TR Replies

March 6-9, 2008, Wallowas, Norway Basin

The wise elders displayed their wisdom for this trip choice.

Living vicariously through others.

3/14/08 4:37am

Rusty Knees

That was a very great report. The video was therapy! Especially liked the pics framed by gnarly wood. Thanks.

3/13/08 11:06am

Charlie Hagedorn

March 13, 2008, Kendall trees

Bummer- thanks for the update...

3/13/08 7:49am

Stugie

March 1 - 7, 2008, - Coast Mtns

The girl wants to go stay in Joseph and snowshoe around the Wallowas...looks like I'm convinced! ;) Nice report!

3/13/08 7:46am

Stugie

Nice pics! Nice lines. I'm definitely jealous.

3/13/08 7:41am

Stugie

nice tour!

3/13/08 7:38am

Stugie

Jerm - It was nice meeting you guys too! I have to say I am way jealous of those prophets! ;) Nice pics too! You got a really nice line...I wasn't sure where it dropped in at...the rock at top confused me! Too bad I figured it out halfway through!

I prefer to "snack" on JD, but whatever works, right?

Rippy - I'm not at all sure how much elevation +/- we had...I could probably check a topo and guess, but I'm too lazy to...

3/13/08 5:05am

haggis

Sorry I didn't stop - wanted to keep the momentum for the lower section. Been meaning to meet up sometime, if only I'd known that was you! We wanted to get to the top of that little slot to see down to Snow lake but half way thought better of it. It was fairly stable though.

Super morning and just beautiful out with such good snow but it did warm up quickly after 9am. We started at 7.

3/13/08 4:05am

Kneel Turner

March 1 - 7, 2008, - Coast Mtns

Hey, Haggis, that was me and a friend that took advantage of your uptrack to the chair. Thanks. We were concerned about something starting from sluffing off the warming rocks above, but new snow was well bonded. Had some surface sluff run really slow on steaper gullied terrain, but easily managed. Then two laps off upper Pineapple, finishing out to Source Lake. Very nice up top. Heavier down low. Three laps of carving International on grippy snow on the...

3/13/08 3:37am

ema

Day 4 - bigger lines and a tour -

3/13/08 3:30am

ema

March 1 - 7, 2008, - Coast Mtns

Full story here for days 1, 2 and 3 - http://www.leelau.net/2008/coast2008_03/day123/ Powder fever struck us bad one day when we did 1900m of runs in 30 + cms of snow on stable 40 degree slopes through perfectly spaced trees. Run after run.

3/13/08 3:28am

rippy

The track going up was looking good but we were too far North to want to traverse / climb the Morse creek back-side. Your descent tracks sure looked inviting though. Did anyone track your elevation + / - data to come up with the overall vertical? I'd be curious as to how much climbing is involved but pretty sure it's a 5K + day. Right around a 2 run day at the "Ridge too far", another seldom visited C.M. destination with 7 drop-ins that go 55 - 40 degrees & a thousa...

3/13/08 2:07am

haggis

We went up to the chair a few times yesterday. Great snow and turns. Stability was OK but it was most def avalanche terrain so was a bit nervous. Shovel test failed at considerable rating. A lot of graupel (those little snow pellets) for the 1st 4 in which were really loose and made skinning tricky on steeper terrain. Packed down good for 2nd trip up though.

Great day to be out

3/13/08 12:50am

gregL

author=Monika link=topic=9444.msg38138#msg38138 date=1205388880]I guess you got out earlier?

Hi Monika,

We got to the top around 1:00, skied around 1:30. North facing aspects stayed relatively cool, especially in the shade of the Slot, while the Phantom turned to sticky glop from about 5,000 ft down. Good to see you getting out, helmet and all!

3/12/08 3:37pm

JimH

The quality of the snow on the N side of Snoqualmie was a really nice surprise. It was still good on the N side of after 1P.

I think the guys who skied Crooked (Clem et al) dropped into that line a little after 2P, so I guess the N side pow, and the pow on the Phantom, hung in there for a while longer. The clouds thickened up in the PM, which probably helped.

3/12/08 3:14pm

Monika

Sweet pics GregL !

I saw the temps really spiked today. But you all still found powder, I guess you got out earlier? Heard there were plenty of natural slides happening over on Alaska today...

3/12/08 1:52pm

gregL

The Slot was fun, too, though even more variable. Scoured rain crust at top, four inches of wind affected fresh in the narrow part, then a foot or so in the mid and lower sections, with a few patches of bare ice to make things exciting. Here's FreeBird and MOB.

3/12/08 12:47pm

Joedabaker

author=RichV link=topic=9428.msg38104#msg38104 date=1205351107]
Kylie asked our group if we knew where we were at.

That's really funny. ;D ;D
It goes to show that you never know when you are in the presence of the Grand Master of Crystal's BC. I can think of a couple folks, but not many who know that terrain better than Scott.

3/12/08 11:31am

Charlie Hagedorn

Interesting conditions - thanks! (sounds like a fun day too....)

3/12/08 11:17am

Kyle Miller

author=RichV link=topic=9428.msg38104#msg38104 date=1205351107]
The snow cave you discovered is the one that is used for the snack break on the guided snowshoe tours.

