TR Replies
Nice report, and welcome to TAY!
I think the husky sounds more useful than the cheatsheets, which are nice for long-term summer storage or warm-in-the-house storage, but not so desireable in the field where they are bulky, a hassle to apply, and blow away in the wind . . .
I think the husky sounds more useful than the cheatsheets, which are nice for long-term summer storage or warm-in-the-house storage, but not so desireable in the field where they are bulky, a hassle to apply, and blow away in the wind . . .
An excellent first report. Thanks. I like the part about your dog pulling your empty board.
Very cool. I've mountain biked up there a few times, and it's one of my favorite rides ever, as far as stuff that's less than a 90 minute drive but still a semi-epic ride. The route is called "Kachess Ridge" but it's kind of a misnomer, cuz you're in the Silver Creek valley for most of it (well most of the downhill part, the uphill is on logging roads).
Anyway, some day I simply gotta take the skis up there...
8)
Anyway, some day I simply gotta take the skis up there...
8)
I cut two slabs off the North Face when Ben and I skied it in March 03. That's a fun ski descent. Way to go get it.
I've skiied the North Face in the Spring with nice skiable corn and stable conditions. The only problems is that the road is all pavement, so tennies are a must and it's still a long day. As I recall it was pretty breezy up there then as well.
Bill
Bill
About the winds - I haven't looked at any data, but most times I've been up there it has been blowing. I wouldn't be surprised if winds were stronger in the sisters because it sticks out further W than most of the Cascades, so N or S winds ripping across the Puget Sound lowlands would slam into it, as opposed to regions closer to the Cascades spine, where friction off other peaks would slow the winds down. On the other hand, there wouldn't be strong gap flows in t...
Nice trip! Must have been a long day...
Are the winds there usually stronger than other places?
Are the winds there usually stronger than other places?
Thanks, Larry. I'll PM John in case he doesn't spot this posting. I was bummed enough to see one of my favorite old growth glades on Hex turn to slash pile in the late '90s (though admittedly the skiers right of that slope is still pretty fun, though uglier)...
Oh well, I guess we were lucky that the owners didn't decide to do more sooner up there.
Oh well, I guess we were lucky that the owners didn't decide to do more sooner up there.
JN1010-- welcome aboard.
Hyak is closed M - F so as long as you don't get in the way of the Nordic center groomers, which operate out of the base, there is no one to give you the stink eye. Your own private resort w/o the crowds midweek. Hyak usually doesn't open until Christmas so you might get Sat and Sunday runs as well until it opens for the season.
When the resorts are open, it is generally frowned upon to be moving uphill while the paying public is movin...
Hyak is closed M - F so as long as you don't get in the way of the Nordic center groomers, which operate out of the base, there is no one to give you the stink eye. Your own private resort w/o the crowds midweek. Hyak usually doesn't open until Christmas so you might get Sat and Sunday runs as well until it opens for the season.
When the resorts are open, it is generally frowned upon to be moving uphill while the paying public is movin...
I am new to the area so I have a question. Can you skin up inbounds at Hyak (and the rest of the mountain)? It sounds like you did but I just want to make sure. I went to Silver Basin at Crystal last weekend via skinning up the groomed stuff. This is very bizare to me because where I am from (Bozeman, MT) if you did this you would probably get gunned down by a sniper sitting at the top of a lift. Can you skin inbounds at all Washington resorts? Thanks for the...
Hi Jim,
John Morrow would be the best one to answer the question about Hex. I know he was very disappointed in what has happened there. John?
Glad you liked the pic. It was one of several sets I took while climbing up to stitch as panoramas. After stitching the tiff file is ~50 mb! (Some 360's I do are up to 150 mb - my excuse to build a new computer for Christmas. :)
Here's a link to a low res version - a lot of jpg artifact. Even so you should be ab...
John Morrow would be the best one to answer the question about Hex. I know he was very disappointed in what has happened there. John?
