TR Replies
author=Edgesport link=topic=27652.msg116197#msg116197 date=1361759802]
Deep consolidated powder. Get some.
Found same conditions on Sunday, Nice powder in the morning, heavier but skiable in the afternoon. Its obvious Saturday was the better day, I had an invite and shoulda skied both days last weekend...
Willie, no wonder you were as white as a ghost when you popped out of the PCT and hit the parking lot. I did not realize at the time the extent of what you went through. I'm glad your still walking, and wish I would have had a few shots of whisky lined up for ya at the "after party".
Zack
Zack
Well written man! (this is jack fyi) It was definitely a great trip and i was excited to ski that new area(for me) with some good friends. Turns were amazing and the stoke was high throughout the trip. Nice seeing all you other gentlemen on the trail! Glad you all had a good day too!
yep you got it Lowell, the couloir is just left of my glove, just looker's left of the rocky ridge/summit that is DP--it winds down from between 7614' Mantis and Distal Phalanx (Mantis's sub-peak immediately west). Mantis would be the logical top-out, but there was too much rock showing for us to imagine skiing the last bit from the top.
So...Gordy climbed our ski route, not that deep cleft on Mantis that faces a little bit more easterly? (Which looks pretty cool, b...
So...Gordy climbed our ski route, not that deep cleft on Mantis that faces a little bit more easterly? (Which looks pretty cool, b...
author=Jsper link=topic=27661.msg116242#msg116242 date=1361816419]
Short legs, huge heart, ur the man!!!
Another, justly rewarded, massive effort!
Epic pic of the NE face of Stuart & the Ice cliff, looks knarly.
Great motivation getting in there solo again. I do wonder if I can feel an Enchantments cave coming on....
Great motivation getting in there solo again. I do wonder if I can feel an Enchantments cave coming on....
Looks fun Edgesport!
My wife and I found lots of excellent snow all weekend in the low/medium angle trees on Hood. On Sunday, we ventured into some deposited wind styrofoam that skied better than we thought.
We didn't ski where you did, as I thought it would be a zoo in there with all the storm hype coming out of the Meadows blog. By the way, how were the crowds over there this weekend?
My wife and I found lots of excellent snow all weekend in the low/medium angle trees on Hood. On Sunday, we ventured into some deposited wind styrofoam that skied better than we thought.
We didn't ski where you did, as I thought it would be a zoo in there with all the storm hype coming out of the Meadows blog. By the way, how were the crowds over there this weekend?
author=Chainsaw_Willie link
I was the skier who triggered and subsequently got a ride in the avy on Heather Ridge.
any day skiing is better than work right will?
glad you are fine and look forward to your story.
b
Glad you're all right Willie.
I'd post it in the Weak Layers forum, with a link to that post here in the TR. Thanks for being willing to share it.
I'd post it in the Weak Layers forum, with a link to that post here in the TR. Thanks for being willing to share it.
I was the skier who triggered and subsequently got a ride in the avy on Heather Ridge.
I'm working on writing up what happened and will post it later today. I'm looking forward to any/all discussion about this incident.
Is it best to post this sort of thing as a trip report, or should it be in the Weak Layers forum?
I'm working on writing up what happened and will post it later today. I'm looking forward to any/all discussion about this incident.
Is it best to post this sort of thing as a trip report, or should it be in the Weak Layers forum?
Re: "micro-topographic spatial heterogeneity."
I just love it!
So sexy!
Never again will I say "localized variations in the snowpack."
I think that with a little thought a guy could use that line to find himself a hot girlfriend who rips.
Keep up the good work!
I just love it!
So sexy!
Never again will I say "localized variations in the snowpack."
I think that with a little thought a guy could use that line to find himself a hot girlfriend who rips.
Keep up the good work!
author=alecapone link=topic=27649.msg116235#msg116235 date=1361812989]
Z-bo's splitboarding buddy better be at home resting his knee!
nice work John. I like Sila's name ' the bow'.
i like the bow too. my usual partner is at home resting. I got out with the profound slut of snow in his absence. From one ripping splitter to the next.
