TR Replies
Any more details, e.g. how deep were the stuffs, how were the turns?
author=chmnyboy link=topic=15861.msg66217#msg66217 date=1267852195]
The worst part: he was a tele skier.
Nah, that was the BEST part. 8)
Nice work. Hope to make a similar journey next season, meet up with some old family friends and acquaintances is Utah, bust. Do take pics!
Sorry you're so PO'd Pico but I think posting your rant in more than one thread is not cool. All the sleds I met were polite. Plus I loved the smell of the ones burning the castor oil.
Take a look at my day and you'll see no frowns.
http://picasaweb.google.com/wooley12/HogLoppet2010#
Take a look at my day and you'll see no frowns.
http://picasaweb.google.com/wooley12/HogLoppet2010#
Thanks for the report. I was wondering about Ruth's access and conditions.
My mom lives at Swan Lake. I have been eye ballin some sweet lines (in the summer) to ski there. I would love to have more beta on your tour if you don't mind.
Nice work doing the classic Teton Pass double dip. For years my favorite after work /pre-work routine was to park above Wilson, hitch up, ski to coal creek, hitch back, then ski Elly or anything else right there back to the car. I'd also recommend doing a Run of the Bowls: Glory Bowl, then Little Tucks, then Unskiabowl, then Horseshoe Bowl/Great White Hump.
The Tetons this year have gotten 300", a little below average. But the last 2 years were epic with 700 and 600 inches (...
The Tetons this year have gotten 300", a little below average. But the last 2 years were epic with 700 and 600 inches (...
"WAY" to go Mike and Sid! I'd love to go back. What an amazing little subrange. 8)
As global warming continues, this will be a stronghold of pow-pow.
www.wallowahuts.com/ for yurt and guide info.
www.wingski.com/ for Wallowa huts that you can rent and use w/o guide and catering.
Wallowa Alpine Huts (yurts) is one of the best guided/catered deals I've ever seen.
As global warming continues, this will be a stronghold of pow-pow.
www.wallowahuts.com/ for yurt and guide info.
www.wingski.com/ for Wallowa huts that you can rent and use w/o guide and catering.
Wallowa Alpine Huts (yurts) is one of the best guided/catered deals I've ever seen.
author=trees4me link=topic=15808.msg66153#msg66153 date=1267729791]
That's great. We'll definitely have all the normal spring touring gear, but if I can fit everything into my small pack then I probably wont bring a rope...
How was the yurt? Were all the cooking stuff there, any recommendations on miscellaneous stuff to bring?
[/quote The Norway basin yurt is owned and operated by Wallowa Alpine Huts. They may ha...
That's great. We'll definitely have all the normal spring touring gear, but if I can fit everything into my small pack then I probably wont bring a rope...
How was the yurt? Were all the cooking stuff there, any recommendations on miscellaneous stuff to bring?
How was the yurt? Were all the cooking stuff there, any recommendations on miscellaneous stuff to bring?
author=JimH link=topic=15832.msg66147#msg66147 date=1267726848">
Hey Kenji - how was the access to Del Campo and how high did the snow start? Was it a quick hike in from the road? Seems like a good year to try stuff off the Mountain Loop.
I wouldn't say it's a quick hike, unless you know the path well. The road has no snow, and the trail is snow free.
Hey Kenji - how was the access to Del Campo and how high did the snow start? Was it a quick hike in from the road? Seems like a good year to try stuff off the Mountain Loop.
Good to see you and Meg are out...and back safely. Rich and I had fun too on Del Campo last Sun.
We didn't need any technical gear except for a rope which the quides provided. On some sections of skin track ski crampons might come in handy otherwise just skins and boots. If its spring corn conditions a whippet would be good to have. Most of the high alpine areas are reached by long hikes up valleys followed by ridge scrambles.
oh wait.....did I hear you say you needed to slow down and take a few pics along the way !!? Maybe I can move my camera from my chest to my pocket so I don't have to take them mid stride !!! Glad you finally came to the relization that there is more to life then....perhaps....the moment. Hope you have fun and will rub this in again later......Split
wow, it sounds like a great trip. The photos of the first couple days look amazing.
