TR Replies

Like everyone else EZE, very glad this had a good outcome and nobody got hurt.

Thanks for posting your thoughts and the photos of the aftermath. Very useful info.

Awesome video; thanks. 

EZE: glad that you are OK, and THANK YOU for posting your experience here. That was a really great analysis of how you got into trouble, and I'm sure it will make an impression on many, including myself.

Best,
Micah

Awesome idea and exploration!  We always let the low start talk us out of this one but there looks to be some incredible terrain back there.  The crystal ball says it is going to be the next popular destination!  Even still, seems like plenty of goods to go around.  Good to know there is a break in the ridge somewhere between Slippery Slab and Nimbus.
Thanks for the TR,
John

Thanks for the video. It really captured the day and the magic of dropping into a foggy nether world. Really enjoyed spending the day with you. Wish the snow was more pow and less chalky.
It was a huge day for the wife and she certainly achieved far more than she expected . It blows my mind to think of the progress she has made in the last few weeks. In January she broke down at the top of the mellowest of the blueberry chutes, terrified by the steepness and deep powder. She barely hesitat...

A couple more pictures.

Kokolo, it was very nice of you to take your ol' faithful alecapone for a jaunt.

Glad all turned out well!

There are endless amounts of amazing lines in that area.

If only access was better.

stellar tour and way to get after it. 
it was nice meeting a few of you up on mount snoqualmie a few weeks back before we all descended the north side.

The layer on which the slab released was indeed pretty slick.  I think it was a rain crust, probably an inch or two thick that needed hard kicks to put in steps as I hiked up.  Perhaps some faceting occurred above it during the cold snaps?  When it released it did go quick. 

Thanks for the sentiments Ryan.  We used your skin track on the logging road, which had a few inches of new snow in it.  By the time we go to the base of the funnelator and started t...

author=lrudholm link=topic=20035.msg84938#msg84938 date=1299526021]
Awesome!

I've been tempted to create a big sign that I can plant at the beginning of a skin track asking booters, etc to stay off the skintrack. Maybe something that says "Free beer for booters and snowshoers that stay off the skintrack."

I talked to an LEO/Ranger about programs for snowshoer/bc skier saftey and he did mention the NPS is...

author=bellingham allen link=topic=20035.msg84988#msg84988 date=1299548950]
want your own private skintrack????    better move to the yukon dude....

I gave up on intact skin tracks a good 4-5 years ago; I rarely even comment about them to people.  But I did make a skin track on private, posted land that I thought might have some small chance of surviving 24 hrs LOL; the Park sent snowshoers there because they didn't have...

author=bellingham allen link=topic=20035.msg84988#msg84988 date=1299548950]
want your own private skintrack???? better move to the yukon dude....

Hummm... good to know. Never been to the Yukon and had no idea that the snowshoers up there were so much more considerate about skin tracks than here. For sure then I'd certainly give a beer to a Yukon snowshoer ;)

Good post EZE.

We are not masters of our universe and need to realize that the high consequences of deep slabs should change everything. I saw a couple of 3' slabs today near Stevens Pass that probably released several days ago on a N to NW aspect presumably on buried surface hoar. On one of these the slope angle was just 25-30 degrees although it didn't slide very far. The second was only 15-20 degrees at the crown but was on a convexity with a steeper slope below. It like...

Skinning up the Westside Road today in a track we've put in for the last week, I came across Bronka Sundstrom and friend on skis with a friend on snowshoes.  We stopped to talk.  The snowshoer (a woman in her late 60s) complained that snowshoeing in the skin track was difficult (given the crusty snow on the edges).  I said, "you know you shouldn't be snowshoeing in the skin track anyway, it's not good manners, try making your own trail".  She said de...

Very nice Jake & Victor! I’m kicking myself for getting scared off by your early departure. Did you make it back to town for your Saturday night?

It is used by WSDOT for avalanche control on Granite and Denny Mountain, and is a very good reason to stay out of the avalanche paths that hit the highway on Denny Mtn. It's been there for about two years now and is a replacement for the 105 recoilless rifle that will be retired in a couple years. It should help reduce the amount of time the highway is closed for avalanche control on Granite and Denny Mountain.

From the link: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/maintenance/avalanche
&qu...

Another thanks for the skin track for the first half of the trip around Chair.  The guy that broke the quick track up to Melakwa Pass also broke 90% of the way up to Bryant Col, he was an animal!  I think his trail breaking speed was still faster than my skinning speed...  Luckily we had some extra beer at the car to donate to the cause for all his hard work. 

Great day in the mountains.

author=Lisa link=topic=20029.msg84922#msg84922 date=1299521331]
Great photos Victor, glad you had stellar conditions, great to see Jake out there smiling in his element.

Could not resist posting 2 pictures of a contented British man in his WA playground.  Vive l'Angleterre (et la France)!  :)

I had a close call out in the Funnelator/Swath yesterday, triggering a large avalanche.  This was on the looker's left side of the main face, just above the last patch of large trees adjacent to the open slope.  Elevation was about 6500' and the slope quite steep, 40+ degrees. The crown was about 3-4 feet high and I think ran for about 100 feet lengthwise, parallel to the ridge line and then downslope into the looker's left-side of the main face.  This part of the c...

Not surprised at all Benj.  Those guys have a unique makeup of strength and conditioning that surpass most.  If Dave Coleman was with them and not at the Bark Ball the night prior he would have been out there charging it hard as well. 
What is refreshing is the humility and kindness that they all exude among friends and strangers, what a wonderful group of guys that I am blessed to call friends.

swath in prime conditions. 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP4SJhExRv8

Awesome!

I've been tempted to create a big sign that I can plant at the beginning of a skin track asking booters, etc to stay off the skintrack. Maybe something that says "Free beer for booters and snowshoers that stay off the skintrack."

author=ron j link=topic=20035.msg84933#msg84933 date=1299524285]

Had you been around when we got to the car it would have gotten you a free beer :)

Oh, uh...that, uh, was me, Yeah that's it, I'll collect that free beer.

Nice work guys! No Lander this trip?