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Nice work Ale. Too bad I am out here in Greenwater, it would be nice to head back to your neck of the woods.
author=Marcus link=topic=18494.msg78787#msg78787 date=1293143991]
Amen.  Well said Sky.


Well said.... but perhaps total B.S.  I would think it a fairly simple and universal truth that more information is better than less.  So dig a pit and take 5 minutes on the NWAC site.  It's not hard, and the cost is low: that someone drops in your line before you.  But that's also good avi control in my view, albeit potentially tragi...
Thanks for the good report.  Always nice to see people talking about getting out on Hood.
author=Marcus link=topic=18634.msg78816#msg78816 date=1293163195]
Awesome -- I've been waiting for the first Bandit adventures, since you're not burdened by the mountain job this year. 


The mountain job was great when we had enough lift ops on the chairs. With only one lift op at each station, that cuts into your ski time. :-[

Plus all the negative energy from the boss really turned me off. I figured my time...
author=Joedabaker link=topic=18634.msg78820#msg78820 date=1293166533]
Nice Bandit. Was the road pretty covered all the way up? I usually save this trip for the spring when everything is glop, it tends to corn up first because of the lower elevation. There are some pretty nice side Winter trips off the Buck Creek side too.


Only a couple of spots that were bare. That was under some heavy tree canopies. The top had about 2-3'.
Musings from one with too much time on his hands.

The discussion on the relative safety between groups and individual skiers is flawed in that it compares the best practices of the individual to the worst practices of a group.  It is true that a cautious individual can be safe but once he ventures much beyond meadow skipping the situation changes.  If you are on a slope with powder snow you are by definition in avalanche terrain.  Without a partner you have no backup a...
Sweet pics!  dig that pano...nice work.
Nice Bandit. Was the road pretty covered all the way up? I usually save this trip for the spring when everything is glop, it tends to corn up first because of the lower elevation. There are some pretty nice side Winter trips off the Buck Creek side too.
Awesome -- I've been waiting for the first Bandit adventures, since you're not burdened by the mountain job this year. 
author=Splitboard Graham link=topic=18494.msg78793#msg78793 date=1293146989]get explosive handling permit...


May I suggest.....Bolivia, where you can buy TNT sticks in hardware stores along with detonators, fuses and little bags of fertilizer to intensify the effect.  Often enough, there's grain alcohol and a certain green leaf available too, just in case of failures of nerve.  It's kind've similar to Kentucky back i...
author=skykilo link=topic=18494.msg78786#msg78786 date=1293143357]
...  The most important safety tool is the brain and that's not being used when one is citing by rote what is and isn't acceptable without a whole lot of qualification. 


Amen, for sure.  So, the next time I see someone digging a pit i'll just remind them what a waste of snow it is..

and a nod to doc_i for the tgr link
what i'm taking from this thread: continually reevaluate information internally, externally, and interpersonally (when applicable) using whichever methods and metrics one finds most useful. Continually reevaluate the efficacy of chosen methods, metrics, and tools. staying alive in the mountains is an art and a science. get explosive handling permit...

author=Stefan link=topic=18494.msg78789#msg78789 date=1293144440">
I can't wait for the day when having dynamite will be one of the standard essentials to be considered a qualified backcountry skier.


BACKCOUNTRY BOMB :)

I can't wait for the day when having dynamite will be one of the standard essentials to be considered a qualified backcountry skier.
Great Photos of the N Side. Thanks for breaking trail most of the way up. The lower apron of the slot held the most wind protected snow. Lap 2 was actually better in the slot as the wind affected got broken up a bit.

Great meeting you guys.

Jan
author=skykilo link=topic=18494.msg78786#msg78786 date=1293143357]The most important safety tool is the brain and that's not being used when one is citing by rote what is and isn't acceptable without a whole lot of qualification.


Amen.  Well said Sky.
I'll have to *cough* side with Scotsman on this one.  Avy forecasts can be valuable, but they're far from absolutely necessary and they can introduce bias.  And I could argue with you until I'm blue in the face about whether it's necessary to dig a pit to see how new snow is bonding with a crust.  Do you ever pay attention to how the snow reacts when you make a kick turn on a roll in a place of relative safety?

A more general question to a broader sk...
You're welcome. Glad everyone made it, as it was a good summit day.

Team Fosters
Niiice -- maybe I can make a weekend migration in January to get a day in with you guys.
author=Scotsman link=topic=18494.msg78594#msg78594 date=1292963242]
Very informative and thought provoking discussion.
Here's what I got out of it.
1) Pits---- problem I have with pits is that to dig one that truly represents the slope I'm testing , I usually have to put myself in a dangerous situation to be truly representative. Many times I've dug a pit in a safe positon and found the slope 50' lower to be completely different d...
Thanks Lisa. Here's a shot of Monika in her element:



And one more of yours truly:
Do we need an internet argument over everything?  Give it a rest.  If you've got only snark and one-liners to drop in, feel free to not comment at all.

Dave, thanks for the quick conditions report -- looks like a great day.
author=Steve C. link=topic=18560.msg78715#msg78715 date=1293056891]
Let's assume that Dave is vague in his description because he doesn't want his secret spot to fill  up with other skiers.