We're heading up there in about a month, would you recommend mountaineering gear to access more of the chutes and high bowls. We've been undecided and we're leaning away from harnesses and gear... What was your experience?
We're heading up there in about a month, would you recommend mountaineering gear to access more of the chutes and high bowls. We've been undecided and we're leaning away from harnesses and gear... What was your experience?
author=chmnyboy link=topic=15842.msg66128#msg66128 date=1267683146]
Yeah, we're kinda doing that loop backwards - we'd love to stay in jackson, but it looks like UT is gonna get hit hardest by this next storm. From what I gather, the Tetons have had a lower than average snowpack, but they're not hurting like Utah is. Apparently the pass normally has 15' snowbanks as opposed to the 4' banks now.
i hate stopping for pictures,...
author=Zap link=topic=15842.msg66119#msg66119 date=1267665336]
Thanks for the TR. Jill and I just left for an extended Road Trip. Currently at Timberline and we'll be working our way to Anthony Lakes, Brundage, Soldier,...Then down to Brighton for a few days. Then up to Teton Pass, Grand Targhee, Big Sky,...
What's the locals feedback on this years snowback depth compared to LY ?
Yeah, we're kinda doin...
A road trip on the way... During an El Nino year, Idaho? How about the eastern sierra which just got 2 feet of blower pow that will hold with the temps... Keep the trip alive, I'd just head south a bit.
"Forgot the camera at the cabin" = more turns sometimes.
Cool report, Chmnyboy. Hurricane Ridge often supplies good hitching for micro-laps. :)
Cool report, Chmnyboy. Hurricane Ridge often supplies good hitching for micro-laps. :)
Thanks for the TR. Jill and I just left for an extended Road Trip. Currently at Timberline and we'll be working our way to Anthony Lakes, Brundage, Soldier,...Then down to Brighton for a few days. Then up to Teton Pass, Grand Targhee, Big Sky,...
What's the locals feedback on this years snowback depth compared to LY ?
What's the locals feedback on this years snowback depth compared to LY ?
Another lurker outted! Thanks Amar. That was definitely fun and better skiing than expected!
Nice. We had similar conditions in the chute in early Feb. Slid from the west shoulder while we were at Pebble creek on the ascent but the slide path skied well and the east side was stable.
Good to see reports from my old stompin grounds. Just remember that marginal conditions in Alaska are still epic, I miss those Chugach mountains!!
author=GaryJan link=topic=15830.msg66075#msg66075 date=1267592216]
Sound like you guys are skiing yourselves into great shape to break trail for us when you get back to the Northwest. Keep up the good work! ;)
Have fun and play safe.
Sounds like it's about time you and Jan put Deception on you calendar :)
Thanks for the photo of our tracks, Charlie. It's funny how different my tracks and Ned's look!
The avy debris in the Chute looked scary, but the snow in the Chute was heavy powder and very stable during our run, nothing moved except a few pinwheels and rollers. The snow was even better on the Nisqually Glacier, no nasty mank at all. A great day, and I finally got around to writing a TR:
The avy debris in the Chute looked scary, but the snow in the Chute was heavy powder and very stable during our run, nothing moved except a few pinwheels and rollers. The snow was even better on the Nisqually Glacier, no nasty mank at all. A great day, and I finally got around to writing a TR:
Did you see any signs of the instability NWAC has been talking about? Especially on north facing slopes in trees where there was lots of surface hoar over the past few weeks.
Hello JD,
Great report, caught me by surprise reading down the TR's - yo, Sunburst. I followed the Chugach Aval Cntr's reports through this last cycle you described, reminded me of many weeks at Alyeska & elsewhere in the Chugach's. Keep up the trip reports, good to hear from an Alaskan brother.
