TR Replies
Thanks for jogging some memories of spring days at Tucks. A unique location and the weekend crowds at Lunch Rocks bring out the "best" in costumes and downhill devices. ;)
WOW! Glad you're safe! Incredible effort!
Within a few minutes, the snow had melted in the Jetboil cup, and 15-20 minutes produced half-liter quantities of water as hot as tea. I was stoked: As miserably wet and humid as the cave was, I had found a source of both unlimited warmth and unlimited hot water at the summit of Mount Rainier. I knew I could survive for days if necessary with no fear of either hypothermia or dehydration. But food was another story: a quick inventory revealed only 1 pack of 4 Nutter Butter cookies (250 cal), 1 pa...
Nice work staying safe. I spent the day on the lifts at Alpental. After trying a few small shots of untracked slurpee snow, I ended up sticking mostly to well-skied snow which was a lot more fun. And the festivities at the base drew down the lift lines toward the end of the day, which was also nice (fun to hear the cheers for the costumes from up high, though).
I'm very sorry to hear about your brother.
I hope there was a good crowd on lunch rocks while you were there and perhaps some folks in inner tubes or other non-ski contraptions getting cheers from that crowd (and perhaps you even got a cheer or two!). That's an important part of the quintessential Tuck's scene.
I hope there was a good crowd on lunch rocks while you were there and perhaps some folks in inner tubes or other non-ski contraptions getting cheers from that crowd (and perhaps you even got a cheer or two!). That's an important part of the quintessential Tuck's scene.
Good day you guys! I enjoyed the pictures. If I had gotten free to tag along - I would have been way down below Telemack in those pictures! I like the pics, especially "Ski tips on the edge!"
Don
Don
Thanks for the report Dan!
Very sorry to hear about your brother :'(. Stay safe out there and best of luck.
Very sorry to hear about your brother :'(. Stay safe out there and best of luck.
Jesus, Dan, sorry about your bro.
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The Cathedral (left of Dodges) and The Duchess (b/w Hillmans and Tucks proper) were two skis I never completed in the Tucks area. But will someday. Thanks for the pictures.
The steeps in the White Mountains are my barometer of skiability I live by even today. If you have the sack to ski over the lip of Dodges (with it's weird fall lines and "firm" - New England-ese for "icy" - snow c...
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The Cathedral (left of Dodges) and The Duchess (b/w Hillmans and Tucks proper) were two skis I never completed in the Tucks area. But will someday. Thanks for the pictures.
The steeps in the White Mountains are my barometer of skiability I live by even today. If you have the sack to ski over the lip of Dodges (with it's weird fall lines and "firm" - New England-ese for "icy" - snow c...
Nice to see a Tuckerman's TR here. I am flying back to NH (I grew up there) on Saturday for my wedding, but won't be getting any turns in though. Last time I was at Tuckerman's (about 17 years ago) we saw a couple of guys riding down the headwall in a blow up 3 man raft, crazy!
sorry to hear about your brother. Glad you got some turns. thanks for the tr and great pics.
thanks for the great TR, and hang in there! - the corn will be here soon.
Way to get it done. Those pesky roads just won't melt out.
Sounds like a neat trip--the way it worked out! Glad to have this tr as I can refer to it if I ever get back up north for a ski. From these tr's, I'm starting to get the "lay of the land"... THANKS.
The slush shouldn't last long. There simply has been no spring until this last week. Usually a week or so of heat will bake the snow down to an all day solid, easy skiing consistency.
Thanks Robie. I posted a link to the pictures, now I just have to figure out how to take photos like some of the folks on this board!
Paresh
Paresh
Some of those descriptive references to the snowpack in that area are strikingly similar to what I encountered on Wedge MT(Leavenworth) Sunday May 4.
Some friends and I made the 1st winter ascent of that route over 30 yrs ago, with a considerably less fat snow pack. What a run! Way to stick it when the snow's good.
...or before you do anything else (add pictures), hit Ctrl + A to highlight all your text and then hit Ctrl + C to copy it to your clipboard so if you do lose it, you can paste it right back in. This all assuming you're not using a mac...but I think they too have similar shortcuts.
Those chutes off smoka are amazing anyways great tour with good distance traveled.
A beautiful day in the local hills to be sure.
Wonderful weather and fine snow made for a great day. We earned over 5K of turns with another 5-600vf of road skinning. We drove to 2K before being stopped by snow, much better than two weeks ago by a mile or two. Things are very well filled in making for some sporty lines that are not usually skiable. There is work to be done up there before the melt begins in earnest.
??? I tried to post some pictures but alas I am a one trick...
Wonderful weather and fine snow made for a great day. We earned over 5K of turns with another 5-600vf of road skinning. We drove to 2K before being stopped by snow, much better than two weeks ago by a mile or two. Things are very well filled in making for some sporty lines that are not usually skiable. There is work to be done up there before the melt begins in earnest.
??? I tried to post some pictures but alas I am a one trick...
author=movenhike link=topic=9981.msg40205#msg40205 date=1210096931]
Hello John, Funny that anyone inquires, because I had a decent length trip report written. I was dabbling with trying to get some of my pictures onto the report and managed to get one tiny pic, my trip report deleted, and myself quite frustrated. I guess I'm better at slogging up a hill than programming computer stuff. If anyone has any suggestions let me know. I have the photo fil...