Steve, you're trolling....or just plain lazy.  if a place get's filled up it's only because you didn't get far enough away from the highway.  Hike further.... even BC skiiers arn't utilizing 99.99999...
Nice work you guys!  Ryan in his element looking good. 
Looking good you guys, great photos.
That is an awesome picture of Ryan.  Classic steep bootpack face...
My thanks also to the trailbreakers, you got us to the top.  Thanks again also for the meds, you saved my bacon.  On a side note, it had never occurred to me to include a quart of grog in the first-aid kit.  I am going to have to think about that...
author=Monika link=topic=18542.msg78761#msg78761 date=1293119186]
I often don't get jokes either, too gullible.  Except for Oyvind's shocking Norske style, but I got yours :).  oh being there probably helped-good times!!  Thanks!

  FTTM first tiger tames the middlefork



Oyvind's jokes are delivered like a sack of flour to the head, they're definitely hard to miss...
Sent it last night - you should have - congrats on your splitboard log crossing triumph.

Few more details now that I'm alive again - the above mentioned log crossing around 3500' was the only way we saw to get across Commonwealth Creek (without putting your boots in water, at least), until the snowpack made a sketchy descent crossing possible starting at 4100'. 3 skiers passed us on the uphill and set the skin track from a solid creek crossing at 4200' to about 540...
author=ryanl link=topic=18542.msg78749#msg78749 date=1293080775] Just making a little joke.


I often don't get jokes either, too gullible.  Except for Oyvind's shocking Norske style, but I got yours :).  oh being there probably helped-good times!!  Thanks!



  FTTM first tiger tames the middlefork
author=jesski link=topic=18518.msg78553#msg78553 date=1292916736">
Juice: maybe you could tell us which headlamp you settled on, per that one guy's request, above? I did notice yours was quite bright.


Jess: The one I was using is the BD Spot (2010 version
That exceeded expectations. Wow. Still early season cover with logs and holes and brush that needs more cover and such in some places, but still wow.
Cardog and Gerry i respect your sincerity. Just making a little joke. The reality is that I usually put my beacon on as I get out of bed in the morning. That way I'm invincible for the drive as well as the tour  ;)
author=dave_perkins link=topic=18542.msg78743#msg78743 date=1293074668]

::) ::) ::) ::) ::) I guess some people don’t understand sarcasm.


maybe the sarcasm meter was turned off to save batteries.
;D
nice, could you email me that pic of me crossing the log?

lol thanks
Great day, Jeri - It was nice to meet you and Scott and I'm glad we got out. Thanks for sharing all the pictures so quickly.... you got some great shots.

Here's the link to our descent track that I captured on the Droid:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=206434048162965682774.0004980b41787dc59ed09

If you're unfamiliar with Google Maps, hover over the "More" button within the map, and then check the box for the Terra...
author=cardog100 link=topic=18542.msg78728#msg78728 date=1293069649]
"but our bomber avalanche control had us all turning off our beacons before dropping in" 

Gotta say I'm stumped by this one too, as I wear mine even when skiing inbounds when there's been a good dump and the possibility of instability.   Better safe than sorry?   
author=GerryH link=topic=18542.msg78643#msg78643...
Cool day to be up high at the pass, eh? It was awesome when the low winter sun started hitting Granite, Snoqualmie, and the low clouds.
"but our bomber avalanche control had us all turning off our beacons before dropping in" 

Gotta say I'm stumped by this one too, as I wear mine even when skiing inbounds when there's been a good dump and the possibility of instability.  Better safe than sorry? 
Why would anyone want to go to a spot that has 3" of fresh over crust, when there is 12"+ everywhere else?  That secret spot is safe!  BTW - Looks like Blewett to me.
Let's assume that Dave is vague in his description because he doesn't want his secret spot to fill  up with other skiers.
author=Scotsman link=topic=18479.msg78694#msg78694 date=1293048089]



I used to love moguls.  Let's do it.  Can some one remind me exactly where the entrance is?  Right of the tippy top? 

For you mogul naysayers... i think we all know of a few other classic lines that might even be more hard-core than the slot and nearly as iconic.  But the slot, the slot is no 'stash' and it woul...
author=altasnob link=topic=18479.msg78318#msg78318 date=1292650794]
Who wants to hold a mogul contest in the slot this weekend? I will build some booters half-way down so we can through some daffies and twister spreads.
author=gregL link=topic=18479.msg78326#msg78326 date=1292690188]
a dozen people crowded into the little trees at the top was a little cramped!

It was a little cramped at the entrance (I think that’s me getting jabbed with the G3!). But I’m happy to report that, in spite of the crowds, there was a good vibe & no etiquette violations.  8) Just three or four spots on the way up where people peed next to the track and since I was r...
"but our bomber avalanche control had us all turning off our beacons before dropping in" 
Is this a new methodology for saving on batteries   ::) :'(
Yeah dude, nice work.  At least the ski came out of the box AFTER the tour. ;)
Great weather on Sunday, just a little stiff on those shady N. aspects.

Nice pics.
OMG that is gorgeous! I am also really digging that chute.