TR Replies

actually you can ski via a 60 degree pitch from the skiers left around the knob just 25m from where you rapped. Â At the end you get a nice little drop over a grade 3 ice step!!

2/20/20 2:49am

toddball

author=kamtron link=topic=42574.msg166704#msg166704 date=1581101137]
That's also the â€œski inâ€ entrance for extra spice with the right conditions

There were old tracks over there, looked a little exciting though.

2/19/20 2:40pm

kamtron

That's also the â€œski inâ€ entrance for extra spice with the right conditions

2/19/20 11:07am

toddball

author=marshallgeo5 link=topic=42574.msg166702#msg166702 date=1581057366]
Sounds like good times!

I'm guessing you rapped in the tempting eastern most corner of snot? If you rap from the cluster trees about 50 yards west (where there is often a large cornice), a 70m rope gets you into the couloir.

Yes, we were considering bumping the rope over to those trees to the west. Good beta, thanks!

2/18/20 10:21am

marshallgeo5

Sounds like good times!

I'm guessing you rapped in the tempting eastern most corner of snot? If you rap from the cluster trees about 50 yards west (where there is often a large cornice), a 70m rope gets you into the couloir.

2/18/20 1:49am

PhilH

author=toddball link=topic=42574.msg166655#msg166655 date=1580766463]
-It feels like powder skiing if you don't make any turns. We made turns, though.

...too funny. Someone should make a meme with these words of wit

2/18/20 1:45am

bigeo

That's helpful. thanks
After this next rain event, it should be primo

2/17/20 2:07pm

toddball

Didn't think to get photos of NY Gully or other routes, unfortunately. You can get a general idea of how much snow/ice is on that wall in some of the photos here:

https://imgur.com/a/lok30Ok

2/17/20 3:46am

bigeo

January 23, 2020, East Peak, East to North Face

Well, now that I've seen the pictures. . .
Did you get any pics looking up towards NY Gulley?

2/17/20 2:52am

Mtraslin

Thanks for sharing. Andy. Bully free zone. In the mountains. Right PK. :)

2/17/20 1:59am

toddball

author=bigeo link=topic=42574.msg166663#msg166663 date=1580789653]
Thanks for the beta, but I don't think anyone is going to be doing it soon after that report.

Eh?Â On our tour, we had:

1. Dreamy cramponing conditions

2. Low avy hazard

3. Blower powder, with a firm-but-grippy crust underneat...

2/13/20 11:45pm

bigeo

Thanks for the beta, but I don't think anyone is going to be doing it soon after that report.

2/12/20 12:14pm

Atraslin

Jan 29, 2020, Blewett Area

Thank you. Kneel Turner and Micah. ðŸ‘Š

2/12/20 12:07am

avajane

Blewett Pass

Thanks for the report. Better than expected. I hope it's getting colder by now. Skiing Hyak tomorrow and probably back to Blewett by midweek, conditions permitting.

2/11/20 12:05am

avajane

Thanks for keeping the skin track open! Looks like a bad warm up comingðŸ˜•

2/9/20 2:14am

anthonylubetski

Jan 29, 2020, Blewett Area

Way to get after it. Things changed quick! Worst day of skiing is still better than the best day of work!

2/7/20 3:22pm

Mtraslin

Thanks for the kind words Micah and kneel turner. Same to you guys.

2/7/20 2:58am

Micah

Word.

2/7/20 2:45am

Kneel Turner

TAY lives large as long as peeps like the Traslins are contributing.
Thanks.

2/7/20 1:28am

Mtraslin

Thanks for sharing. Some Danzig.

2/6/20 2:36pm

Randito

January 26, 2020, ONP Hurricane Hill

The Blewett pass sno park map is a good starting point

https://parks.state.wa.us/459/Blewett-I-90

Also https://wenatcheeoutdoors.org/guidebook/

Has a bunch of info

2/5/20 7:10am

telemack

You won't regret it!
Hurricane Ridge, that is. You might regret working at some point....

2/4/20 12:24pm

kamtron

January 27, 2020, Snow Lake

Jim--We didn't notice any wind effect in the elevations we traveled, although I heard from someone later that Pineapple pass had got hit with the wind.

Pavel--Our friend John (Lonnie Butthill on the forum) and a postdoc Sydney in his group are doing a project to study snow flies of the genus Chionea. They are adapted to cold and are mostly only found on snow. The idea is to study how their neurophysiology (chemistry etc.) is adapted to cold. It appears their neurons can fu...

2/4/20 7:50am

PS44

January 27, 2020, Snow Lake

Nice. We were there on Sunday (on the Pineapple Pass side) and had nice skiing too. What's up with the snow insects - are you collecting them? I have seen them on the snow and always wondered whether these are stragglers destined to die or insects adapted to snow? What do they eat?

2/4/20 7:40am

Jim Oker

January 27, 2020, Snow Lake

Nice shots. From the way the rain featuring shows up in that shot of skiing to toward the lake, it looks like that 4" must have fallen with little or no wind.

2/4/20 2:32am

marshallgeo5

I am hoping to explore Blewett Pass for my first time. Just curious how most people approach Diamond Head and Tronson Head from the free winter parking area? It looks like there are some relatively low angle approaches on the NW aspects of Tronson Head, but would love to know if there is a more "standard" skin track. Cheers!

2/3/20 1:59pm

Randito

January 26, 2020, ONP Hurricane Hill

We skied over the top of Tronsen Head 5981ft doing a variation of the old "Tronsen Head Loop",, except we climbed directly up the N aspect of Windy Knob instead of following the Lillaby XC15 trail and Windy Gully. The best snow conditions were encountered above 5000ft.

