TR Replies
Now that's a proper education! ;)
Glad you and P got the goods. 8)
Glad you and P got the goods. 8)
author=Alisse link=topic=41124.msg162928#msg162928 date=1544040937]
Pics or it didn't happen!
It may not be a pic, but it does show that pre-opening groomers can be enjoyable, especially when there are not too many other people on the hill. The headwind on the descent was the only downfall of the day. Since this is a resort, I now have to slow way down when ever I come to a flat area with a blind spot. I am already missing th...
author=silaswild link=topic=41124.msg162926#msg162926 date=1544026385]
best snow of the day was 8-10†untracked blower snow
Pics or it didn't happen!
Pics for those of us stuck in the office please!
author=Donnelly_M link=topic=41114.msg162912#msg162912 date=1543894468]
I think I got the hint of something along the lines of some grooming having been done? Looks like I know where I am headed tomorrow to make some turns. lol
jtack and I saw you skiing today, Donnelly. We saw no turns.
Avajane's got it right except for his spelling of Blewett. Been up the last couple of days in the Tronsen non-motorized zone just N of Blewett(!)Pass. There's an honest foot of new from last weekend on a shallow base. Skied mostly roads and trails but careful turns are available on the old clear-cuts. Nice views of the Stuarts today on the way out.
I think I got the hint of something along the lines of some grooming having been done? Looks like I know where I am headed tomorrow to make some turns. lol
Indeed we were, though the snow was soft-enough that we each made a few turns, after a fashion. The pow/crust bond was a little too weak to make steep snowshoe turns forgiving. Snowshoes were the right tool for our day, with an uncertain snowline, a long haul up from the river, and a lower-elevation objective.
If we were to head back with skis this week, we'd be aiming to get as far above 5k as we could.
@Jake: We didn't go terribly far up the road, and cond...
If we were to head back with skis this week, we'd be aiming to get as far above 5k as we could.
@Jake: We didn't go terribly far up the road, and cond...
Thanks for the report Charlie,
Can you confirm how far you can drive on the Cascade River Road & if you need high clearance.
Thanks. Jake
Can you confirm how far you can drive on the Cascade River Road & if you need high clearance.
Thanks. Jake
Wow. Fantastic photos. That first one is scary.
author=DOD link=topic=41032.msg162881#msg162881 date=1543611818]
not sure if the Overproof was a good idea....
Sure it was! Without it you would have been cringing about all that schralpin.
Nice vid!
not sure if the Overproof was a good idea....
My local
Source says Peak Chair opens tomorrow.
Good luck - and sorry if I'm wrong. No promises but, there does seem to be enough snow. Stay high!
Source says Peak Chair opens tomorrow.
Good luck - and sorry if I'm wrong. No promises but, there does seem to be enough snow. Stay high!
...good deal Charlie.
I hiked up the PCT a few miles with kids on sunday, north towards the Catwalk & was very surprised to see 24"+ under the trees. Coulda skinned up but only the brave or the dumb woiuld have skiied down. A category into which I am usually pleased to insert myself!
Snow should form a decent base once it's been rained on!
I hiked up the PCT a few miles with kids on sunday, north towards the Catwalk & was very surprised to see 24"+ under the trees. Coulda skinned up but only the brave or the dumb woiuld have skiied down. A category into which I am usually pleased to insert myself!
Snow should form a decent base once it's been rained on!
Those throwback photos always make me jealous (until I see that they are not recent. :) ) We had great easy skinning up a well set trak via Tye Mill to the patrol hut Saturday. Then nice 16†bottomless powder over brush and rocks to the base of Jupiter chair. Back down the front side we found skier compacted and cat packed smooth slopes with no scratching. Hope today's warmup firms the base and doesn't melt it all.
All skis are rock skis eventually. Saturday&a...
All skis are rock skis eventually. Saturday&a...
Excellent. I'm an advocate for using your most beat-up skis in early season ::)
Mack I missed you by a day! I think Stevens was the place to be this weekend!
