failed to carefully evaluate the hazards, there are many! We stole the apple that day, two days later Mike narrowly escaped a very dangerou...
Photo #2 is really beautiful. Glad you found a way to divert to a great Plan B! :).
It is dangerous to assume with certainty that nobody is below. There are some *very* fast dawn-patrollers who ski routes like the Slot and people on clever routes can appear from anywhere.
My sentiment has changed significantly in the past couple of years, particularly at Snoqualmie Pass. I am no longer certain that nobody is above me or below me, even in the loneliest places. I have been surprised to find tracks appear above me when I'm breaking trail into apparently-empty cirques. W...
Thanks mike for the very thoughtful and informative write up.
Glad you are ok Mike!!
"The last time I was involved in an avalanche accident was in 1997, roughly 1650 ski days ago."
To me, this says a lot. I've had close calls with avalanches over the years. While I'm not proud of that by any means it's the product of a life spent in the mountains. It's the exposure factor. Stay vigilant and keep doing your thing. You are as safe and solid as they c...
Boy oh boy that's a bunch of kind words and I thank you all. I went back (again) today and did locate that crack. It turns out I was right that it indicated where the avalanche had triggered a lower layer that didn't run. I was wrong about the depth though. The crack only extended to the first crust (1/4?). I followed it back to a location where the avalanche had stepped down to that layer and had run. The thickness of the soft slab above the crust is 6". This is pretty consistent throughout...
I appreciate the reflection Mike and aliwill. Makes me consider wearing a helmet for 100%. Glad you both and those hot pink skis made it out unscathed.
Obviously I was shaken by this as well—though considerably less so, as I was tucked into a safe location during the whole thing and quick communication within our team allowed me to know you were upright and uninjured right away. But I also learned more this weekend than I have in my last two or three years of ski touring combined. I treasure the opportunity to ski with people who are thorough and thoughtful in their ski choices, with the skills to address and then learn from most situations....
Awesome pictures and great advice on scoping out the Thunder Exit before going to the upper mountain! That thing gets crazy wind loaded and it's barely a detour to check it out.
I once had a scary experience skiing the Slot at the start of the storm. The Slot itself was OK, cut a thin wind slab on it, but the Thunder exit was getting hammered and I did not feel good at all climbing out of it. Ever since then I check it out every time.
@Kam, I can see how the advice that I was giving could be interpreted wrong, sorry! Yeah it is definitely a ski run and can 100% be skied safely, granted there is no one below you. I think the runs/ chutes to the left are fun so that's why I suggested them as an alternative.
The group of four above us were standing on top of a cornice and breaking off pieces of it when I yelled up at them to stop. I agree with you, messing around with cornices when there is a chance for people to be b...
Thanks so much for posting this, Mike. I'm sure it is not easy to admit 'in front' of people that you got caught, but your post is very valuable for this community. I would tour with you anytime -- the fact that you posted so candidly about this incident is a testament to your good judgement. I'm glad you came out OK.
@Daniel, the slope you are standing above is the way I've skied in. It is above an icy spine area that you traverse above and requires excellent stability and coverage. The other stuff you see is very narrow.
@Jack, having people drop in on you while you're at the top of that exit slope is terrible form from the group. Still, I do think it's fine to ski down that way so long as nobody is below you. I really don't think people should be messing with the cornices there unless they are d...
Sweet! I scoped out the entrance to the snot 2 weeks ago, but didn't ski it. I am curious what entrance you are thinking of as a viable ski line rather than a rappel.
Appreciate you, Mike. And don’t get it twisted, people that have the privilege to travel with you in the mountains are both safer and having a better time because of you!!!
Mike, people are safer when they ski with you, or other extremely experienced outdoor risk managers. But a guy can still get hit by one rock at the base of a mile wide mountain. Shit happens, and when you get out as much as you do, it gives the odds a chance to catch up.
Thanks for the write up. Sobering - but we all know it can happen. People like you can mitigate the risk, but not erase it. I’ll ski with you any chance I get...
Thanks Pavel, it feels to me like a duty to community to share this. Took awhile to settle enough to write it, but I didn't have any issue doing so. Although my pride is completely shattered. Until Saturday, in my mind you are safer if you ski with me, but it turns out I can get you killed. Man that is a hard reality.
Thanks Kam, Yeah, totally. If this was the first time I'd skied this spot, maybe I would have thought through the problem better, but I've been here many...
Thanks for sharing and glad you're okay. Just goes to show that even a relatively small slide can be trouble in smaller yet consequential terrain. Maybe a familiarity trap for you in this spot?
Big day of hard work and (sounds like) some great turns - well done. Bookmarking this one for sure as I am yet to brave the Crystal traffic this season ... perhaps will snatch a good-weather mid-week day a bit later when we get more daylight. Thanks for the inspiro.
Wow - I'm glad you're OK, Mike. Thanks for the thorough write-up so we can all learn - takes some guts to write these encounters, too.
Thanks for the continued updates. Looks fun after sniffing out where were the goods.
Great trip report. Sounds like a big day. With the exception of Pickhandle I’ve skied all those spots, putting them together in a larger traverse is cool.
I can’t wait for it to really get good. We need more base, and then we need a cold storm to make that Wenatchee Mountain Powder. The terrain and properly spaced trees are already there.
Thanks Stefan! I considered going further up Commonwealth to see about crossing the creek on a snowbridge, but wasn't sure how far I'd have to go and was reluctant to add miles on such a deep day.
Thanks for the extra info - would love to make it over there this season.