TR Replies

Looks like fun!

Can't beat the combination: road open early, 16" cold powder on 10 foot base, the poma wasn't open but the cat track was in making skinning a breeze, and where was everybody? I had first tracks every run. I found you could go very low and the conditions were still great plus the visibility was better. Euphoric!

Thanks guys.  Good info.

Lets hope for some warm weather to help kill that layer. Maybe El Niño will finally kick in and spring snow showers will extend our winter so we can get back to some bottomless fluff again.

I was considering that run a couple of days ago but ended up skating on icy crust elsewhere. Not bad at lower and higher elevations. Must be between 4500' and 6500' or so. Anyone else have different observations?

alpymarr

Got your skintracks on Friday up Hyak.  Thanks.  Nice windless blubird day with virtually no one there.  You're right though, the raincrust was brutal.

same over below Silver Peak, toured up below the bowl and skied the meadows this morning 1/12/07.   six-eight inches of fluff on that impressive crust . little too light of snow on my three pins and leathers for pretty turns but no one else up there to watch me flail. Nice morning though, groomer fellow stopped and told me he had -3 as a temp, I only saw 8 degrees or so on telemetry , wonder what sort of local variation one can have with the air so still.

pretty blue sky

Sweet pic.

I'd say that the crust is pretty much boilerplate. I also agree that some major weather changes will need to happen to affect that crust. Kept thrusting my pole down through the fluff to try and break it, or to see if i was in a windslab area, and it was just like hitting concrete.....

glad to read a tr from this week...I've been wondering what the heck the snowpack was like up around snoqualmie, thanks for posting!

Is the 'crust' that you saw out by Chair breakable or is it pretty much boilerplate rain-ice crust?

Nice report and photos.  I've had Sherman Pass on my list for a few years but the conditions were not good during my last return trip from Red and Whitewater.  We plan to swing by on the Zap & Jill, Shell 2 for 1 Grand Tour in February.  :)

Cool Russ. Just let me know. I also have a second splitboard if he would like to give one a try sometime.

Glad I'm not there this weekend - predicted lows of -4 to -14 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ian

Thanks for the comments on bc boarding, I'll pass them on.  He's focusing on school this year, but wants to join in next.

jimjar - thanks for the offer, I'll PM you.

- Russ

Hi Ian!  Beautiful photos.

Let's go climb Hard Mox this summer.  OOPS, wrong Ian.

Like Telemack said it's not necessarily a secret, although 1) either not many know about it or 2) it's hard to get the hut on the weekend. We didn't see anyone out there and according to the log, there haven't been many skiers up there anytime recently.

Snow Peak Shelter - it sleeps four comfortably, five would be tight, six...no thanks. It's fully stocked, including cots! The physical location of the hut doesn't make much sense as it sits right on a very...

The Terminal Gravity was fine by me and made a great chaser for the Yukon Jack and schnapps :D

Russ~

Splitboard all the way.  best option to test 'em out if ya can't hook up w/ jimjar would be Second Ascent in Seattle, $25 gets pick up Friday evening and return on Sunday by 6pm...best deal this side of SODO (reference dependent on your specific location, a good deal none the less).

Best of luck, I could imagine the approach skis could be a hassle to schwack through the trees and what not.

Cheers

Good God that is beautiful country!  At 5,576 ft. a great spot.  What is the travel time to that area? 6 hrs + from the seattle area?  any other terrain shots?

and quite well documented, is that photographer available for hire?

Way to get IT! ;D

It looks beautiful over there.  Thanks for the report and the very nice photos.

Anyone that has seen the debri pile from chair peak unloading down to source lake would not venture that way in high avalanche danger.  I really don't think there is a safe route to snow lake divide!

the rap wall is a mixed climbing venue. two tiers- the lower only has one route, the upper has several.

goats, schwackin' gone wrong, high octane backcountry beverages, lynx tracks...sounds like a sweet way to bring in the new year!!  move over dick clark!!!  ;)

great photos too you guys--here's to a happy and healthy 2007!

Top of what is (I think) called No Fog, the gully you ski down and across to get to Source Lake from Great Scott Bowl. I saw at least 4 bolted routes. This is right off the summer path to the Tooth, so they could just be rock routes.



Route finishes at the highest icicles. If it is mixed ... looks pretty wild!

author=Jerm link=topic=5954.msg24712#msg24712 date=1168278698]
bolted cliff in No Fog?

Bolted cliff? Where is this again.

Some friends and I were up in the Alpental BC this weekend. We knew perfectly well the avi danger and made sure to use the maximum caution on where to travel and where not to ski. Not to say that you can ignore the threat of natural slides, but using keen eyes and knowledge, it's do-able. Made it up to the Snow Lake saddle and camped the night up there, recieving a good two feet of light dry snow which gave way to graupel early. Awake to sounds of patrol blasting Denny. NOTHING is stable. W...