Group Photo Album

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipON84wXPzNo-zYhQuNGHzBTw0ZLkybhjmCbzPxXF8PsxfxXpK12DSd5apv5X7Rr0A/photo/AF1QipPq7o8xRz1C47zxRJZQyN9fOMZ3_4yZXCPBrhwe?key=TmZQU0lL...

2/3/20 12:14pm

Chamois

Ha! Winter! Beats working. Gotta get over there sometime soon

2/1/20 3:14pm

avajane

I thought I saw you over thereðŸ˜‰ I think you had more new snow. We had preserved stuff up top, but seemed like just a trace of new. Wet snow on top of crust from 4400' on down. What was your high point? Ours was 5,050'.

2/1/20 9:32am

Randito

December 14, 2019, Kootenay/Boundary

I was out with a group in the Tronsen Basin area as well.
Much better than forecast conditions on Tronsen Basin today. All the snow fell overnight giving us partly sunny skies, winds were nowhere near the 55mph gusts predicted by NOAA and best of all it was cool enough to refreeze the weak wet crust layer observed by NWAC on Saturday. Good team of skiers made it even more enjoyable.

1/30/20 6:56am

Atraslin

Mt. Shasta. 10,000' vert summit to town. Switch to mountain bike at parking lot.

1/30/20 2:25am

Mtraslin

December 14, 2019, Kootenay/Boundary

Thanks for sharing. It would be great to ski and mountain bike in California again.

1/29/20 11:11pm

avajane

Yes - that is a great resource. Some guys went up all sorts of things years ago, and there are maps and all sorts of excellent information. I didn't stumble on it until I'd been skiing up there for years and it really confirmed some things for me. Also, some of that stuff needs more snow than we get in an average year from what I've seen.

If anyone wants to go try one of those routes out maybe on the weekend or next week, I think with the new snow coming it might work....

1/29/20 12:32pm

PhilH

author=kamtron link=topic=42502.msg166512#msg166512 date=1579626252]
Blewett is still such a mystery to me.

Geez, amen to that! I'll check out the suggested Wenatchee Outdoors site. "Hope springs eternal...."

1/28/20 5:43pm

glenn_b

January 12, 2020, Stemilt Basin

Blewett is still such a mystery to me.
Check out the backcountry skiing guidebook on the Wenatchee Outdoors website. Lots to chew on there.

1/28/20 2:41am

DenisSeattle

You got the goods right on time! Thanks for all the avy obs.

1/28/20 12:03am

avajane

You have to go when a local tells you, and preferably with them...

Today a took a Splitter up, and he's hooked! Micro climates all over the place, aspect and elevation dependent...Light dry snow turns to crap from wind and sun. Good snow in sheltered areas can last a while. Blown in is your friend. I rarely ski at the pass itself. I don't have anything figured out yet except really easy stuff at the pass. I'll take you if you can show up when it's hot...

1/27/20 4:48pm

kamtron

Blewett is still such a mystery to me.

1/27/20 12:47pm

avajane

I went up Kings Ridge and on the 18th and 19th it was still very good. It's all about the aspect when it starts to warm. If it doesn't see the sun or feel the wind, it holds out much better. The 20th it did turn heavy, so I'm hoping for a few more inches of light to cover it up. North and east facing is always best in that Valley. Maybe there was a slight inversion, or perhaps it just stayed colder further down the valley. It is a wild micro climate around there. Huge changes base...

1/27/20 12:34pm

Matt Kurjanowicz

1/17/20 Bullion Basin, Crystal Mountain, WA

It didn't stay cold. At least now down low. Tronsen Meadow area is mashed potato with a lot of water content. We only made it to 5130', on the lower ENE facing slopes of Diamond Head.

1/27/20 12:12pm

ski_n_fly

Great report, thanks!

1/27/20 11:35am

johnspeth

Jan 11, 2020, Hayrick Butte, Skiing in the storm

Thanks for the generous details. It sounds like you've been hammering away at Hayrick Butte for some time and have accumulated some valuable local knowledge. I hope to read about your future Hayrick adventures.

1/27/20 7:45am

evanraj513

Jan 11, 2020, Hayrick Butte, Skiing in the storm

Hey @johnspeth, I can send you a gpx file that I made of one of my ascents (I believe it was this trip) but is a pretty typical ski/skin for me. In this, I didn't summit, but I summitted yesterday.

Regarding 'worth the effort,' I do find it quite enjoyable. The fast laps include about 600' of descent, but can be climbed (by me at least) in ~20 minutes with a broken trail. I will typically take anywhere from 2 laps up to 10 laps before I feel like heading back. The...

1/27/20 7:21am

MW88888888

January 10, 2020, Loveland Pass Full Moon

Hi John -

I chose that particular slope to ski because of the wind direction and also having skied the north side to confirm suspicions. I've been skiing Loveland Pass since 1995 so I ski what I know will be safe when conditions require it.

That, and a big ol' pile of cross-your-fingers luck.

Don't try this at home, kids, or you will be killed. Colorado is very unforgiving.

1/27/20 2:20am

avajane

1/19/20 Blewett Conditions Video

Really? To me, in the context I'm using it, â€œonâ€ means something like...â€It's on fire!â€ â€œIt's fantasticâ€ I thought that was understandable to most...What's it mean to you?

1/26/20 1:57pm

dkoelle

Looks very sweet

1/25/20 7:37am

wheelz