TR Replies
Great trip Ryan. Glad you caught the weather/storm cycle. March and April can be so good for powder skiing. Hope to get out with you again this spring.
Gregg
Gregg
author=Zap link=topic=12898.msg53739#msg53739 date=1238688974]
Unfortunately, I had to break trail in over a foot of powder...
Yeah, life's a bitch sometimes, ain't it? We should all have such misfortunes to complain about...
Thanks for the details on what sounds like a new fun place to explore. Sounds like you're doing well in your new job as roving reporter.
Zap. I need you to tell me one more time about that "retirement" thing.
Thanks, Steve. Good to hear that all this new snow is gripping on to the underpinnings. This weekend is going to be legendary.
Mack,
nice work getting out there and getting the goods. looks like you were up there showing off some rock moves.
Chris
nice work getting out there and getting the goods. looks like you were up there showing off some rock moves.
Chris
Preserving risk is an operational goal of most mechanized skiing operations. The idea is to offer a more thrilling experience than lift-assisted skiing without taking unreasonable risks. The idea of "unreasonable" is wrapped up in guiding philosophy ( it is unacceptable to descend a ski run if there is a significant chance of triggering a > 2 avalanche ) and our individual ideas about risk ( personal risk acceptance level ).
Another important component of guiding philosop...
Another important component of guiding philosop...
In terms of the AvaLung...I always ski with it unzipped and keep as close to my mouth as possible. I don't ski with it in my mouth, although until I get my airbag I am going to try...I know some people the actually do it.
They don't always ski with a tail guide - it depends on the group size, but in this situation we did have one. He did a great job of assessing the situation and organizing a pick up to keep others from skiing the slope. If there was...
They don't always ski with a tail guide - it depends on the group size, but in this situation we did have one. He did a great job of assessing the situation and organizing a pick up to keep others from skiing the slope. If there was...
Glad you are OK and thanks for the amazing pictures.
I ski with an avalung Pack and deploy my avalung( unzip it from the sleeve and position it below my chin) on runs in Avy terrain or where tree wells are a danger.
I have actually put it in my mouth when doing a ski cut or if skiing something at the start of the run and spat it out when I'm past the rollover. I am not convinced I could hold onto it in a serious avalanche although others have.
I like the avalung for pos...
I ski with an avalung Pack and deploy my avalung( unzip it from the sleeve and position it below my chin) on runs in Avy terrain or where tree wells are a danger.
I have actually put it in my mouth when doing a ski cut or if skiing something at the start of the run and spat it out when I'm past the rollover. I am not convinced I could hold onto it in a serious avalanche although others have.
I like the avalung for pos...
Glad you're alive and well. Those are some terriffic pictures. You're very fortunate to have experienced such amazing skiing.
Thing I've noticed about the AvaLung is that there's no way you can unzip the pocket and stick it in your mouth in time. That's why I always ski with the pocket unzipped and the mouthpiece hanging out (sometimes it whistles annoyingly, but oh well....).
Thing I've noticed about the AvaLung is that there's no way you can unzip the pocket and stick it in your mouth in time. That's why I always ski with the pocket unzipped and the mouthpiece hanging out (sometimes it whistles annoyingly, but oh well....).
Sleds required, or else a very long approach. I guess one could come up from 542, but you would start at 1800' elevation.
As Toby T had eluded to....we had the use of sleds and accessed this area from the Canyon Creek side, but I do feel that it would be feasible to manage this with a hike/ski approach from the highway. A worthy tour for a few days might be to hike up Church and tour along the crest to Welcome Pass and then on to Yellow Aster Butte....and then maybe exit on the...
As Toby T had eluded to....we had the use of sleds and accessed this area from the Canyon Creek side, but I do feel that it would be feasible to manage this with a hike/ski approach from the highway. A worthy tour for a few days might be to hike up Church and tour along the crest to Welcome Pass and then on to Yellow Aster Butte....and then maybe exit on the...
Samoon, I am impressed! Thanks for this trip report. This looks like a lot of fun. Travertine and I were short on time so we did not get to do any exploring when up in this area recently. Your trip report gives me a lot of hope! Do you have to skin back up to the top of the ridge from approx. the same area you ski down, or is their a way back out to the highway somewhere without having to skin twice?
Hey Mack,
Theres' getting to be alot of pictures of your backside on TAY! You're gonna have to start fighting back with your own camera. ;)
Great Trip, you guys!
Theres' getting to be alot of pictures of your backside on TAY! You're gonna have to start fighting back with your own camera. ;)
Great Trip, you guys!
