TR Replies
author=Rusty Knees link=topic=12336.msg51540#msg51540 date=1234847847]
Does that pack make my butt look big? Great touring with everybody - and let's go back when there's more snow, better visibility and lower danger.
Good Lord, Don ::) --have you weighed in on the safety/survival gear thread yet? ;)
Awesome! Way to get a super gnarly tour in conditions like that!
Did you guys climb and ski the lookers right of those two diagonal gullies on the Curtis? Or were you even further over on lookers right?
I wonder if that hourglass leading to the Sulphide is skiable with a deeper snowpack.
Did you guys climb and ski the lookers right of those two diagonal gullies on the Curtis? Or were you even further over on lookers right?
I wonder if that hourglass leading to the Sulphide is skiable with a deeper snowpack.
Ostrander Rocks!!
We got deeeeep powder (2+ feet) 3 out of 4 years over Easter weekend. Its a pow magnet.
We could really use a hut like that up here....
We got deeeeep powder (2+ feet) 3 out of 4 years over Easter weekend. Its a pow magnet.
We could really use a hut like that up here....
Had another great weekend at the Ostrander Hut in Yosemite National Park. Powder skiing four years in a row. It's a lucky place for me. I'll try to get a TR going soon. Here is a picture of the mellow terrain that is available from the hut.
A little bit on Ostrander: http://ostranderhut.com/
A little bit on Ostrander: http://ostranderhut.com/
It was great to meet Telemon, BCSkier, and Animal for the first time! A pleasure to ski with Rusty Knees and Telemack again as well!! I felt like a minority for the first time being the only AT guy on the trip. Luckily for me everyone seemed ok with me being the only AT dyna-fiddle guy!! Animal performed some stability tests as I watched. There was a very clearly defined thick, weak layer of hoarfrost about 1 1/2 to 2ft down or so, if my memory is correct. As Animal cut a slope out I came in...
author=spresho link=topic=12329.msg51520#msg51520 date=1234836941]
For sure, though we did see some nice tracks on the slopes at the extreme right edge of that second picture.
Went out there yesterday, around the base of Coleman Pinnacle, not quite all the way there. It was great and didnt take too long at all. Still had time for Ptarmigan (or Video peak) as well as a skin up to the top of table and a run out on the hermann side.
As of yesterday still good snow on the north side, although it's beginning to look like a ski area with moguls forming in some of the gulleys. The south side is mostly untracked due to abundant sun crust. Super highway skin track
author=ale_capone link=topic=12336.msg51557#msg51557 date=1234893992]
Also, did I ride past you on the cattrack near the Mtr's lodge? Was coming down from grace lakes and passed a couple guys pulling a polk up. Looked like you in a blur. You couldn't miss my pants.
We arrived at the cabin around noon last Thursday, so it wasn't us that you saw on the cat track.We got in two decent 30K vert. days u...
Another really fun tour, John. Mini report and pictures up on the hiking site sometime this evening.
I was going to try to head up to JH on the same day, but changed my plans. Drove by yesterday with the same intentions. Observed crap vis from the tow away zone, and decided to go somewhere else again.
Looks like you guys had a pretty decent day.
Also, did I ride past you on the cattrack near the Mtr's lodge? Was coming down from grace lakes and passed a couple guys pulling a polk up. Looked like you in a blur. You couldn't miss my pants.
Looks like you guys had a pretty decent day.
Also, did I ride past you on the cattrack near the Mtr's lodge? Was coming down from grace lakes and passed a couple guys pulling a polk up. Looked like you in a blur. You couldn't miss my pants.
Did one of you lose a snickers bar? I went up very ealry on the 14th and my dog sniffed one out just barely buried under the little snow that had fallen over night. If it was yours, sorry, I ate it.
Must have been your skin track that I followed through the trees up jove. It was all but lost from wind transported snow once I gained the ridge. I could make out a few ski marks in areas where the snow was gone to the crust layer.
Also was suprised by the sled tracks... Saw som...
Must have been your skin track that I followed through the trees up jove. It was all but lost from wind transported snow once I gained the ridge. I could make out a few ski marks in areas where the snow was gone to the crust layer.
Also was suprised by the sled tracks... Saw som...
Looks awesome!
I remember skiing there in the spring a while back,but this looks unreal!
Good one!
I remember skiing there in the spring a while back,but this looks unreal!
Good one!
hmmm looks like Silas's retirement is getting off to a good start. :)
I had a fairly large group and just the poor bonding of the new snow on top of the mega crust was enough to unnerve several people. The new snow was uncohesive so I would expect only some loose snow sluffing if we had ski the NE slope. That alone was beyond the comfort range of the group.
