TR Replies

author=hwy2 link=topic=16973.msg71555#msg71555 date=1277241086]
... just looking for some answers about spring avalanche rules of thumb since most (if not all) of the AIARE curriculum is focused on dry slab avalanches.
if its not freezing isn't it a good idea to stay off of it? ...

Sounds like a fair question to me.

Bear in mind, I’m the second "Ron" on this thread that is no snow scientist. I’m just a ba...

6/22/10 11:00am

RonL

I am in no way an avi expert but I didn't observe any instability. I didn't exactly dig pits or anything but it all looked pretty consolidated and as eolson pointed out there wasn't a dramatic temp fluctuation going on, especially as early as I skied it.

6/22/10 10:56am

Rusty Knees

June 13, 2010, Mt Adams

Way to get out there and find out. Glad it worked out safe and fun. 1300 meters of good snow was more than we got, hunkered down in town because of the avy ratings.

What small mountain did you ski prior to Adams?

I love the last picture - that's spring skiing!

6/22/10 10:29am

Alexander

author=iain link=topic=16960.msg71562#msg71562 date=1277249279]
All I know is that on Deschutes NF land it can result in sled confiscation, large fines, and possibly a ban from the area if you are a repeat offender. Not much worse than rototilling alpine land with a sled track. Again, I think it's fine on bare road, but certainly unpleasant on a sled. You won't be seeing sleds too much longer in the Todd Lake/Tumalo area.

<...

6/22/10 9:15am

iain

All I know is that on Deschutes NF land it can result in sled confiscation, large fines, and possibly a ban from the area if you are a repeat offender. Not much worse than rototilling alpine land with a sled track. Again, I think it's fine on bare road, but certainly unpleasant on a sled. You won't be seeing sleds too much longer in the Todd Lake/Tumalo area.

6/22/10 8:27am

Alexander

author=iain link=topic=16960.msg71560#msg71560 date=1277247262]
... , and it's illegal to drive sleds on bare ground that is not a road.

That is interesting, because this is exactly what all the sleders did on Mt Adams to get around few fallen trees that blocked the road.

6/22/10 8:23am

iain

author=Zap link=topic=16960.msg71465#msg71465 date=1276965754]
Nice TR and that first photo is beautiful with fresh snow in the trees and the mountain in the background. The snow pack looks very healthy. I'm surprised to hear the parking is still so limited at the Devils Lake TH.

How is the coverage on Tumalo and are the snow machines still active in that area ?

I can tell you sleds can still get to the wildernes...

6/22/10 7:54am

eolson

I was up there as well. And the snow was very fun to ski. Despite not freezing overnight the snow was still packed and solid because the temperatures stayed pretty cold throughout the day.

A picture from the top of Yakima peak

6/22/10 6:55am

hwy2

Not trying to start any sh*! here, just looking for some answers about spring avalanche rules of thumb since most (if not all) of the AIARE curriculum is focused on dry slab avalanches.

if its not freezing isn't it a good idea to stay off of it?

Really - not trying to call you out, this is something I want to learn about.

Thanks

6/22/10 6:11am

Alexander

June 13, 2010, Mt Adams

author=Zap link=topic=16979.msg71549#msg71549 date=1277223547]
Nice TR and photos, especially the last one. ;)

Thanks! Yes, there is something about the last picture. Probably just that it is a little odd.

6/22/10 2:22am

Zap

June 13, 2010, Mt Adams

Nice TR and photos, especially the last one. ;)

6/22/10 1:19am

airpoppoff

Nice Tim!

I found a video of the Trip @ http://thesnowtroopers.com/

6/21/10 11:22pm

samthaman

author=Travertine link=topic=16970.msg71539#msg71539 date=1277174408]
Hey Mack, I'm just pleased to keep what I've got. And that means a helmet especially when trying to keep up with Samthaman.

Hey! I can't remember any time (aside from that steep section on the skin track) when you weren't right behind me or out in front. Don't write yourself off that quickly. I hope your knee is doing Ok. Have fun...

6/21/10 2:00pm

James Wells

Hey Mack, I'm just pleased to keep what I've got. And that means a helmet especially when trying to keep up with Samthaman.

6/21/10 11:40am

runningclouds

June 17, 2010, Mt. Adams

Thanks for the info.
Is the road drivable to Morrison Creek in a regular car (Forester)?

