TR Replies

Go to the first sign if it says open proceed, if not go through potato patch. If its open continue on to the next sign and hit the ridge from there. Why would anyone want to go up through there when they are doing control work?

Guessing the "skicrow" was more about the concern of wy'east going big this past weekend. I really do not think you have every right to be there, especially in a closed inbounds/sidecountry area. Don't you become mea...

4/3/12 9:58am

Stugie

I think there's other backflips in the archives. ;)

We definitely slayed some good lines on Mazama ridge through the sunshine and end of the day. Some scary cornice releases had us making some conservative line choices. Sun is nice, but sure can change the snowpack rapidly.

4/3/12 8:48am

author=MJS link=topic=24356.msg102992#msg102992 date=1333482158]
I am not sure what the goal of hauling a mannequin with ski boots and a patrol jacket up the mountain would be.

It's probably just an extra measure to try to deter people from heading up the canyon on days when the avy danger is high. It's at least cheaper than paying a patroller to stand there all day, although I guess it depends on how convincing it looks...

4/3/12 6:57am

Split007

The MHM Corporation merely holds the permits to operate a business on public land. It is not private land, therefore you have the right as a taxpayer to be there, and my conversations several years ago with the Forest Service confirmed this. If you'd like to find out the specifics, contact the Hood River Ranger station, and ask for the officer that handles the permits for MHM.

However, I believe that cooperation with the MHM Patrol is essential for everyone's safety, and th...

4/3/12 4:52am

MJS

Missouri Sweet Corn, 4-1-2012, Sawatch Range, CO

My wife and I were up there on Sunday as well. We skied up to the huge cornices at the start of the bowl, but it was feeling really wind affected and we assumed the bowl would be slabby. We skied a run a bit down the ridge from the bowl and found the fresh 6 to 12 inches were quite reactive soft slabs. Any roll over in the terrain was easily ski triggered. We measured the bed surface of one start zone at 40 degrees. These soft slabs quickly fell apart and did not go...

4/3/12 4:42am

JoshK

Corn does sound good. And as a former Colorado resident familar with the area, that snowpack sure is depressing to see. :( It's going to be a long, dry summer for the watersheds in the area.

4/3/12 4:38am

danhelmstadter

Missouri Sweet Corn, 4-1-2012, Sawatch Range, CO

Nice, corn sounds good.

4/3/12 2:29am

Koda

author=Split007 link=topic=24356.msg102980#msg102980 date=1333470136]
Once again, if MHM is not doing control work, then BC travelers have every right to continue up Clark Canyon.

its was my understanding that you are not allowed entry if the area is mearly closed to resort skiers, not just control work, uphill or down. This is where Meadows could do a better job clarifying.

What makes this deceiving is sometimes they...

4/3/12 1:40am

Split007

At the Heather canyon chairlift there is another small sign that specifies "no uphill traffic beyond this point". The MHM Patrollers we met mentioned that this is where we should head up the ridge toward Newton canyon.

Once again, if MHM is not doing control work, then BC travelers have every right to continue up Clark Canyon. You will not be arrested or forced to take avy classes (although you really should take a class).

4/3/12 1:22am

ErikT

DH = DOWNHILL! Man, I've been missing half the fun.

4/3/12 12:27am

Edgesport

author=Split007 link=topic=24356.msg102966#msg102966 date=1333424376]

Also, we spoke with the MHM Patrollers at the "Test Dummy" site on the walk in, and they were very helpful in sharing information about control work that was done earlier in the day. I have been lectured by MHM patrol in the past for going up the canyon during control work, and while we have every right to be there(according to the USFS), Hood River County has other ideas...a...

4/2/12 2:15pm

christoph benells

a buddy of mine was forced by MHM to take an avy class after poaching gods wall on a closed day.

4/2/12 1:11pm

Split007

We descended the canyon just before you guys. Yes, the cornices were BIG. After some slope evaluation (CT4Q3 15cm, and CT24Q2 75cm) we decided it was good to go...however on the skin up I noticed settlement and cracking, so we decided to head back on Pea Gravel ridge(south facing), where we then set off a shallow slab, 50 feet wide and 6-8 inches deep, on a roller ski cut . Not too bad, but it ran. It was surely "Considerable" out there.

