TR Replies
I know folks are getting out in Oregon this season, but with the anemic snow pack I'm speculating most are tight lipped in fear of their spot being poached - can't blame them. Nonetheless, could to see a post from somewhere else besides Washington.
I think I met you in the parking lot. We skied snoqualmie mt proper with aspirations of the slot but it was getting an incredible amount of wind transported snow and opted out. great skiing until about 4500'.
Nice pics - never done that tour, looks like you're booting up the last part?
We were over at Mazama Ridge - similar snow results, though when we did a shovel shear test, Q23, the break was below a wet crust. Had thought about Crystal.
author=TeleMurray link=topic=15595.msg65217#msg65217 date=1266187890]
We were up there yesterday as well - maybe you're the guys we talked to who had skied some short open slopes a bit below the Windy Ridge junction?
yes, that was us. We just skied the short slope from above to put us on the road to begin our tour home when we bumped into you. Good job touring all the way to Bonnie Butte. We have our eyes on Bonnie butte nex...
We were up there yesterday as well - maybe you're the guys we talked to who had skied some short open slopes a bit below the Windy Ridge junction? My buddy Freeheel Jay and I were 2 guys on Outtabounds backcountry skis - we headed all the way up to Bonney Butte where we found decent skiing in some relatively open glades. Heavy, concrete snow, but consistent and carvable. And given how long we were out, no crowds on the way back - with nice fast runs down parts of the road (and slow slogs fo...
Nice picture....looks like delicious stuff to me..
Congrats on the new stash--sounds like a cool one when the cooler temps arrive along with snow.
Did Tumalo on the 14th and was not really too bad considering how warm it had gotten (tree bombs just starting to drop...saved by the elevation...)
Thanks for the tr and pics.......
Did Tumalo on the 14th and was not really too bad considering how warm it had gotten (tree bombs just starting to drop...saved by the elevation...)
Thanks for the tr and pics.......
Am I to assume that the Bows survived their maiden voyage?
The snow angel technique makes you feel like a kid again, with one exception. As a kid we just flopped down in the snow. We were all of 3-4 feet tall then. I found that even if I sit on a small mound and tip over backwards it can be a pretty surprising head konk when you forget (senior moment?) that there is only 3-4 inches of new fluffy snow over a hard crust. This has definitely been the year of the crust.
Jane
Jane
A most excellent adventure. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Thanks Marcus,
I did not compare the Sasse Snotel data with that from the period of record, but my feel is that above 3200 to maybe 3400 feet, the snow depth is only slightly diminished from a low average year. Below that, it’s starting to look like spring. At the parking lot there is about a foot of snow, with the snow melted out around all the trees.
By the way, I forgot to mention a trick Jane and I discovered a few trips ago. It’s one of those ‘why didn’t I think of...
I did not compare the Sasse Snotel data with that from the period of record, but my feel is that above 3200 to maybe 3400 feet, the snow depth is only slightly diminished from a low average year. Below that, it’s starting to look like spring. At the parking lot there is about a foot of snow, with the snow melted out around all the trees.
By the way, I forgot to mention a trick Jane and I discovered a few trips ago. It’s one of those ‘why didn’t I think of...
Yeah, another weekend of three smelly guys in a tent. NO more I say. Monday morning I promptly purchased an Outdoor Research Helium Awning to make for lightweight snow shelters.
Thanks Andy ,
We bagged our hut trip,Took the train to Seattle and spent the day walking in the rain and checking out the RV show. Looking at the forcast and your report I think I'll bag tomorrow as well.
We bagged our hut trip,Took the train to Seattle and spent the day walking in the rain and checking out the RV show. Looking at the forcast and your report I think I'll bag tomorrow as well.
Nice work -- there's a lot of good stuff in that area. I did a similar tour last year that came down off the peak just south on the ridge, though I didn't loop through Laura and Lillian. Lots of exploration up there.
Nice Larry -- how does the snowpack compare to what you're used to seeing up there?
Andy,
Thanks for sharing the adventure. There is some unusual satisfaction in reading about someone else experiencing a grueling adventure that was not scheduled but ends safely. It brings back memories of a Chair Peak Circumnavigation I experienced. Better yet the Sginal Peak .......
The more days I spend touring - the more I realize that topo's, GPS's or Google Earth do not indentify all the features of a tour and for that I'm thankful, most of the time....
Thanks for sharing the adventure. There is some unusual satisfaction in reading about someone else experiencing a grueling adventure that was not scheduled but ends safely. It brings back memories of a Chair Peak Circumnavigation I experienced. Better yet the Sginal Peak .......
The more days I spend touring - the more I realize that topo's, GPS's or Google Earth do not indentify all the features of a tour and for that I'm thankful, most of the time....
Sounds like you guys scored!!!
Did you sleep three in the tent?
Did you sleep three in the tent?
Averaging out the day we racked up great turns at the astounding rate of about 100 vertical feet per hour. Averaging is sometimes a painful process.
:) :) :)!
Freaking sweet!
Your links are a little jacked. Here are some that work for me:
http://www.leelau.net/2010/twinone2010_02_08/
http://skitheory.blogspot.com/2010/02/matier-twin-one-couloir-variation.html
Freaking sweet!
Your links are a little jacked. Here are some that work for me:
http://www.leelau.net/2010/twinone2010_02_08/
http://skitheory.blogspot.com/2010/02/matier-twin-one-couloir-variation.html
What a small world!!