Wow...That's a lot of people in one skin track.
I can second the avalanche on Heather Ridge. We were skinning up after our second run and found the party that triggered the slide. Thankfully nobody got buried, but the trigger did tweak their knee.
Feb. 24th, 2013; around 11:30 a.m. on a E slope at ~38 degrees at 5300`. The crown was 12-20 inches deep. The slide was triggered at the top of the ridge on windloaded (medium hardness) slab a steep convex roll-over over a sun crust under reported moderate avalanche conditions. The s...
Feb. 24th, 2013; around 11:30 a.m. on a E slope at ~38 degrees at 5300`. The crown was 12-20 inches deep. The slide was triggered at the top of the ridge on windloaded (medium hardness) slab a steep convex roll-over over a sun crust under reported moderate avalanche conditions. The s...
Appreciate the details provided - good for your team for testing rather than just assuming.
author=carvitto link=topic=27649.msg116241#msg116241 date=1361816133]
Worth noting. Be careful up there!
Seems like those small grains on the planar failures were indeed buried SH, huh....
Worth noting. Be careful up there!
author=alecapone link=topic=27649.msg116235#msg116235 date=1361812989]
Z-bo's splitboarding buddy better be at home resting his knee!
I like Sila's name ' the bow'.
He sure seemed pretty content on that knee yesterday!
Henceforth, I shall refer to it as "the Bow". I like that name, and shorter for TR titles, too!
Has anybody else found good conditions on that ridge b...
Z-bo's splitboarding buddy better be at home resting his knee!
nice work John. I like Sila's name ' the bow'.
nice work John. I like Sila's name ' the bow'.
wow.. five and a half hours? talk about an approach!
Nice effort in the deep snow. love the pillow lines in that area.
Nice effort in the deep snow. love the pillow lines in that area.
author=dannycoolski link=topic=27642.msg116178#msg116178 date=1361726768]
Hi all,
Below is a little thing I put together on recent skiing in the San Juan's. Hope you enjoy.
http://shralptown.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/first-week-back-in-the-san-juans/
Cool pic of Arrow, Vestal, and the Trinities! My only trip ever in to the Colorado Rockies, sublime place...
That stuff is in your back yar...
author=z-bo link=topic=27649.msg116207#msg116207 date=1361763691]
I wasn't up there today. Maybe my buddy was. I can definitely say we were the only ones up there yesterday.
OK, we must have met and talked with your buddy then: splitboader, gets out a bunch. I guess I didn't realize he had a different partner each day.
Nice TR John! Yes, we were skiing a bit lower, and the snow on Sunday was thickening up!
A few years ago I watched a cornice break off and trigger a slide onto the east slope from a point on the ridge just a bit below the summit, with the cornice fracture a little too close to my ski tips for comfort (I was next to two trees which gave me perhaps too much comfort). Sure grabbed my attention!
Awesome day at Smithbrook. Great pillows, we are also grateful for the skin track that was laid. We winter camped in the area, and skied the trees below Lichtenberg Lake. The pillows were awesome!
Great day, and we appreciated the skin track immensely :). We were the two guys that caught up to your group then stopped below the ridge and did three sweet laps. The larger open areas has an easily found crust and also sluffed easily. Trees were where is was at. Fun zone.
Just to be clear, you skied what Beckey calls the North Route on Mantis Peak, correct? That's the line that my brother Gordy first climbed in May 1982. It's the couloir between Mantis and Distal Phalanx, somewhat left of where Eric is pointing in your picture.
author=John Morrow link=topic=27649.msg116193#msg116193 date=1361757766]
Pt 5909' that I'll call Arrowhead's "little sibling"
Some of us have called it "the bow"
I wasn't up there today. Maybe my buddy was. I can definitely say we were the only ones up there yesterday.
author=z-bo link=topic=27649.msg116202#msg116202 date=1361762278]
Observation 1 and 2 were from me and a buddy yesterday, albeit the upper slide was about 50 feet across. nothing unmanageable, but the upper mountain kicked us out to lower elevations in the afternoon. We tickled her softly in the morning , then she gave us the boot. We put a couple tracks where you Skied. Amazed there was on evidence.