Also, we spoke with the MHM Patroller...

4/2/12 12:39pm

Marcus

It's all good. :) Glad you had a good day out!

4/2/12 11:40am

silaswild

Thanks Randy. I really appreciate these short and informative reports which help me decide where to ski based on wind, sun, and up to date snow conditions. No need for anyone to share their personal secret stash with me, I respect their privacy. It would be great to have more folks share similar information, no worries about how unimportant or unimpressive the day was, and no need for extraordinary photos which sometimes slow the report rendering on our smartphones.

Glad to hear y...

4/2/12 11:25am

~Link~

I blame Go-Pro.

4/2/12 8:41am

Feck

I'm not sure I understand the difference between climbing and skiing. I've climbed a number of things that are visible from the road and have route descriptions in old and new guidebooks. Despite all the information available we still had adventures on route.

Wishbone Arete

4/2/12 8:06am

melchap

I fail to see how Ruby Mountain is a secret. It exists on topographic maps and satellite images. It is visible from nearby locations and is accessible as a day trip from a major road.

Amar, I enjoyed reading this trip report and always read your many detailed and thoughtful trip reports. I hope you leave this report intact with all the details.

4/2/12 7:04am

Koda

author=OldHouseMan link=topic=24356.msg102935#msg102935 date=1333397574">
I wander what the Meadows policy is on skiing into the closed area from above?

I have heard rumors that they will have you arrested if entering any closed area due to avalanche work in progress. You can't validate that on their website (which is a shame) but they do post when avalanche work is in progress where they clearly state to "stay out of th...

4/2/12 6:10am

acinpdx

edgesport, looks like you hit it right!

4/2/12 5:22am

acinpdx

author=OldHouseMan link=topic=24356.msg102935#msg102935 date=1333397574]
I wander what the Meadows policy is on skiing into the closed area from above? I know they are sticklers about climbing into the closed area from the bottom. I have to assume that the policy is the same if coming in from the top or the bottom.

While the link only addresses going out, I believe they will pull your season pass (if you have one) if you enter fro...

4/2/12 5:20am

OldHouseMan

I wander what the Meadows policy is on skiing into the closed area from above? I know they are sticklers about climbing into the closed area from the bottom. I have to assume that the policy is the same if coming in from the top or the bottom.

4/2/12 5:12am

Jim Oker

That was a blast! Very nice powder turns in the upper forest for April! On our second run after Tia guided you home, we made it up to more like 5200 or so by staying mostly in mature forest and trailbreaking was a tad easier than what we found as we broke into those open areas at the top of the first track. We dug some pits in the open area at 5000 and I felt a thin and not super hard ice crust at about 18", but did not get any shears on it. There was a layer down at about 2.5' where w...

4/2/12 3:54am

Randito

In nearby British Columbia, a number places like Ruby Mtn have a hut near timberline. Many of the public huts have a couple dozen folks staying at the hut and skiing the area every weekend, the stealth huts less so. I don't think there will ever be a public hut on Ruby Mtn -- perhaps there is a stealth hut up there already that the locals want to protect from discovery.

On a recent BC hut trip, my group of six skiied for three solid days out of the hut and had...

4/2/12 3:39am

Bronco

author=scottb link=topic=24307.msg102894#msg102894 date=1333339012]
OK here is the real reason we Skagit Valley elitist and others in the "know" do not want all you Seattle poachers up on "our" mountain(besides all those ridiculous green Gore-tex pants and never ending stream of Subaru wagons taking up space in the parking lots). Its a known local fact that the metal box on top of Ruby is not a radio repeater, but a secret stash of CANDY!!!...

4/2/12 2:45am

Looks nice in there. That's pretty funny about the "skicrow". Who said ski patrollers aren't creative?

4/2/12 1:43am

DenisSeattle

Tia needs snowshoes! We (Don, Jeff) were up north of US2 with 2' of powder accumulated in the preceding 3-4 days. The trees between 4k and 5k were sweet, even after the sun started trashing the open slopes. Crust at 2' softened and disappeared at 4300'.