These are great questions and I agree I hope others can learn from my experience to insure safe outcomes in the future.
The guides at AK Heli outline the run, key features, and potential dangers before each run. They also describe where is ok and where is not ok to ski. They ski first and share thier experience and the current conditions after skiing the run over the radio. They may modify thier prior instruction based upon what they saw when skiing down.
...
The guides at AK Heli outline the run, key features, and potential dangers before each run. They also describe where is ok and where is not ok to ski. They ski first and share thier experience and the current conditions after skiing the run over the radio. They may modify thier prior instruction based upon what they saw when skiing down.
...
Yes, you can start from 542 (a small parking lot on the left/north side of 542, I think the label is Excelsior Ridge Trail), and it is 2800' up through the trees to the alpine if you approximately follow the summer trail. I think it would be fine with enough snow, it was not a good route this year. Just west of the summer train there is a gully that might be a nice run back down much of the way if sufficiently filled in (this year it has not been from what Mosetick and I saw a f...
Samoon, I remember being out there the 28th and 29th!!!
Scotsman, I'll claim the big skier tracks!
Russ, It is the Baker area. What a coincidence!
Great storm day location as well. The trees are great!
Sleds required, or else a very long approach. I guess one could come up from 542, but you would start at 1800' elevation.
Scotsman, I'll claim the big skier tracks!
Russ, It is the Baker area. What a coincidence!
Great storm day location as well. The trees are great!
Sleds required, or else a very long approach. I guess one could come up from 542, but you would start at 1800' elevation.
Nice pictures! Not being familiar with the area you're talking about I did a look up with NG Topo maps. Turns out there is an Excelsor Mt (4832ft) & Excelsor Peak (5699ft) both with different Quartz Creeks coming out the north side - amazing coincidence. One is in the Monte Cristo area and the other nearer Baker. My guess is you're referring to one north of Hwy 542, on the way to Mt Baker?
A tale of two skiers!
One likes short radius powder turns, one likes large radius turns.
Neither are wrong and both leave beautiful tracks.
I like it that every skier has his/her own path! Or maybe one was a snowboarder?
Neat photo and area.
thanks for sharing it.
One likes short radius powder turns, one likes large radius turns.
Neither are wrong and both leave beautiful tracks.
I like it that every skier has his/her own path! Or maybe one was a snowboarder?
Neat photo and area.
thanks for sharing it.
author=Ritalin Kid link=topic=12865.msg53647#msg53647 date=1238516222]
I don't think you can judge the saftey of an operation based upon one avalanche. When you Heli, you ski in avalanche terrain, you have to know that going in..
I agree with all that. It's part of the excitement of the AK experience.
I was just curious as a potential customer what their protocol is for every run. That is why I ask, What do they...
Sounds right. Its the big huge slide path that ends across the street from the Alpy base. Pretty impressive feature.
Dog.... Don't let J know. He'll accuse you of given up the goods! Lot's more to explore there and hopefully a few more weeks this year before the corn! Timewise, Sat looks best this week!
The company I went with was Alaska Heli Skiing (http://www.alaskaheliskiing.com/). I would absolutly recomend them. SEABA also operates out of Haines and offers a little different experience. We hooked up with them on a down day to get some rides in thier Cat. Sean Dog is talking about possibly getting a Cat next year for down days to, which would be awesome as it get's boring up there.
I don't think you can judge the saftey of an operation based upon one...
I don't think you can judge the saftey of an operation based upon one...
Thanks guys! I still need to work on my camera settings. Doesn't really show the ridge line well.
Collective work and knowledge f...
author=Ride_fly_bike_live link=topic=12866.msg53641#msg53641 date=1238482237]
Nice pic from above Skybum!!! That was tight working those new lines on Sunday. Glad to see that you got out again and hit it hard. Wish I was there!
Where the old tracks filled in from wind/new??
Collective work and knowledge f...
Nice work guys!! Love the photo from up above too! Mack, the Olympics are still looking good from my vantage points. I'm ready anytime.
Nice pic from above Skybum!!! That was tight working those new lines on Sunday. Glad to see that you got out again and hit it hard. Wish I was there!
Where the old tracks filled in from wind/new??
Where the old tracks filled in from wind/new??
sounds like you know your avi terrain when you see it! the question is whether the both of us will actually make better decisions.
Phantom. Is that the new (c. 1990's) avy path starting between Cave Ridge (N Pass) and the 1st false summit (S) of Snoq. Mtn?
Great pictures and trip, gotta love those AK mountains!