Great to meet you two up...
quite the avy chutes in the background of the third pic
Observation 1 and 2 were from me and a buddy yesterday, albeit the upper slide was about 50 feet across. nothing unmanageable, but the upper mountain kicked us out to lower elevations in the afternoon. We tickled her softly in the morning , then she gave us the boot. We put a couple tracks where you Skied. Amazed there was on evidence.
It's just that the open glades around the corner are too much fun for me to pass up for descending...
Great report. You probably ran into Tundra and Hopi -- they were out with their crew today. Apparently Hopi was barking all day to get your attention...
Thanks for the great report and tips! I'll be chasing my humans out in that same area today........
-Summit
-Summit
good rpt, on how the the snow types were & how it skied. good pics
MC, I can tell you always bring the spice plus this time definitely the motor and cojones to get us to the top.
author=jwplotz link=topic=27607.msg116101#msg116101 date=1361563401]
I'm pretty sure he'd go rock climbing.
He'd climb 5.12 in the cold without a rope!
Nice work Scott!
Might as well as a little spice to this report. Party consisted of one mountaineer, two skiers, and a splitter. Guess who brought the Scooby snacks?
This was my first winter camping experience and I will say that when that extra heavy pack was initially put on I was immediately playing head games with myself. That was a mental thing I dealt with the whole time I was wearing it. I’m probably in the super lightweight class, so my pack was easily more than a third...
This was my first winter camping experience and I will say that when that extra heavy pack was initially put on I was immediately playing head games with myself. That was a mental thing I dealt with the whole time I was wearing it. I’m probably in the super lightweight class, so my pack was easily more than a third...
author=alecapone link=topic=27607.msg116082#msg116082 date=1361553174]
New back country mantra... what would john plotz do? Good thing that includes a hot cup of coffee!
I'm pretty sure he'd go rock climbing.
Our descent was actually very smooth sailing. Only side step on the other side of the creek required any side-stepping. Cool area.
They are above the Stave Glacier waiting for the weather to clear. The blog has a photo of the map or you can see it here:
https://share.delorme.com/194440ba2c0e43b7bdcd80bd4726dfdf#
https://share.delorme.com/194440ba2c0e43b7bdcd80bd4726dfdf#
It was easier to have that bootpack than to make our own. FWIW we chose the left fork :)
I wasted a good while and some calories exploring whether there was a reasonable skinnable route to the left (not really, at least at the level of the step). Have gone to the right on a few prior trips and actually managed to reasonably skin on one powder-filled outing, but the other times still ended up booting, so I think the direct line that you took there is now my choice. Descent route is a...
I wasted a good while and some calories exploring whether there was a reasonable skinnable route to the left (not really, at least at the level of the step). Have gone to the right on a few prior trips and actually managed to reasonably skin on one powder-filled outing, but the other times still ended up booting, so I think the direct line that you took there is now my choice. Descent route is a...
It was! Unfortunately I think you'll have to track down one of the handful of members and befriend them. They don't appear to have an Internet presence...
author=trees4me link=topic=27607.msg116067#msg116067 date=1361507572]
Fantastic!
Coffee makes those long days go by easy..
New back country mantra... what would john plotz do? Good thing that includes a hot cup of coffee!
Thanks guys. That is a pretty nice area. I agree, a bit far for a day trip.
That looks idyllic. How does one gain access/permission/key for cabin usage?
Nice work. Always wanted to get back in that area. The tracks to stuart were from this past weekend. They went in saturday and were still in there when we came out sunday night. That snow from saturday night skied great on sunday.
Wow, that is incredible! Nice injection of humor to go along with a stunning TR, too Ryan.