Brian, I didn't actually drive the portion of mtn home from the crest down to 97a, I came from the safeway side, but snows been melting by leaps and bounds this last week. I drove several hundred vertical feet higher than the main road (mtn home), to start this tour. was pleasantly surprised. Watch out for saturated snow on the steep open slopes, and the ridgeline, on hot sunny days this spring. Even with whiskey I was nervous here and there.
Just to clarify Movenhike, the entire length of the Mtn Home road is plowed and driveable now?
author=Paul_Russell link=topic=9965.msg40215#msg40215 date=1210103449]
I was really amazed at the number of places they go.
Yeah, they leave their orange landing markers everywhere too.
The first photo is amazing, what a sweet and steep line!
Nice trip Lowell. Thanks for the post. I was wondering where you guys might be on Sat, and looked across at Tower over the weekend thinking it would nice to get in there to ski. I was at the Freestone Inn and noticed a map of the heli runs they do which include that area. I was really amazed at the number of places they go.
There is a climbers trail into the drainage from the colonial creek road crossing, but we hit snow a few hundred feet above the road, covering it - yielding a miserable bushwack traversing a very steep forested slope with snow just weak enough to punch through every few steps - there was even a cliff under much of it into colonial creek. Later in the season, the climbers trail might make this approach more palatable.
I've gotten up to the pyramid col via the pyramid lake trail...
I've gotten up to the pyramid col via the pyramid lake trail...
Thank you for the picture as it was very informative. How was your route. There doesnt seem to be any good, much less great, approach to this area. Did you press on or call it good at the drainage? I am very interested in any information concerning your trip. Thanks.
Way to go... that looks like a gem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, a friend of mine and i schwacked up the colonial creek drainage hoping to avoid the nasty climb up to the pyramid ridge a few weeks ago... We were not too hopeful, as getting up on the colonial glacier from the basin is 'interesting'. However, we saw the largest avalanche i've ever seen come off of pyramid peak right onto the traverse for the standard route - it covered the whole face (i think its 1000' vf or so) for a few seconds, and it was only 10am! It was very a...
Hello John, Funny that anyone inquires, because I had a decent length trip report written. I was dabbling with trying to get some of my pictures onto the report and managed to get one tiny pic, my trip report deleted, and myself quite frustrated. I guess I'm better at slogging up a hill than programming computer stuff. If anyone has any suggestions let me know. I have the photo file from that day in Walgreens.com so it's on the internet but I&#...
That's crazy on a great many levels. Good job :).
On a pedantic note, it was so crazy, you managed to do it in the future!
On a pedantic note, it was so crazy, you managed to do it in the future!
Right on Mountain Peakcock and your bat brethern! Sonar is a good name.
And way to improve our line. Best snow year I've seen up there.
http://cascadeclassics.org/CentralCascades/ColchuckPeak/NortheastCouloir/Spring03/NortheastCouloir_Spring03.htm
And way to improve our line. Best snow year I've seen up there.
http://cascadeclassics.org/CentralCascades/ColchuckPeak/NortheastCouloir/Spring03/NortheastCouloir_Spring03.htm
I can't believe you put this up! Now hordes of Starbucks-swillers will be up there laying waste to this prime powder. You should take this down STAT!
Way to blast that shit into another Universe! You 4 are over the top.
Good advice.
Right now we're entering the mushiest period of the spring. There has been a lot of new snow in the past few weeks, with below normal temperatures. When the freezing level shoots up like it did on Sunday, we're going to have a lot of wet slide activity for a while. The rock faces are still holding a lot of snow and they can threaten slopes like the one below Pyramid Peak.
Until the snow becomes more consolidated (which could take until Memorial Day or...
Right now we're entering the mushiest period of the spring. There has been a lot of new snow in the past few weeks, with below normal temperatures. When the freezing level shoots up like it did on Sunday, we're going to have a lot of wet slide activity for a while. The rock faces are still holding a lot of snow and they can threaten slopes like the one below Pyramid Peak.
Until the snow becomes more consolidated (which could take until Memorial Day or...
Friends and I toured Wedge early this December. We started at the bottom, Blewitt Pass side of Mt. Home Rd. It was a very long day. We skinned the road to the end, where the summer trail starts, then an easy skin to the crest. We skied the main gully that runs parallel to the rd., and skied some excellent glades all the way down to Peshastin Crk, for a great descent. Of course, it left us about 5 miles from the car...
That deep slush was pretty crazy, I don't think I had ever skied shin deep slop before. Is this due to the sun rays pentrating the snow and warming the rock, thus giving a rotten facetted snow? We opted to stay on the top of those ribs to avoid a potential terrain trap with that heavy wet stuff...
Paresh welcome aboard! Nice report .
Mistakes are the mother of adventure (sometimes) :-)
A very good report and it will open some eyes to what is possible.
pictures are easy now you just have to shrink them to under 100kb
cheers
Mistakes are the mother of adventure (sometimes) :-)
A very good report and it will open some eyes to what is possible.
pictures are easy now you just have to shrink them to under 100kb
cheers
author=movenhike link=topic=9981.msg40158#msg40158 date=1210017162]
Snowboarded down Wedge Mtn outside of Leavenworth on Sunday
Hello Movenhike, could you tell me how you did the drive approach. Only time I was there we had to hike 2000 vertical of clearcuts from the main Mtn Home Road to reach the snow. Then got about 2000 more on snow to the top.
Thanks,
John
Eli3 - estimate max 50 deg for gulley, maybe a tad more for a 15 foot section at the entrance right now due to a pillow of snow 'steepening' it.