6/21/10 11:29am

Zap

author=Jim Oker link=topic=16959.msg71527#msg71527 date=1277151859]
Must have been a "senior moment" sort of day ;).

Guilty as charged ! ;)

6/21/10 8:49am

telemack

Way to be flexible and get at it.
And I must say Travertines's hair looks excellent in that first photo! It's an argument against wearing a helmet or any headgear if I ever saw one. :D

6/21/10 7:20am

Jim Oker

June 20, 2010, Ingraham Flats to Paradise

I'm shocked not only that you started this day with a tour that has incented you to rail about the misery of hiking on dirt in the not-too-distant past, but on top of that, once you'd paid your dues and were up in an area with prime yo-yo potential (including, per Wolfs, the run down toward Annette still in good shape), you decided to hoof it back to the car so that you could pay another round of dues before getting back on snow. Must have been a "senior moment" sort of day&n...

6/21/10 5:24am

Double E

Yeah the only part of our trip where visibility was really, consistently bad, was below about 7000 ft on Sunday. Above that though, and on Saturday, it was variable. Sometimes 100 ft, but sometimes a few miles.

Oh, re. precip: on the ascent to Muir on Saturday, had scattered rain showers till about 8K and scattered snow showers above that. Same for Sunday except that below 7K it was constant misty rain, and then showering by the time we got to Elbe.

Quite a few parties...

6/21/10 2:39am

gravyb

June 20, 2010, Ingraham Flats to Paradise

I've done Tinkham when there's no snow from the south side of Mirror Lake up the ridge to the top. Is that the route you skied, or where did you ascend and descend I'm curious to know. Nice work!

6/21/10 2:28am

Joedabaker

I'm surprised that you could even see your hand in front of your face up there. You must have had better vis than us lower elevation climbers.

6/21/10 1:38am

ron j

June 19, 2010, Tricouni W1, Squamish-Cheakamus

Ditto on all that.

6/20/10 10:41pm

stoked

author=Zap link=topic=16967.msg71491#msg71491 date=1277079727]
It's an area many of us have never toured. What was the start elevation ? It appears that you were able to skin from the car.

Hey Zap, the upper landing is 3700 feet. We had to carry the skis for about ten minutes through the clearcut and the last band of trees but there's a beaten path. Not a real trail. Lots of mud in summer until you get to the headwall...

6/20/10 9:33pm

GregLange

June 18, Hood, Hogsback

Glad you had a good ski down. Sad you were not able to summit. Maybe we can hit Wy' East next May!

6/20/10 1:55pm

James Wells

Sam, thanks for the trip and for posting the TR with pix. I'm away caving for a couple of weeks but I'll hope we'll get more trips later in the summer and next winter. Count me out for the hucking, though.

I have to apologize to Mosetick - the weather looked lame, I told him I wasn't going to do anything worthwhile just mope around the ski area for a few hours. So Chris, I totally was not trying to shake you off, even the somewhat short day we did was definitely...

6/20/10 1:52pm

Snow Bell

June 19, 2010, Tricouni W1, Squamish-Cheakamus

It looks like you had some good weather up there today. Good job adjusting your plans to make the most of it.
Welcome back Sam. Drop me a line sometime when you look to head south. It would be fun to get together.

6/20/10 1:50pm

runningclouds

June 18, Hood, Hogsback

Thanks for the info.

6/20/10 10:17am

Zap

Thanks for the TR and photos of the tour plus the great views of the surrounding area. It's an area many of us have never toured. What was the start elevation ? It appears that you were able to skin from the car.

6/20/10 9:22am

melchap

June 19, 2010, Silver Pk Redux

Another good but quiet day on Silver Peak. The visibility was very low today. The snow was really nice.

Skinning up we saw evidence of a recent slide and rockfall.

6/19/10 3:43pm

The Snow Troopers

Saw that huh... Yep tried to get him to go further but he stopped right at the apex and was WAITING so I dropped. Trooper did the Zipper Chute back in May of 06 and traversed the whole thing, so never again, too steep. Therefore I get a little jittery for him when we hit 50 degrees w/ trees or rocks below, so I had him go first nice and slow not following and chasing w/ speed increasing his chance for a tumble.

.

6/19/10 12:26pm

RonL

That looks like fun guys. I am going to have to make it down there one of these times and check it out.