Rich is correct they have been building snow caves there for years

3/12/08 9:44am

Marcus

Glad you got it figured out -- that's a great tour.

3/12/08 8:57am

northwest

thanks. it was a good day, just wanted to share.

3/12/08 8:27am

OldHouseMan

We spent the week of Feb 24-Feb 29 at the Wing Ridge Huts. Sounds like we had similar conditions as you did. It dumped the Saturday 2/23 before we skied in through Monday 2/25 and then cleared up so we spent the rest of the week hunting for freshies on north aspects that hadn't been blasted by the sun. We were able to ski the big bowls off of Wing Ridge and did a big tour on Wing Ridge over to McCulley Basin and back.

What amazing terrain.

If you get a chance I'd...

3/12/08 7:59am

Micah

For 1-button mouse users, right-click = cntrl-click. It looks like the url's for the pictures might be truncated?? To make sure to get the whole url, navigate to the picture, then click the little icon next to the url (the red and blue circles for flickr). This will select the entire address, even if there is not enough room to display the whole thing. Once selected, just copy/paste any way you like (e.g. command-c/command-v).

Micah

3/12/08 7:55am

jdclimber

Silly Rabbit, apples come from Tree, not Steve Jobs.
Are you a Mac user? And if so, are there Mac folks out there who can help?

3/12/08 7:36am

northwest

right...don't have a "right click". thanks though

3/12/08 7:27am

Marcus

I'm not sure what "?s" you mean, but if you're having trouble seeing the pictures, I think you pasted the wrong address. Try right-clicking on the picture you want and scroll down to "Properties", then put the address you find there into the img tags, as below:

3/12/08 7:21am

northwest

anybody care to help?

3/12/08 6:53am

northwest

what's with the question mark's, bro?

3/12/08 6:49am

Jerm

We found a bottle of Stolichnaya at the cave ... is that what passes for a "snack" these days? Sign me up!

3/12/08 5:56am

Broz

SG, We were staying in the Big Sheep drainage which was booked up. But the North East aspect of Wing Ridge looked readily available from the Salt Creek Snowpark

3/12/08 5:20am

skierguitarist

3-6-08 Shastina, S.E. face to Cascade Gulch

Looks like a hoot from the looks of those tracks. Which trail head drainage were you working out of and what do you recommend as it looks like another dump of freshies is on the way for Central, Oregon and I imagine the Wallowas?

3/12/08 5:13am

skierguitarist

Hi Telewoman...thanks for your input. If you know of any cool changes happening on that side (or any side for that matter) would you keep me aprised?.

I've done Hotlum/Bolum once and I must say that that was one feeling of ski acomplishment as the whole route was completely filled with the BIGGEST most GINORMOUS (heard that is a word now but probably spelled wrong...) sun cups that the world has ever had. I was so slow though that all the people hiking down passed me...

3/12/08 4:45am

RichV

March 8, 2008, - Iron Peak

Kylie asked our group if we knew where we were at. Myself and Scott Kingland were not very amused.

The snow cave you discovered is the one that is used for the snack break on the guided snowshoe tours.

3/12/08 4:18am

ovrthhills

Nice trip.

3/12/08 3:46am

Jerm

Nice to meet you guys.

I was the guy that straightlined the slot into the righthand blue line only to bobble at the exit and wreck catastrophically. My Dynafits did not come off....

I was actually planning on nabbing first tracks on the larger one after a run from the top of Morse Pk and then saw you punks skinning up around the corner. You snaked my line man! No worries ;)

I have some pics of our day @
http://flickr.com/photos/jmalczyk/sets/72157604087611...

3/12/08 2:03am

Marco

3-6-08 Shastina, S.E. face to Cascade Gulch

Thanks for the report Mad_Dog! My arm/shoulder is still healing, but hope to see you and crew late spring or early summer. Thank goodness for TAY trip reports or I'd be having no season at all... ;)

3/12/08 1:51am

Telewoman

I wouldn't give up on Shasta yet. We are expected snow this weekend. Hotlum/Bolam is usually accessible by mid-May early-June. The earliest I've sked it was May 9th which is the earliest the road has been open all the way to the trailhead. 8)

3/12/08 1:17am

md2020

author=schu link=topic=9423.msg38033#msg38033 date=1205205158]
My partner and I lapped Plummer and Denman milking out 6300' on saturday.

6300'! Wow!

3/12/08 1:06am

Broz

Hey Greg thanks,
No that is not Norman. I got a killer deal on the SL's and took the plunge to the Dynafits.

3/11/08 11:59pm

gregL

March 7-8, 2008, Silverstar

Nice work, Broz! Is that Norman on Baker SL's and Dynafits?

3/11/08 1:18pm

snoslut

Yes Jim I have crampons for my splits. Left them at home cause if you have to skin using crampons, sometimes its easier to just boot. Shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line. Plus I drug up my harness n gear, ice axe, crampons, helmet. I would be damned if I didn't at least incorporate one of those items. Sure we could have skinned to the col but that would have been easy.

3/11/08 11:27am

skierguitarist