TR Replies
Looks like a great adventure! Question:
What's happening in this photo? Is he sliding down or floating up up and away?
What's happening in this photo? Is he sliding down or floating up up and away?
a few more pics from the day...
who needs deep powder when you can have rocketpacks, crotch busting ridges, and icy rappels? add in skiing some icy snow and a tracked out bryant couloir and you've creating something even the best pow day can't dish up.
who needs deep powder when you can have rocketpacks, crotch busting ridges, and icy rappels? add in skiing some icy snow and a tracked out bryant couloir and you've creating something even the best pow day can't dish up.
Bad ass guys. Great work and great pics. EW, sick sunset pics on Picassa
Good job T1 and gang. You can thank me and my merry group of compatriots for harvesting the untouched powder in the bryant couloir last weekend.
Way to go Donnie!!!!
Way to go Donnie!!!!
Here's a photo with a little more snow on it taken from Kaleetan.
Awesome -- great time for a little adventuring. Is Melakwa point still on the Chair side of the usual circumnav route, or is it over on the Kaleetan/Roosevelt side? Time for me to look at a map...
The Anthracites are just outside of Crested Butte. It's one of the standard early season spots around here. When the road closes it still gets skied a lot via sled access. I wouldn't say that it has been a great early season here on the western slope, but certainly not bad.
Thanks for the repot. Good nordic trail reports are hard to find.
Well, you have the right idea: look for light winds and no clouds with a high freezing level, along with a steep enough southerly aspect (SE, S, or SW depending on time of day), to get corn in December.
The 700 mb "Temp, winds, heights" (either at 4km or 12km grid) shows winds near zero (5 knots or less) and a freezing level over 10000 ft in SW WA on Friday at 10am and 1pm, so there should be a high probability of corn on the south side of St Helens. For Saturday, it looks l...
The 700 mb "Temp, winds, heights" (either at 4km or 12km grid) shows winds near zero (5 knots or less) and a freezing level over 10000 ft in SW WA on Friday at 10am and 1pm, so there should be a high probability of corn on the south side of St Helens. For Saturday, it looks l...
Thanks for giving up turns to hang with the geezers today, Robie! XC is even more pleasant if you remember your footbeds next time. ;D
Some of those crystals were as big as postage stamps. Did you hear octagenarian Dorothea humming a tune as she glided through the tinkling surface hoar in those shady glades? Made my day!
My bum knee feels great, may try some easy turns next time there's new snow.
Some of those crystals were as big as postage stamps. Did you hear octagenarian Dorothea humming a tune as she glided through the tinkling surface hoar in those shady glades? Made my day!
My bum knee feels great, may try some easy turns next time there's new snow.
Interesting point about the low humidity and evaporation, Bryan. I had not thought about that.
But despite those factors, corn has been forming on steeper southerly aspects. Like the steep rolls at Pebble Creek, and below Pan Point, and on many portions of the south side of Saint Helens, even as high as 8000 ft. Also on steep south aspects in the Crystal backcountry, as found on Dec 4. All of that appeared to be real melt-freeze rounded grains of corn snow, at least to my eyes and to...
But despite those factors, corn has been forming on steeper southerly aspects. Like the steep rolls at Pebble Creek, and below Pan Point, and on many portions of the south side of Saint Helens, even as high as 8000 ft. Also on steep south aspects in the Crystal backcountry, as found on Dec 4. All of that appeared to be real melt-freeze rounded grains of corn snow, at least to my eyes and to...
You guys are grr-animals. Nice work and nice write up. Perfect timing right now to get to things that have snow, but the road isn't quite impassable yet. I'm inspired.
Hey Zack.
Where in CO is this? I don't recognize this range. The Front Range has had a great early season. Chest and face shots two weeks in a row. Everyone at work thinks the white strips of death at the resorts couldn't possibly yeild such bounty. Which, of course, is true.
I do not educate, just smile warmly and wink knowingly. Looks like you've eeked out a living as well.
Where in CO is this? I don't recognize this range. The Front Range has had a great early season. Chest and face shots two weeks in a row. Everyone at work thinks the white strips of death at the resorts couldn't possibly yeild such bounty. Which, of course, is true.
I do not educate, just smile warmly and wink knowingly. Looks like you've eeked out a living as well.
Ask and ye shall receive. Here's what the Chair looked like, the snowpit site, and the snowpit results. Used a digital thermometer and only focused on top layers. I'm pretty sure there was some faceted layer around 22cm, but boy that's a tricky thing to find/see. North Aspect, 5,400 Feet, 35 degree slope:
Amar:
With the upper air subsidence that we have been experiencing for the past week or so, the sinking air is heated dramatically, but it is also very dry. Even though the air temperature may be well above freezing, not much snow melts. It just evaporates into the low humidity air. The evaporation keeps the snow surface temperature below freezing. To get true corn snow, there must be several freeze-thaw cycles. With the current conditions there is no thaw. Thus, corn snow is unlike...