As I walked from my truck to the throne in the AM, I passed Will's truck and was thinking.....nah. That was only two days ago and hundreds of miles away. Seen your foot prints on the road, but then they dissapeared. I was scoping the horrizon for you guys but never saw a soul.
Great write up and excellant photos! sorry you didn't make your goal, but at least the scenery and experiance still make the effort worth it.
PS.. the keys w...
As I walked from my truck to the throne in the AM, I passed Will's truck and was thinking.....nah. That was only two days ago and hundreds of miles away. Seen your foot prints on the road, but then they dissapeared. I was scoping the horrizon for you guys but never saw a soul.
Great write up and excellant photos! sorry you didn't make your goal, but at least the scenery and experiance still make the effort worth it.
PS.. the keys w...
Nice Lisa!!
Watch out for that snowboarder dropping in on you!
Watch out for that snowboarder dropping in on you!
And to think when I saw the ski tracks as the wenatchee outdoors photo of the day, I was jealous....
I still kinda am.
Great writing!
I still kinda am.
Great writing!
Gary/Chmnyboy:
I took the Hurricane Hill trail rather than the Wolf Creek Trail. It is 2 miles shorter to the summit. The trail is probably not the best approach once you hit snow. I think that one could access the summit easier if you traversed the snow across the western shoulder above Hurricane Creek to a low saddle and then north to the hill. I have skied that runout but never got a good look at it from the west, (see cell pic.)
As you probably know those steep ru...
I took the Hurricane Hill trail rather than the Wolf Creek Trail. It is 2 miles shorter to the summit. The trail is probably not the best approach once you hit snow. I think that one could access the summit easier if you traversed the snow across the western shoulder above Hurricane Creek to a low saddle and then north to the hill. I have skied that runout but never got a good look at it from the west, (see cell pic.)
As you probably know those steep ru...
he,he...gotcha ya' Jason! ;) Good trip report.... ;D
Looks like a creative way to do something different along snoqualmie pass.
Cool trip Dave!
Thanks Zee. Of course it doesn't matter. More importantly it is the experience that is most fulfilling. But beyond that, to me at least, it is the experience of others I find interesting as well. I've never been shy about sharing mine and what those journeys meant to me. And I like reading and hearing about similar adventures which is why I asked.
Does it matter if you're the first one off the top? I wouldn't care a darn...the experience itself should be enough. Of course I can remember when i skied off the summit of Three Fingers many years agos. I remember it warmly...
Wow, this is the kind of trip report that makes me happy that all my friends say no to my great ideas... Glad to hear the backtrack worked out ok, and cabin creek is still awaiting a full kayak-infused descent for the year.
Thanks for the report, was going to head up there Sat in anticipation of good stuff but the rest of our crew wants to try around Rainier
I'd be curious if someone has skied off the top of three fingers. While it wasn't too bad, Josh and I certainly had to get very close to the big cliff off the East Face...say within a foot. I imagine with more snow it may become easier, but really it's been a very good snow year above 6k considering how terrible its been lower down.
Luv the Arrowhead tour, especially the pillow skiing on the summit ridge.
Thanks for the report.
Thanks for the report.
yikes .. scary stuff .. but yeah .. your pix are awesome .. esp the sunrise shots .. great work on all counts
Nicely done Jim and Jeff!! and the Hummels too! 8) Never would have thought the road to be open at this early date, I wonder if that is a first winter descent? Beautiful photos!
Thanks. No one likes hearing 'almost got there' but i think some of the pictures made up for it for me.
Nice work Jim, thanks for the conditions info. Three Fingers is on the list in March -- hopefully we can still get as close as you did.
Nice call.
Lots of great Pics + a few words = Well told story
Lots of great Pics + a few words = Well told story
Stugie, yet right about that evening - we were lovin' it. The storm came in during the night and continued all the next day, which was when we did most of the skiing.
author=JimD link=topic=15546.msg65014#msg65014 date=1265764036]
crap visibility
I would say that pic states the opposite! Nice gettin!
Wait...I thought it was 14 miles roundtrip, even for those that cheated? ::)
Scotty, nice job man! You musta had a lot of potatoes and vitamin gummies. ;)
Speaking of history, the C-J Couloir is one of those ski lines with a fuzzy history. I have emails from two different sources (Tim Matsui and Geordie Romer) who reported seeing ski tracks in the C-J Couloir in about 2001. Neither of them knew who made the tracks. On my ski history website, I list the 2003 descent as a "strawman" in hopes that somebody will send me more information. This situation exists for several other routes, including the Coleman Headwall.
No partner for this badboy eh? Did you sleep in 'til 4AM? ::)
Let me know if you want to do something Tu 2/16. I got a tentative with overthhills.
Let me know if you want to do something Tu 2/16. I got a tentative with overthhills.
Super stoked.I've been dreaming about skiing this line on the North Face since I was a kid skiing inbounds.Happy it all came together that day.Good to get Alex shoulder relocated as well and ski to safety.
Photos Here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=Atraslin&target=ALBUM&id=5435961
Photos Here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=Atraslin&target=ALBUM&id=5435961
Sounds like a great adventure! The sunset picture is beautiful!
Sorry to hear you guys didn't make it, but the skiing was sure nice. Now you have the route down for next time.