Before I open my check book up to Sean Dog's safe operation...So far it looks like they had a near death experience on their hands. What do they tell you before you access the terrain? Do they...
author=Ritalin Kid link=topic=12865.msg53619#msg53619 date=1238466887] Sean Dog and Co. run a top notch operation that allows you to access the goods in the safest way possible...
Before I open my check book up to Sean Dog's safe operation...So far it looks like they had a near death experience on their hands. What do they tell you before you access the terrain? Do they...
Cool Oyvind, I always wondered how that burn area skied and haven't made the effort to get there. Thanks for the info. We pondered an exploration of that area in a loop trip across the divide but settled on Arrowhead instead. Now I see it has more than enough potential to make the trek.
Thanks again,
John
Thanks again,
John
O.K. I'll bite.
Brothers. Hm. I thought you looked simmilar.
After folowing the slowshoe tracks, the yours up through one avy zone and into annother I wanted *outa* there. I figured you were both beat so I raced to the front when you each had a tree to hang on to. At that point it was as much exposure heading up as down. The last 30' was less than optimal. It was comforting to know there would be three people digging for my corps if needed.
I concur...
Brothers. Hm. I thought you looked simmilar.
After folowing the slowshoe tracks, the yours up through one avy zone and into annother I wanted *outa* there. I figured you were both beat so I raced to the front when you each had a tree to hang on to. At that point it was as much exposure heading up as down. The last 30' was less than optimal. It was comforting to know there would be three people digging for my corps if needed.
I concur...
(edited)
I spent some time in H.S. in Haines. I'm amazed anyone is runnig a Heli Svc. there. The terraine is to die for, but coastal mountain snow is usualy so heavy, and then the run-outs are all in the bays.
I knew of some folks who used to take a boat over and go skiing. The Heli thinng is new. Does the Heli svc have a website?
I spent some time in H.S. in Haines. I'm amazed anyone is runnig a Heli Svc. there. The terraine is to die for, but coastal mountain snow is usualy so heavy, and then the run-outs are all in the bays.
I knew of some folks who used to take a boat over and go skiing. The Heli thinng is new. Does the Heli svc have a website?
Big peaks...amazing...absolutly amazing...
Pics of the slide..scar. You can sorta see me in on the bench in shot #2.
Skiing Pow... Due to safe zones it was really hard to take lots of powder pics
Stoked,
I was near this area (Mazama Bowl, Chain Lakes) both Friday and Saturday. There wasn't enough new snow below ~3500ft from the earlier storm (~25th), and the storm predicted over the weekend (with a snow level down to 1000ft) didn't produce much snow at all, maybe 6-8inches.
It would be a tough go to ski to the Mt Baker Highway right now.
I was near this area (Mazama Bowl, Chain Lakes) both Friday and Saturday. There wasn't enough new snow below ~3500ft from the earlier storm (~25th), and the storm predicted over the weekend (with a snow level down to 1000ft) didn't produce much snow at all, maybe 6-8inches.
It would be a tough go to ski to the Mt Baker Highway right now.
Kyle- Thanks for testing out the avy conditions in the slot ;D
Here are a couple shots of you guys on the way out.
Here are a couple shots of you guys on the way out.
Shane - we saw tracks and signs of droppings on Windy Ridge (see other TR) but none on the Bear Glacier.
author=steddy link=topic=12852.msg53581#msg53581 date=1238424927]
I was thinkin' that looked like a Jake in those funky yellow/black speed pants. Tell him Ted from the WWU days says hi and wonders what he's listening to these days.
Passed on! Those pants elevate his ski ability a couple of levels as you can imagine!
J
I was thinkin' that looked like a Jake in those funky yellow/black speed pants. Tell him Ted from the WWU days says hi and wonders what he's listening to these days.
Haven't been thinking corn yet, John. But good find. Sounds like fun. Second season is about to begin!
J
J
I've got to get out there -- thanks for the pics and inspiration. Beautiful day.
Thanks for the TR John!
I am heading there tomorrow and can't wait to enjoy some of those dreamy corn turns. ;D
I am heading there tomorrow and can't wait to enjoy some of those dreamy corn turns. ;D
Thanks to all for the welcoming words.
In light of the photo Ron posted, I feel obligated to offer a more accurate representation of my current state of physical fitness:
See you on the trail. I'll be easy to recognize.
Mark
In light of the photo Ron posted, I feel obligated to offer a more accurate representation of my current state of physical fitness:
See you on the trail. I'll be easy to recognize.
Mark
Nice job John on finally touching the top of Arrowhead. That's persistence.
Yep. We did both today. Definitely very nice up there!