TR Replies

Yeah Gregg, we had hoped to ski your and Alan's line, more aesthetic, plus we'd get to razz you over a beer sometime -- ;) -- even though the conditions we choose for skiing are a far cry from those typically chosen for climbing.

JimD, I know you've climbed that beast before too, multiple times as i recall--such an inspiring face when you first lay eyes on it! Must get back on it again sometime.

Oh, and forgot to mention that a kind soul had observed ou...

4/6/13 8:05am

hedonaut

whole trip looks fantastic! that first line is high quality, way to buck up for the adventure, solo no less.

4/6/13 7:47am

Gregg_C

author=JimD link=topic=28177.msg118545#msg118545 date=1365280861]
A few years ago I made a bet with Jeff Rich that it wouldn't be skied for at least 10 years. I loose. Luckily we both forgot how much I owe him so I'll just have to buy him beer (which I tend to do anyway). Way to go!!

I know man. Alan Kearney and I put up a route on the right side of the face 20 years ago. It is mind boggling that someone could ski that...

4/6/13 6:16am

JimD

Watson Traverse, March 30

A few years ago I made a bet with Jeff Rich that it wouldn't be skied for at least 10 years. I loose. Luckily we both forgot how much I owe him so I'll just have to buy him beer (which I tend to do anyway). Way to go!!

4/6/13 5:41am

Charlie Hagedorn

Nice! :)!

4/6/13 3:09am

Lowell_Skoog

Great trip!

Trivia: Beowulf is the name of Mark Fielding's dog.

4/6/13 1:05am

JimD

Yowza! Thanks for the great TR!

4/5/13 11:56pm

skier8484

Solid work Scott!

4/5/13 3:09pm

Shred

Dang! Way to Slay! Your the Raddest farmer that I know!

4/5/13 11:54am

philfort

I'm pretty sure I've "researched" that Beowulf couloir on maps/photos and wrote it off in my mind as unskiable. So, uh... nice work, looked super burly!

Great trip report!

4/5/13 11:54am

mikerolfs

Bravo Bravo! What an awesome trip!
You write great reports.

4/5/13 11:46am

Marcus

March 29, 2013, Mt Stuart - Ulrichs Couloir

author=Gregg_C link=topic=28193.msg118523#msg118523 date=1365211758]Marcus should make you the first TAY staff writer.

The pay is crap, but the job's yours if you want it...

Great TR man -- you probably got more riding in over the last few days than I've managed all year! But I see you got some new boots to do it in, finally ;)

4/5/13 10:59am

Bird Dog

Sweet. Ulrichs was my first major climb in the cascades back in '75. Nice video and music. Who's the artist?

4/5/13 10:51am

Gregg_C

That was a great read. Thanks for the pictures and the offbeat narrative. Marcus should make you the first TAY staff writer.

It was a great period (long) of high pressure and stable conditions. A rare March event.

4/5/13 10:29am

r1de

Thanks for taking the time to write this up and post the pics.

I see you are using K2 Lockjaws and Spark binders. I have the same setup, though I just broke one of my Lockjaws on Rainier on Wednesday after only 1 year of use; seems those plastic joints are pretty fragile. Ordered BD Compactors to replace them.

4/5/13 10:24am

n16ht5

this is awesome. You rock

4/5/13 10:18am

Amar Andalkar

Wow, Kyle, that's a great trip and report. There's nothing quite like a true solo trip, with no one else around at all, and being totally self-reliant for survival in the snowy mountains.

We've skied together a lot, but I'm totally impressed again. Takes quite a set of skills (trail breaking, route finding, navigation, motivation, determination, ...) to pull off something like this successfully and safely.

4/5/13 9:06am

ryanl

Awesome write up and trip Scott. And your humility only adds to the impressiveness of it. I remembering looking up at Dumbell from Big Creek some years back and wanting very badly to get up there. Way to chase the goods. And thanks for posting about such an inspiring trip.

4/5/13 9:05am

powhound

Great report Scott! You've been doing some awesome solo missions!

4/5/13 8:53am

Gregg_C

The road is groomed for snowmobiles. They don't like tire ruts as it hastens the melting of the snow and ruins the nice smooth bed surface for their machines. In the past I have been guilty of chaining up and running up the road. In recent years there is usually a sign blocking the road. You would have definitely seen it so the grooming season is probably over.

Your rig reminds me of those crazy Icelantic ballon tired rigs that drive on the Glaciers.

Great trip rep...

4/5/13 8:41am

LukerBee

A short distance after you passed us, I started to regretted not taking your kind offer to drive us down the road. :'(

4/5/13 8:17am

LukerBee

I imagine it took a steady hand to tranny atop that micro-perch you etched on the north col - wow.

4/5/13 8:11am

n16ht5

I didn't see any signs saying the road was closed, but there was a decent amount of snow. I'm not sure why they would close it

4/5/13 8:07am

Marcus

Nice work and sounds like some good conservative decision making while solo a long way from the road. Awesome. Thanks for the TR.