Glad you liked the pic. It was one of several sets I took while climbing up to stitch as panoramas. After stitching the tiff file is ~50 mb! (Some 360's I do are up to 150 mb - my excuse to build a new computer for Christmas. :)
Here's a link to a low res version - a lot of jpg artifact. Even so you should be ab...
Nice pic, Larry. So it sounds like the cover is getting decent out east - true?
I've heard a rumor that the standard approach to Hex (i.e. by the Newport Creek sno-park) now has a new housing development (either done or being built) - do you happen to know what's up there, and whether there's still reasonable access to that route? The optimist in me in fact wondered if you can now drive a plowed road up to near where the trail gets onto the ridge, with parking nearby a...
I've heard a rumor that the standard approach to Hex (i.e. by the Newport Creek sno-park) now has a new housing development (either done or being built) - do you happen to know what's up there, and whether there's still reasonable access to that route? The optimist in me in fact wondered if you can now drive a plowed road up to near where the trail gets onto the ridge, with parking nearby a...
We never got above the fog at Hyak. Shouda gone to Alpental instead of Hyak!
Nice photo fellow dawn patroller :D
Scottie
Nice photo fellow dawn patroller :D
Scottie
ross, you need to take your tele gear to the Shanghai ski dome so your legs will be better prepared for your next trip to the PNW ;D
Don_B: Important issue, snow balling on the paws. My Lobo already does that some. Chewing on his paws sounds touching, but I've found it considerate to trim the fur between his pasd with scissors from time to time, and it tastes better, too. ;)
Nice report Pete and thanks for avoiding all of the photos of me on my face after jelly legs from the previous torture day at Crystal chasing you fixed healers around the hill. I wished you would have captured my 20' launch though...HAH!
The snow is still passable higher up at the pass... In the Mt Snoqualmie/Snow Lake area today, it was decent above 4500ft or so. Let "wet powder" on sun-sheltered slopes. It was *horrible* below 4000ft - sounds like what you found on Hyak. Very strong microclimate going on right at the snow lake saddle though (4400ft)... very cold, the trees are still flocked with snow, it was the only place we encountered truly dry powder still (but only 2-3 inches on soft crus...
Downhill,
I bet it was good during our good snow period last week.It is, alas, back to the usual frozen snot to which we have become accustomed to here in the beautiful PNW. It was still invigorating and better than sitting in traffic like I usually do at that time. :D
I bet it was good during our good snow period last week.It is, alas, back to the usual frozen snot to which we have become accustomed to here in the beautiful PNW. It was still invigorating and better than sitting in traffic like I usually do at that time. :D
Now the only thing your missing are the hot springs and monkeys!!
Not a bad way to spend a Wednesday morning. We were up there on Saturday morning and it was fantastic. Two runs on the front side with only a 1/2 dozen tracks already, and one in the trees on the backside.
I've had some trouble with the old method of inserting pics in the TR, so had to wait for inspiration. Figured out a method, but can't insert into the TR as I'd like. Oh well.
Please, no smarty pants exposing the location if you can tell from the pic, but the second shot (Wide Open) shows why the slope is called Japan Ski, a question I'd been asked. Note the slide alder - covered in snow and filled with pow - that's Japan!
Please, no smarty pants exposing the location if you can tell from the pic, but the second shot (Wide Open) shows why the slope is called Japan Ski, a question I'd been asked. Note the slide alder - covered in snow and filled with pow - that's Japan!
Telemack,
Re: teaching dog BC skills: I skied at Heather Ridge with Peter, Baldwin and Charlie the dog in 2005. Charlie was not actually skiing, but did lots more miles than us humans, romping all around us in really deep powder. His person told us that he taught Charile to bite and lick the balls of snow from his footpads. By demonstrating how to do it on Charlie's feet. Now Charlie can do it his own self. True.
Re: teaching dog BC skills: I skied at Heather Ridge with Peter, Baldwin and Charlie the dog in 2005. Charlie was not actually skiing, but did lots more miles than us humans, romping all around us in really deep powder. His person told us that he taught Charile to bite and lick the balls of snow from his footpads. By demonstrating how to do it on Charlie's feet. Now Charlie can do it his own self. True.