Thanks - Gerry H
Great report, caught me by surprise reading down the TR's - yo, Sunburst. I followed the Chugach Aval Cntr's reports through this last cycle you described, reminded me of many weeks at Alyeska & elsewhere in the Chugach's. Keep up the trip reports, good to hear from an Alaskan brother.
Thanks - Gerry H
Sound like you guys are skiing yourselves into great shape to break trail for us when you get back to the Northwest. Keep up the good work! ;)
Have fun and play safe.
Have fun and play safe.
Looks like the road trip is going well, nice warm up for Jackson Hole. Keep the reports coming.
Those are snowmobile tracks - we saw 2 riders up there. I think snowmobilers access from East Gate or father East. Technically no snowmobiling allowed in the Manning Park area, but there is a Cascade Recreation area bordering Manning Park where riding is allowed. Those tracks - I believe are close to the boundary - but, I think within Manning Park. Manning Park Resort has information re: riding access 250-840-8822.
I love those deep blue skies that you can have in the northern rockies. Great day.
SE corn, eh? You might enjoy Mts Glory and Taylor in the Teton Pass area as well. Safe travels.
I had my ski crampons on for the skin up to the summit, but I wouldn't say they were necessary. I just love my ski crampons. :) Pete opted to boot to the top and there was a very good staircase all the way up. No foot crampons required that day.
You can also sew your skin back together with dental floss.
Thanks for the TR and the pictures. I skied down in the meadows by the road as a boy. Hope your late winter/spring improves!
I'm slipping this post in here even though it may not be quite up to spec for the trip report forum. I've also got a copy posted in Random Tracks.
pc
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On Sat., Margy and I skinned up through Tronsen Basin and hung out for a while at the Haney Meadows rest stop enjoying the sunshine and the happy throng of Hog Loppet skiers. The one thing that they were NOT happy about was the snowmobiles. The skaters in part...
pc
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On Sat., Margy and I skinned up through Tronsen Basin and hung out for a while at the Haney Meadows rest stop enjoying the sunshine and the happy throng of Hog Loppet skiers. The one thing that they were NOT happy about was the snowmobiles. The skaters in part...
Nice job!
Did you need any crampons for the Dragontail summit?
Did you need any crampons for the Dragontail summit?
Oh you have me dreamin of home. I grew up on Swan Lake, but moved away before I started tourin.. Always wanted to go explore those mountains while full of snow! We did manage to tour Jewel Basin this year though.. Definetly check that out if you go back!
Where did you access Swan Range from??
Where did you access Swan Range from??
Glad you got out, Ben! Forgotten compass aside, sounds like there were lots of opportunities to learn on this one. If you started from the PCT trailhead, it can be a maze of snowshoe tracks, and snowshoers generally don't know what the hell they're doing. :p I like to think of them as uneducated future backcountry skiers/boarders who have yet to see the light, and as such, try not to ever follow snowshoe tracks. :p There's another place to start that avoids the snowshoe freak...
The trees, of course, have been growing, so the lower portion of the clearcut, where the red arrow above points, has gotten a bit trickier to navigate even in years when we have a more normal low elevation snowpack (like 80 - 120 inches showing on Snoqualmie telemetry). I can only imagine that that section is a bit annoying right now.
That skin failure is a good advertisement for having a small roll of duct tape or some waterproof adhesive tape or the like in your pack. Also handy on...
That skin failure is a good advertisement for having a small roll of duct tape or some waterproof adhesive tape or the like in your pack. Also handy on...
My wife and I skinned up from the exit between central and west on sunday. We made it to the clear cut but the trees were too thick to skin. We started to boot pack but the snow was getting soft and we were sinking deep so we had lunch and ski/hiked down and made a run at Hyak. The red arrow is about where we were.
I bought the sts tail kit not just the tails at second ascent for $15ish and it came with the metal mounting brackets, it was an easy install, I used a soldering iron to make the holes