4/5/13 8:06am

mikeb

What a good time in the sun with all of you. The snomo4runner approach rig is amazing.

4/5/13 7:51am

jwplotz

Top drawer trip Scott!

4/5/13 7:33am

bs.

awesome story, what a week! i was stoked to be a part of the prologue up in baker, but pretty sad to get home and see the lid to your camp stove was still in my van. here's a couple more photos from saturday and sunday... it was pretty rad to finally ride the nw couloir, it only took us 3 tries to get it in perfect pow!

table and baker bluebird panorama

4/5/13 7:07am

scott_rinck

Nice on Eric! Wild mission. I like it!

4/5/13 6:57am

Fletcher

Damn, that is epic.

4/5/13 6:32am

highflyingpilot

Good god, nice work!

4/5/13 6:16am

Fletcher

Such an awesome day to get Baked. Nice to meet all of you folks I talked to up there.

4/5/13 6:13am

Kyle Miller

That is soo badass!!! You have been tagging rad line after rad line you impress me weekly :)

Holden man....Holden

4/5/13 6:02am

Kyle Miller

Day 3

I watched the sunrise eyelevel with the snowscape, each indivisual flake on fire from the alpenglow. In a weird twist of fate the sun rose directly behind Mt. Fernow. I laughed at what seemed like a cruel reminder of the brutallity of these mountain as I had a near death experience on that damn mountain and it holds a special sig...

4/5/13 5:52am

Kyle Miller

And now to the Abandoned Traverse

Day 1

I came back to Washington on the back end of a perfect weather window. The weather called for 4 days of uninterrupted sunshine and I was partnerless. With freezing levels lowering I realized I missed the Rainier weather window and decided to go for something lower. It took some mental convincing but I decided I would visit one of favorite mountains, Glacier Peak.

4/5/13 5:51am

Kyle Miller

Now off to Canada for a 6 day adventure with my good friend Holly Walker where we were based out of Whistler.

Monday we went up to the Duffy and made our way to the summit of Cayoosh and rode the Million Dollar Couloir. That night Hummel left and wouldn't be heading back south until Saturday if I wanted a ride back south so it was Holly and I for the next few days.

4/5/13 5:50am

alecapone

Wow.!

I remember one of the first trips I did in the PNW I was in car with some guys and there where multiple conversations going on. in front they where talking about the big four... blah blah blah. Sky,, blah blah, Jason... some other dudes..

So, for the first few months of living here I didn't know it was a mountain. , I thought Sky, Jason, and two other guys where the big four. .. I couldn't quite figure out who number three and four where...?

4/5/13 5:43am

bs.

March 31, 2013, Spider Mountain, North Face Chute

author=alecapone link=topic=28193.msg118487#msg118487 date=1365192288]

damn that's rad! another inspiring descent for sure. i'm glad to see so many people making the most of the great weather we had. gonna have to get out my maps and read your story again...

4/5/13 5:39am

alecapone

Another nice one Scott and Brian!

4/5/13 5:33am

alecapone

Looks like an awesome day! Way to take advantage..

Love the summit shot!

and the pic of the truck...

4/5/13 5:31am

Rowan Stewart

This is an inspiring and very eloquent tr - beautiful lines and great conditions. I have been to holden a few times, but mostly for summer hiking, and climbing. I hope sometime soon i will return to do some shredding there. Nice work getting those remote and seldom ridden lines, looks like a great trip.

4/5/13 5:28am

Hawthorne

No judgements here, but...

U might want to take down those pics of your mug w/ the 4runner/ license place parked next to the sign and outhouse...

4/5/13 4:48am

powhound

April 3, 2013, Pacific West Ski Area (aka Hyak)

Nice work guys! Looked like a full on party up there!

4/4/13 11:22pm

melchap

It was definitely a beautiful spring day!

Nice to meet you Silas.

4/4/13 10:34pm

n16ht5

March 31, 2013, Spider Mountain, North Face Chute

Nice meeting you guys.

We got up to headlights at 5, left the truck at 6:20
breaking above the clouds

<...

4/4/13 8:57pm

ajjenkin

Nice work. There is a lot more snow all over that face than in November of 2011 (as there should be) - the line you ascended was our ski objective then, but it was a sheet of ice with a lot of hang-fire slab bits perched high on it. Isn't that an awesome place...thanks for bringing the memories rushing back!

4/4/13 5:46pm

Mtraslin

Cool!

Thanks for the update.

4/4/13 3:33pm

silaswild

March 31, 2013, Spider Mountain, North Face Chute

Nice job Team TLT5P (+1 splitboarder.)

4/4/13 1:26pm

Good2Go

Good line, great style! Thanks for sharing.

4/4/13 12:51pm

LukerBee