My first ever attempt to post pictures...a miserable failure! And the 100 kb versions I made with a free jpg compressor look miserable on my monitor.
For now, see Flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/koelle/ has a few photos of Mt. Catherine. Time to learn some basic WWW-ology. David
For now, see Flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/koelle/ has a few photos of Mt. Catherine. Time to learn some basic WWW-ology. David
Nice photos, and thanks for the $ and lift info.
Hi jdclimber; all went well. I'll summarize our pit info: it was similar to jd's, about 1/4 mile further. The snow was 1-1/2 meters deep, and gradually increased in density as I slid a card into it. The shovel compression got nothing until 3rd full-arm hit, then an uneven fracture at about 20cm. Randyand I could not get anything else to move lower. So it looks like two unstable layers, one where the last storm hit Wed-Thu and then the old rain crust...
I may have seen your tracks from Pan Dome. I spent a lot of time looping through the powder just west of the backcountry gate. Since we made use of the lifts, you'll find my report and photos in that section.
Bob
Bob
Jeff,
To bad about the crust, but a fabulous report.
Very creative trip considering the road washout of your normal stomping grounds. >:(
Its like a mini cascade mountain in the middle of the crater.
Good job.
Joe
To bad about the crust, but a fabulous report.
Very creative trip considering the road washout of your normal stomping grounds. >:(
Its like a mini cascade mountain in the middle of the crater.
Good job.
Joe
Thanks for the pics,
We forgot our camera, but won't forget the turns from Coleman pinnacle area. We were a group of three that made our way a bit further west towards Camp Kaiser. Thanks again! (We left a little early because...big Mike broke some teeth out on first run :'(
SAMOON
We forgot our camera, but won't forget the turns from Coleman pinnacle area. We were a group of three that made our way a bit further west towards Camp Kaiser. Thanks again! (We left a little early because...big Mike broke some teeth out on first run :'(
SAMOON
Thanks JD for the comprehensive snow pit report.
Glad it was a great trip.
Good stuff!!
Joe
Glad it was a great trip.
Good stuff!!
Joe
We pushed on up to Muir through the wind, it really wasn't that bad. At least it didn't feel as cold as it was. The skiing was pretty good, you just had to turn around the ice patches, which for the most part you could find lanes through. And then from Anvil down it was just hero snow. We were a party of 4, Eric J, Eric T, Megan and Allen. We ran into Markharf, and a few other TAY'ers we probably haven't met yet. Great ear...
Thanks David, for giving me the call Friday night and for the good company on the trip. It sure was a lot easier going than my attempt the week before. Too bad our early start kept us from meeting some fellow TAY'ers. I was wondering if any of the pictures turned out?
four of us climbed up Mt Catherine by way of Nordic Pass thinking we might be the first up there this season. Just north of the summit we discovered a set of ski tracks that just managed to beat us for first tracks down through the trees - must have belonged to dkoelle and company. If we'd been any slower even Ron Jarvis and crew would have beat us. The ski down through the trees was a bit tight and bumpy, but the snow was excellent. A foot or two of new will really smooth things out. We sk...
On Saturday, my partner and I skied 4 runs down the Union creek drainage and one into bullion basin at the end of the day. We saw one guy digging a pit in the south east exposure of Union creek drainage just below where the skin track meets the ridge. maybe that was you. The west facing tree runs on the east side of bullion seemed mostly too wind affected to be worth skiing with barely breakable crust for 50-70 feet off the ridge.
The shaded, more north facing aspects of...
The shaded, more north facing aspects of...