With the upper air subsidence that we have been experiencing for the past week or so, the sinking air is heated dramatically, but it is also very dry. Even though the air temperature may be well above freezing, not much snow melts. It just evaporates into the low humidity air. The evaporation keeps the snow surface temperature below freezing. To get true corn snow, there must be several freeze-thaw cycles. With the current conditions there is no thaw. Thus, corn snow is unlike...
Once again, the E-liminator (aka E-dub, E$, E-lderly) proves his balls and lungs are made of steel, or something along those lines! Nice work fellas.
Nice warm up guys. Since Dan didn't pick his skiis up from my place until Friday night it is damned impressive that these were his first turns for the year.
Thanks for the observations AndyH!
Few questions:
What procedure did you use to observe the snowpack temperature? ( Ice water normalised thermistor? )
Aspect/elevation of obs?
Any chance you could sketch out or describe a quick snow profile?
Few questions:
What procedure did you use to observe the snowpack temperature? ( Ice water normalised thermistor? )
Aspect/elevation of obs?
Any chance you could sketch out or describe a quick snow profile?
Nice trip! This has me interested in a me-too trip, but the weather's changing a bit this weekend. Unfortunately, from looking at the UW WRF-GFS 4km solar radiation loop, it looks like Sat / Sunday will have some clouds obscuring the sun, which would make for an awful icy time I'm guessing.
Tomorrow looks like it's got the solar radiation and temperatures, but I'm wondering if the 10kt wind from the SE will prevent corn from forming. Amar, any tip...
Tomorrow looks like it's got the solar radiation and temperatures, but I'm wondering if the 10kt wind from the SE will prevent corn from forming. Amar, any tip...
We skied the mogul/crust run down the north face on Sunday. There was a well established skin track across Snow Lake.
Thanks for the conditions update. How's Snow Lake looking, well frozen?
Good times. Should have brought more whiskey. As usual.
Fantastic Drew, thanks for sharing it -- hope you didn't have to pack out all that Wild Turkey ;)
just. plain. awesome.
thanks for the writeup and for sharing.
thanks for the writeup and for sharing.
Nice write up Drew, and great to get out with you. Funny timing- I just posted on Sky's site.
Well chosen objective, team, timing, and execution! Nice writing and photos, thanks for sharing. Way to surf the cream of the Cascades.
Mighty fine! Glad the snow wasn't too blown out.
Well dang...that looks pretty good. Guess I shoulda joined. Way to search out the corn.
Thanks for the report Amar.
Guess I'll be going to Crystal.
Guess I'll be going to Crystal.
I guess that was worth missing nachos.
My bad, it was Dec 5th.
I haven't checked with the FS on when they plan to close the gate but it is my understanding they have left if open for late season hunting.
There are a couple of options to getting over there when the gate closes. ;D
I'm always looking for week day partners.
I haven't checked with the FS on when they plan to close the gate but it is my understanding they have left if open for late season hunting.
There are a couple of options to getting over there when the gate closes. ;D
I'm always looking for week day partners.
That looks much better than Sunday. You can actually see your tracks. The sun above the valley fog must be loosening it up a bit. Glad you all got to enjoy it.
Nice work getting into and skiing the southwest side and Dryer Glacier. That's my favorite route on St Helens, especially since it leads directly to the true summit. I've only managed to ski it once, in April 2004, due to typically long access when the road is gated. I followed a large gully heading directly towards the toe of the Dryer Glacier after trying in vain to follow the trail through the woods (
Nice trip Steve. We were over on the worm flows. Attached pic of worm flows on the same day for comparison. You had much better coverage.
Rob and I did the trip on 12/6 and aside from the thin coverage it was very nice. Softening by 9 am. Left the rim at 1pm on really nice wind buff, which gradually transitioned into soft corn at about 6800'. Skied lookers left near the pinnacle on monitor as coverage was better on that side. The only negative was a strong wind above 7k after 12pm. Surprisingly calm at the rim, although i could hear it swirling in the crater. It's hard to imagine Decem...
Cool shots of Larrabe.Looks like a fun ski.
Good effort and some cool local knowledge.
That "flying jellyfish" is one of the the most spectacular cloud formations I have ever seen!
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing.
author=Tom_Sjolseth link=topic=22640.msg96649#msg96649 date=1323201384]Glad to meet you too. Hope you had a great trip as well.
Nice to meet you at the snow park. I'm glad you were able to enjoy your day despite the marginal coverage.
The winter route (worm flow) has the initial open area then into the ridge lines which funnel you down, where as on the Dyer Glacier area has more open routes. It reminds me of groomed runs at a resort.
The snow is more wind effected on this side which during the current conditions smoothed thing out and softened better then the packed powder.
The snow is more wind effected on this side which during the current conditions smoothed thing out and softened better then the packed powder.
Hey Louie, no prob, was nice to meet you guys, too. Glad I topped my fuel off before leaving home; pasta and instant potatoes are really much better when they're cooked.