Thanks for the report! Data logger suggested it may be good. Out of position to go skiing this last few weeks, glad you had good conditions. Waiting for a report from Rolf's trying out a new pair of skis.
author=Doug Hutchinson link=topic=41045.msg162786#msg162786 date=1542648331]
Stay away for now.
Hmmm, layer like that doesn't bode well for when the pattern changes....
Tx for the detailed report, and the reminder that early season can have avy hazards before some people start thinking about it.
Thanks for the report. I think lots of people are hunting for that elusive minimal coverage these days.
We climbed the Cosley Houston yesterday and "skied" down from the base of Colfax. Probably the worst top to bottom ice that I have witnessed on an PNW volcano. Stay away for now.
A good friend of mine did summit (I had childcare duty which hopefully will win me some husband points for future weekends) via the route you speak of. He recalled a very scary descent where he was comforted by the use of his recently purchased whippet. All safe but you probably make a quality and calculated decision to return from where you did. Cheers.
author=Amar Andalkar link=topic=41044.msg162764#msg162764 date=1542412357">...while the shattered shards of microscope-slide-thin ice skitter and bounce across the surrounding surface with unusually joyous clinking and tinkling and jingling sound effects...
I love that! Your description reminds me of a ski weekend at White Pass a few years ago. We called it the "tinkle tour". The sound of the ice skittering down the hill con...
Continued from previous post . . .
Eventually below 8000 ft, the pseudo-firnspiegel rain crust vanished and it was just smooth amazing windpacked snow. Excellent fast turns here, definitely the best snow of the day. Pseudo-firnspiegel is nice, but it's still not quite as nice as real firnspiegel.
Looking back up at our ski tracks on the smoothest sno...
author=jeremyallyn link=topic=41020.msg162720#msg162720 date=1541992964">
Nice work on all this, Amar. It's a good opportunity to remind everyone on TAY that NWAC wants your snowpack and avalanche observations. Submissions can be made on our mobile app, as well as via the "observations" tab on the website. Have a fun and safe season!
Thanks for all of the information! I'd like to echo the comment about submitti...
Fantastic! Thanks for the report. I see you skiing with an ice axe. I really like skiing with two whippets. Great first post!
Thanks for the comments, folks.
I've just posted an addendum to the original report (at the end of Reply #1) with several photos and measurements of the 2nd avalanche crown on Cowlitz Headwall, mostly taken on subsequent trips up there on November 11-12, along with photos of raised ski tracks visible above the icy layer in AAA Gully following a wind scouring event on November 9.
I've just posted an addendum to the original report (at the end of Reply #1) with several photos and measurements of the 2nd avalanche crown on Cowlitz Headwall, mostly taken on subsequent trips up there on November 11-12, along with photos of raised ski tracks visible above the icy layer in AAA Gully following a wind scouring event on November 9.
Amar -
Thanks for the educational post, especially from someone who spends so much time up there and is quite aware of the conditions. Very helpful.
Thanks for the educational post, especially from someone who spends so much time up there and is quite aware of the conditions. Very helpful.
author=cumulus link=topic=41032.msg162741#msg162741 date=1542209980]
the visuals were rock'n !
😂🤣
I didn't have the sound on but the visuals were rock'n !
I had been over the pass on Sunday, and was surprised to see what looked to me like enough snow to have a try, so when Mike called and said lets go it was an easy yes. As usual it was pretty darn fun!
So if the surface is firm, it must be stable, go for it.
If it's soft powder, then you ski it like a movie star.
This is a quality algorithm.
If it's soft powder, then you ski it like a movie star.
This is a quality algorithm.
Great report. I know from reading the visitor log at the Snow Peak cabin that skiers visit in winter.
As an aside, my bride and I hiked up Chewelah Mountain (49 Degrees North ski area) on Sunday in 2 to 3 inches of snow. Someone tried to ski it the day before - their bases will never to the same again either.
As an aside, my bride and I hiked up Chewelah Mountain (49 Degrees North ski area) on Sunday in 2 to 3 inches of snow. Someone tried to ski it the day before - their bases will never to the same again either.
As always, Amar, very thought provoking. You drive home the point of how critical it is to make observations of the conditions on the ascent. But, what really struck me, was how important it is to be informed of the weather conditions in the days (and weeks) BEFORE going out. I'm not as diligent as I should be in this regard, especially in the months when NWAC is not forecasting.