Hey, sorry to miss you, Ron! We followed your skintrack freeway for a while, then veered off and went around Catherine to Silver Peak. Kinda heavy windpack up there and really cold on the ridge, but a beautiful day with lots of mellow skinning mileage. Here's Kevin on the west ridge of Silver Peak as we relaxed for a total of about 30 seconds in the 45 mph wind before skiing down:
author=dkoelle link=topic=5675.msg23713#msg23713 date=1165110547]
Thanks to Jim for taking me up and filling in this hole in my Snoqualmie geography....
And thanks to you and Jim for setting in an uptrack for us geriatrics. It made it a lot easier for Darryl to break trail.
Great conditions; Snowpack was bomber but skiable. Another three feet of snow will make this tour a dream.
Didn't get any action shots t...
You dont have to remove the old glue really. Just paint a new layer of Gold Label (available most anywhere ~$12) and let them dry overnight. Cover the plush side with tape so nothing spilled seeps around onto it. Pretty easy but stinky.
author=Tophervw link=topic=5679.msg23731#msg23731 date=1165193196]
Rumor of Jersan and companions (I believe a 4 legged friend's tracks were observed in the skin track)were not confirmed, However a number of other TAYers were apparent after folks bailed out from Alpy. 2 laps left me wanting a few more laps but
Those were our 4 legged friends -- duct tape dog Keller, and Phoebe the lab. We came up from the PCT, followin...
Yeah, that was us; we were the only ones over that way. Must have been someone else who pulled up behind us earlier and had a bit of a wait; sounds like you timed it better.
great run! one of you on the lower section;
author=Boot link=topic=5678.msg23752#msg23752 date=1165215510]
We snomo'd from Cougar Snow-park to Climbers Bivouac. Was that you who pulled in behind us about 7am?
We got to the Cougar Snowpark around 8:15. The gate to Marble Mtn opened a few minutes after that. I think we might have seen your guys first few turns from the top. Did someone in your party stop a bit short of the summit, and then you rode down to him?
It...
We snomo'd from Cougar Snow-park to Climbers Bivouac. Was that you who pulled in behind us about 7am?
Boot
Boot
Thanks for the info boot. I hope we're not exaggerating the crust too much here. We did find better snow in protected gullies that we maximized as much as possible. BTW, did you come in from marble mtn?
Jeff,
We boarded off the summit on the west side of Monitor Ridge and found very little crust about mid-way with wind pack powder above and powder below. I wonder if your more easterly facing slope took in more direct sun and then cooled off in late afternoon. It was a spectacular day on St Helens!
Boot
We boarded off the summit on the west side of Monitor Ridge and found very little crust about mid-way with wind pack powder above and powder below. I wonder if your more easterly facing slope took in more direct sun and then cooled off in late afternoon. It was a spectacular day on St Helens!
Boot
The variable breakable crust was not peculiar to St. Helens -- the south side of Mt Hood offered similar conditions today, especially below 7000 feet. MSH can be an excellent winter ski trip.
Reminds me my first real "AT" ski on used garage sale gear 11 years ago to the top of Hyak. Fish-scale bottom K2 skis (Sundance models I think) with some 80's Ramer bindings on them that were pretty bent up. I remember my boots never pointed straight on the skis. The bindings had a release mechanism where the whole binding would stay on your boot and release from a sort of ball bearing cam in the toe piece. I didn't pay attention to the design and hooked a strap to the bindin...
author=Tophervw link=topic=5678.msg23732#msg23732 date=1165193360]
What was the time commitment of your tour?
I think we left a bit after 9 and got back around 3:30ish, though we took our time with the crust and enjoyed gawking into the crater. The summit is 5500vft above the parking lot, so plan based on that.
author=OldHouseMan]both Jeff and I vowed to never ski St Helens in the winter again....
author=Tophervw link=topic=5678.msg23732#msg23732 date=1165193360]
I second that!
What was the time commitment of your tour?
This was indeed an excellent trip. The views and the weather were perfect and seeing the new crater was awesome but both Jeff and I vowed to never ski St Helens in the winter again. The breakable crust was brutal.
Aaron
i was wondering who put that skin track in....no trailbreaking, yet an untracked slot was quite a surprise :) gracias.