While booting up I was regularly punching through the mega crust with my boots (I'm a lot heaver than Pico). Jumping up and down on my (fat) skis it would settle a litt...
While booting up I was regularly punching through the mega crust with my boots (I'm a lot heaver than Pico). Jumping up and down on my (fat) skis it would settle a litt...
author=JimH link=topic=12294.msg51546#msg51546 date=1234854465]
Need to add this - we saw a 'biler come out of the HMJ wilderness area near the summit of Jove. He was playing around in the drainage that runs E/NE off of Jove's summit for at least a couple hours (we could hear him during our ascent and while lapping the backside).
Everyone was friendly with each other, but he seemed a little surprised to see us when he popped onto the ridg...
I know duder! My epic shreds need to be brought into visual history!
Need to add this - we saw a 'biler come out of the HMJ wilderness area near the summit of Jove. He was playing around in the drainage that runs E/NE off of Jove's summit for at least a couple hours (we could hear him during our ascent and while lapping the backside).
Everyone was friendly with each other, but he seemed a little surprised to see us when he popped onto the ridge. That makes more sense now.
Everyone was friendly with each other, but he seemed a little surprised to see us when he popped onto the ridge. That makes more sense now.
Was up there too skiing Mazama, west faces were good, as were any leeward north-ish facing slopes. Great day, but it's time for another cycle.
I like that middle picture - Winter Desert. Funny how the posder moves around. Maybe West is the new North down there.
Thanks for the report, Silas. I've been checking the backcountry.net forum and been pouring over some Desolation Wilderness maps longingly since the Sierra dumps have started falling. Love to get there sometime.
Have a great time down there.
John
Have a great time down there.
John
It was a fun trip! Nice to reconnect with Telemon and BCSkier, and great to meet Mack and Kevin for the first time. I agree with Telemon's assessment - the snow up higher was better, except for the buried refrigerators, microwaves and other miscellaneous appliances left over from the last big avalanche cycle. Telemack and I made about a 300 foot lap, while Kevin, Bob and Chris went on to check out the slope higher up. We found some nice turns in the small trees, near the lo...
Good job guys, that has to be a long haul in there through the woods!
awesome! looks like you guys found the goods.
author=Randy link=topic=12324.msg51483#msg51483 date=1234806556]
Hoped to ski the NE slopes off of Diamond Head -- but found snow conditions unfavorable.
Attempted to skin up east slopes from the XC15 trail -- but in the trees found the "mega crust" to be so bulletprooof that there was zero bonding of the 1-2 inches of new snow to the crust and the crust was too hard to get much of an edge. Ski crampons would have allowed skining in the...
author=jamin link=topic=12301.msg51518#msg51518 date=1234836221]
BigRed,
Great adventure yesterday in an area that is totally new to me.
Here are some videos from this tour.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJYiVy8X4Y0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vmq7a-X2I68
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w-aIDued5Y
Gents,
Kudos to the great effort! We didn't have an operating camera betwee...
author=hankj link=topic=12320.msg51473#msg51473 date=1234766180]
It was 5pm when I returned to Cabin Creek, deserted enough to walk up the nordic track for 500 yards with a snowboard under my arm and a tired dog by my side.
Just when is it OK to walk up a Nordic track?
author=Travertine link=topic=12329.msg51508#msg51508 date=1234828481]
Nice view of the slopes around Coleman Pinnacle on the second picture. Probably some great runs there right now but a little farther to get to from the winter parking lot than summer.
For sure, though we did see some nice tracks on the slopes at the extreme right edge of that second picture.
Have fun! Save a little powder for me in early March! We'll keep dreaming alpine dreams up here.
BigRed,
Great adventure yesterday in an area that is totally new to me.
Here are some videos from this tour.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJYiVy8X4Y0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vmq7a-X2I68
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w-aIDued5Y
Great adventure yesterday in an area that is totally new to me.
Here are some videos from this tour.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJYiVy8X4Y0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vmq7a-X2I68
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w-aIDued5Y
author=cjm720 link=topic=12317.msg51498#msg51498 date=1234817840]
Saturday was a treat with 8-12" in most of the area. Right below the saddle there was styrofoam wind pack, and on the steeper north facing slopes just above the the lakes, natural sluffing occured reducing snowpack down to about 2-4" on the main glades. North and NW slopes in particular seemed to hold the the best snow with with no evidience of the ice layer. However, the ice layer b...