Thanks for posting this - I was up there on Thursday and saw that crown and the one near Gibraltar Rock. Your explanation is much appreciated - and a good reminder that dangers on that route lurk in the sidelines.
Wow.
Thanks for the detailed report - it is interesting to read both the avalanche and human factor assessment.
Kudos for tactfully addressing this with the skiers. I've found myself in situations when I am not sure if I should confront someone when I see something sketchy (avalanche beacons on dogs, anyone?) - I am impressed with how it sounds like you handled this.
And, way to get after the early season turns!
Thanks for the detailed report - it is interesting to read both the avalanche and human factor assessment.
Kudos for tactfully addressing this with the skiers. I've found myself in situations when I am not sure if I should confront someone when I see something sketchy (avalanche beacons on dogs, anyone?) - I am impressed with how it sounds like you handled this.
And, way to get after the early season turns!
Nice work on all this, Amar. It's a good opportunity to remind everyone on TAY that NWAC wants your snowpack and avalanche observations. Submissions can be made on our mobile app, as well as via the "observations" tab on the website. Have a fun and safe season!
Yesterday, I also noticed a big crown underneath Gibraltar rock, in the snowfield beside cadaver gap. Looked like it came from the same event, or perhaps it came down with the wind event Friday.
Thanks for the post, the best part of TAY is those creative turns people get, and those are creative turns! Don't worry about those bases, you'll never remember those skis, but you sure will remember skiing Bonaparte in November!
Cool! I don't get out that way much, but keep posting and we'll know what's out there ;-)
THANK YOU so much for your very detailed trip reports. This is incredible info and I'm sure I speak for many when I say the effort you put into this TR is very much appreciated!
Weather Forecasts and Data:
Here is the NWS Rainier forecast for the day of this report:
Mount Rainier Recreational Forecast
National Weather Service Seattle WA
337 AM PST Wed Nov 7 2018
SYNOPSIS...High pressure will build over the region and give mostly sunny skies and dry weather to Mount Rainier National Park today and Thursday. A weak weather system will bring a little rain and snow Friday. Showers could linger Saturday, but Sunday and Mo...
Here is the NWS Rainier forecast for the day of this report:
Mount Rainier Recreational Forecast
National Weather Service Seattle WA
337 AM PST Wed Nov 7 2018
SYNOPSIS...High pressure will build over the region and give mostly sunny skies and dry weather to Mount Rainier National Park today and Thursday. A weak weather system will bring a little rain and snow Friday. Showers could linger Saturday, but Sunday and Mo...
Continued from previous post . . .
November 8, 2018: Avalanche Size Measurements
Given my cough / cold, I wasn't sure if I would be back the next day, even though Thursday's forecast was even nicer with more sun and warmer temps and less wind. But thankfully I managed to motivate once again, even though I felt a bit worse than the previous day. Far less people were out skiing on Thursday, saw only maybe 10 skiers up on the Muir Snowfield, versus abou...
November 8, 2018: Avalanche Size Measurements
Given my cough / cold, I wasn't sure if I would be back the next day, even though Thursday's forecast was even nicer with more sun and warmer temps and less wind. But thankfully I managed to motivate once again, even though I felt a bit worse than the previous day. Far less people were out skiing on Thursday, saw only maybe 10 skiers up on the Muir Snowfield, versus abou...
That is very cool -- thanks!
Yeehaw! You guys nailed it! Thanks for the hype!
I recently realized that I should have included another map in the original post showing the crevasses on Muir Snowfield from the Google Maps Terrain layer. Starting a few years ago, Google Terrain has been updated with high-resolution lidar (light detection and ranging, using an airborne scanning laser) imagery covering many mountainous areas of the western United States. This easily shows crevasses and many other geologic features (rock glaciers, moraines, landslide debris, etc.) in very sharp...
Looks awesome, between this TR and all the hype from the rockies getting piles of snow I imagine the hills will be pretty "full" this weekend. Excited to get out tomorrow.
Thanks for posting!
Thanks for posting!