4/1/12 11:23pm

John Morrow

author=Lowell_Skoog link=topic=24307.msg102807#msg102807 date=1333177216]

It's what distinguishes the Cascades from a place like the Alps.

I am not sure how I stand on this issue overall. I go back and forth as evidenced in my TR posting past.

But I do think one fallacy here in the argument, Lowell, is that access is what distinguishes the Alps form the Cascades, really. Few plowed roads, no huts,...

4/1/12 10:30pm

Roger Strong

March 31, 2012, - Humpback Mountain

Thank gawd it's "ONLY" playing in the mountains...

Amar and Lowell, along with every one else who's chosen to enter the world of internet chatter;...please keep doing exactly what you love to do, continue to inspire and don't ever stop sharing...as mountain people, we are only a postage stamp compared to the rest of the hectic planet that just don't get it...

4/1/12 4:40pm

cchapin

Haha, I do question some of his routes in there that's for sure.

Thanks for the info. If I ever do this one again I'll try either of those more direct routes.

4/1/12 3:47pm

Jonn-E

That is the first backflip I've seen on TAY. I hope it's not the last!

4/1/12 3:28pm

HillsHaveEyes

March 31, 2012, - Humpback Mountain

Coffee Crisp! I suspected as much.

4/1/12 3:09pm

HillsHaveEyes

Wowza. That's the long way around. I would write an angry letter to Burgdorfer. More direct routes exist on the NE and NW flanks.

4/1/12 3:04pm

mick_scott

I like the shadow in the backflip image - the first one is my fav though. Thanks for sharing

4/1/12 2:29pm

mick_scott

I'm not sure hillshaveeyes???? I think you were on to something with Diddle Hut.

4/1/12 2:26pm

HillsHaveEyes

March 31, 2012, - Humpback Mountain

Dog Hollow?
Dump Haven?
Dill Hole?
Doddering Hank?
Dingle Haus?
Dang Hellions?
Dandy Heights?
Dozen Horses?
Diddle Hut?
Oh right, Diamond Head. Geez.

4/1/12 2:23pm

cchapin

author=lrudholm link=topic=24342.msg102870#msg102870 date=1333310184]
What do you think about dawn patrols on the west side of Humpback.. with colder storms of course?

I don't think that would work if you can't drive any part of the road past the T intersection. The road is really long before you get to anything that would be good skiing. The gps showed 10.7 miles round trip (linked our tracks below). The Tinkham R...

4/1/12 1:38pm

steveski

Lookin good!

4/1/12 1:13pm

cchapin

Yes, enjoyable conditions were had there today especially when compared to what we had yesterday at Snoqualmie. Sadly it was our first visit to Blewett Pass so we didn't know where all the good skiing was. But we happened to meet "WMC" in the sno-park afterwards and he gave us some great guidance for future trips!

4/1/12 12:57pm

scottb

OK here is the real reason we Skagit Valley elitist and others in the "know" do not want all you Seattle poachers up on "our" mountain(besides all those ridiculous green Gore-tex pants and never ending stream of Subaru wagons taking up space in the parking lots). Its a known local fact that the metal box on top of Ruby is not a radio repeater, but a secret stash of CANDY!!!, that right, NewHalem elves come up twice a year and stock it with not only butterscotch lozenges and l...

4/1/12 12:56pm

jwplotz

I think tr's on TAY give the false impression that there is a limited number of areas in which to tour in solitude. The Cascades are vast on both sides of the crest, that with just a little imagination and higher tolerance for suffering, one can always find undisturbed turns, and then not talk about it afterwards.

4/1/12 12:20pm

LukerBee

That looks worth waiting for.

4/1/12 12:10pm

GregSimon

What about this one that Amar posted back in January:
http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboarding/trip_reports/index.php?topic=23286.0
- Very close to Seattle
- Known only to locals
- Sees very few (ski) tracks
And now that secret stash is on the internet, too. ;)

I'll confess I'm one of those too lazy for the 6hr roundtrip drive and 5200 foot vertical in a day. So I'll only know Ruby mountain from Amar's report. An...

4/1/12 11:56am

John Morrow