I'm heading up to Chinook tomorrow Mike, staying away from the kickers this time though.

6/19/10 10:32am

Zap

Nice line down the chute. It appeared that Trooper Dog was unable to ascend that last pitch. But it seems he enjoyed a nice swim towards the end. :)

6/19/10 9:02am

telemack

That's a marvelous 'Mid Mod mad move, man. ::)

Good trip and snow, way to head out in the rain! Looks from recent TRs that there will be snow in the southern Cascades for a while.

6/19/10 1:43am

Zap

June 18, 2010, Mt St Helens, Monitor Ridge

Nice TR and that first photo is beautiful with fresh snow in the trees and the mountain in the background. The snow pack looks very healthy. I'm surprised to hear the parking is still so limited at the Devils Lake TH.

How is the coverage on Tumalo and are the snow machines still active in that area ?

6/19/10 1:42am

Joedabaker

author=DG link=topic=16957.msg71439#msg71439 date=1276911953]
Not the best conditions today, but we were all loving it, and it once again proved the maxim that any day on skis is always better than a day spent in the office.

Couldn't agree more.
Thanks for the report. The dog did not look to impressed though and maybe was thinking that a day spent sleeping on a warm pad is better than a day skiing. ;)

6/19/10 12:37am

Joedabaker

Good to see you got some new boots Zap.
From what I infer from your two posts is that making bad ski trip calls does not go away as I get older. Now I can just relax and enjoy my bad calls knowing there are more down the pike.
Hey if it makes you feel better, I was working while you were doing your bushwacking.

6/19/10 12:26am

Joedabaker

June 18, 2010, Silver Peak

That is a nice report.
Thanks for sharing-I like that 1st picture, nice mountain.

6/19/10 12:21am

Rick_R

We were up there yesterday, too - two skiers and a snowshoer. We found a little better route on our way down, following the edge of the clearcut (out of the clearcut down low, in the forest higher up). There's a good-sized patch of snow just about the first footbridge on the PCT, but it doesn't connect. Expect about 400 vf of hiking before you get to the snow.

I thought the hiking was totally worth it. The snow was even cornier than last weekend.

6/18/10 11:23pm

mick_scott

I was down there monday and tuesday. We turned around tuesday at 9500ft at noon when the clouds moved in on us. The turns were sweet all the way back down to our camp on the green lakes side.

6/18/10 3:41pm

Robie

Zap, You might be able to lighten them by cutting off the bottom buckle?
;)

6/18/10 1:44pm

Zap

author=silaswild link=topic=16959.msg71444#msg71444 date=1276916477]
Couldn't you have driven beyond Windy Pass and skinned from the car on Silver Peak? What was your total vertical skied today? And compared to vertical hiked not on snow? Joy-o-meter rating?

The Joy-o-meter based upon time spent skiing versus hiking was depressing. ;)

Robie, I have a new pair of Scarpa Spirit 4 boots. They are a bit heavier...

6/18/10 1:30pm

Robie

At least you found your hot spots!
Curious,what kind of AT boots Zap would buy?

6/18/10 1:20pm

The Snow Troopers

You can drive up the first section but have to walk to the BIG ditch then skins on from there w/ one short patch of rock. Still solid snow over the rock ridge to the NW Bowl for a couple more days. Skied nice at 7AM off the Cirque and down the Main Chute off the lower dome.

6/18/10 12:14pm

silaswild

author=Zap link=topic=16959.msg71442#msg71442 date=1276914480]
FWIW, when I add the drive time and hike time up to the snow level and back down, I could have driven to Chinook Pass and skinned from the car. I have reaffirmed my previous belief - hiking to the snowline is way overrated for me. ;)

Couldn't you have driven beyond Windy Pass and skinned from the car on Silver Peak? What was your total vertical skied today? ...

6/18/10 12:01pm

MW88888888

Indeed, having lived in both places now, I've grown to love both experiences. It's funny how Colorado folk are Powder snobs and PNW folks are Corn snobs.

We love what are accustomed to, I guess. It's all snow to me!

6/18/10 10:24am

Feck

I lived and skied in CO for a couple years. I remember sitting on the lift at A Basin talking to folks about skiing in the PNW.

Sure there's some swell powder here, but y'all ain't got no base. I don't think they understood. ;D

6/18/10 9:05am

JoshK