Nice view of the slopes around Coleman Pinnacle on the second picture. Probably some great runs there right now but a little farther to get to from the winter parking lot than summer.
author=Big Steve link=topic=12329.msg51501#msg51501 date=1234821518]
Nice pics, Scott.
Hey, let's hook up for a ski tour one of these days. It's been too long.
I agree, on both counts.
author=Snow Bell link=topic=12317.msg51490#msg51490 date=1234813714]
A skillfully laid uptrack with no turns down the entire drainage.
We appreciated the uptrack and wondered why there were no down tracks. Where did you ski down?
I would also point out that there were isolated pockets of wind slab (generally up high) with evidence of cracking in some instances. We stayed away from those areas, in one case droppin...
Nice pics, Scott.
Hey, let's hook up for a ski tour one of these days. It's been too long.
Hey, let's hook up for a ski tour one of these days. It's been too long.
Saturday was a treat with 8-12" in most of the area. Right below the saddle there was styrofoam wind pack, and on the steeper north facing slopes just above the the lakes, natural sluffing occured reducing snowpack down to about 2-4" on the main glades. North and NW slopes in particular seemed to hold the the best snow with with no evidience of the ice layer. However, the ice layer below was very evident on the ascent and skinning was difficult on steeper aspects (new skin...
Sorry to hear of your travails, Randy. We skied by as your crew was thrashing about in the trees above the trail's hairpin turn. Carrying on up and over the Tronsen Head, we found excellent skiing down through the talus slopes to the road. Your unbreakable "mega crust" was covered there by about a half-foot of light pow. All in all, one of my better days skiing this route.
Nice meeting you, Kevin and Maggie; I'm glad we could show you the wa...
Nice meeting you, Kevin and Maggie; I'm glad we could show you the wa...
I was there on the 8th and found the same conditions. Sorry, I should have posted something to warn to people stay away.
author=iluka link=topic=12317.msg51464#msg51464 date=1234759144]
We then headed over to the basin below Plummer and Pinnacle finding a skin track heading up that was put in either earlier in the day or the day before. We took it all the way to the saddle and took in some nice views to the south.
Pretty lucky. A skillfully laid uptrack with no turns down the entire drainage. ::)
Glad you enjoyed it.
I hope that you had...
John - went up to the North Glades on Humpbackyesterday and found great snow again as you described. It was way better than what I found higher up on Snoqualmie Mountain on Saturday. Quite a bit of work walking through the low elevation sections, but well worth the effort. The north bowl is well protected from the wind and held powder better than I expected - it was definitely worth the second lap. We were able to ski off the summit and through the steeper section you des...
You're finding the goods this week, iluka. Nice job!
Sounds like a nice, mellow day - not "spectacular" conditions, but a good time anyway. Thanks for the TR and photos! :-)
Winter has returned down here...WOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Stormy & high avy danger the next couple of days, should be interesting.
Stormy & high avy danger the next couple of days, should be interesting.
Man I remember BD Snake SKins. Those things suck.
author=NickD link=topic=12303.msg51437#msg51437 date=1234723853]
Lowell, I would guess like many of us you don't subscribe to A McLean' s theory of you don't know how to skin properly if you need ski crampons.
No, I don't.
My theory (equally useless) is that you don't know how to skin properly if you've never used strap-on skins. ;)
Well done gents.
I was up in Silver Basin last Saturday planning a circuit with a run down to Annette Lake. Was waiting for conditions to soften on Silver's sw flanks. Absolutely bulletproof on some of the crux areas so settled for lapping the basin. Conditions are everything sometimes.
My favorite shot is John's of Lowell crossing a blown out stream. Great stuff!
Lowell, I would guess like many of us you don't subscribe to A McLean' s theory of you don't...
I was up in Silver Basin last Saturday planning a circuit with a run down to Annette Lake. Was waiting for conditions to soften on Silver's sw flanks. Absolutely bulletproof on some of the crux areas so settled for lapping the basin. Conditions are everything sometimes.
My favorite shot is John's of Lowell crossing a blown out stream. Great stuff!
Lowell, I would guess like many of us you don't subscribe to A McLean' s theory of you don't...
Postscript:
John offered the following as the third large photo for this trip report. It was taken near the summit of Silver Peak with Granite Mountain looking dark and moody in the background.
John has more photos (better than mine!) here. Thanks for a great day, John!
John offered the following as the third large photo for this trip report. It was taken near the summit of Silver Peak with Granite Mountain looking dark and moody in the background.
John has more photos (better than mine!) here. Thanks for a great day, John!