TR Replies
So that explains the mystery tracks. Strange about the thermos. I didn't notice one when we arrived and none of our gear had been messed with when we returned (someone could have snagged a pretty nice glacier rope if they'd wanted to).
There were actually 9 up there--us two, two guys from Whislter, and a group of five snowboarders, though one of them was lagging quite far behind.
How was the N. Ridge?
There were actually 9 up there--us two, two guys from Whislter, and a group of five snowboarders, though one of them was lagging quite far behind.
How was the N. Ridge?
Dude, skykilo's thermos, that's like a collector's item! Now you're NEVER going to get it back.
I was there yesterday. Counted 8 people total going up the CD at one point from a vantage high on the North Ridge. Somebody took my beloved thermos, damn it! I guess that's what I get for leaving it.
Looks like the timing was good. Would have been fun to go, but one sick day a week is about all I can swing. Maybe on another outing.
Sorry, no thermos. Were you up there the same day as us? The Whistler guys said they heard someone arrive during the night and take off and we saw some tracks heading toward the N. Ridge, but no sign of the phantom making them.
You guys didn't see a thermos before dropping off Heliotrope Ridge into the gullies did you?
I've never seen anywhere near that many people on Baker during the week. I left my thermos there to lighten my load before climbing the North Ridge. To my dismay, it was gone when I returned.
Oh well a beautiful day in the mountains is worth more than a thermos!
I've never seen anywhere near that many people on Baker during the week. I left my thermos there to lighten my load before climbing the North Ridge. To my dismay, it was gone when I returned.
Oh well a beautiful day in the mountains is worth more than a thermos!
Awesome, sounds like a great trip! I'd like to do this an a week and a half. Can you provide a bit more info about the approach from the white salmon lodge to the base of the white salmon glacier? (This will be my first time tyring this route.
Questions:
1. Do you start by heading to the base of chair 8?
2. From the base of chair 8 do you head out along a road first before descending into the drainage?
3. Did you do more of a traversing descent into the white salmo...
Questions:
1. Do you start by heading to the base of chair 8?
2. From the base of chair 8 do you head out along a road first before descending into the drainage?
3. Did you do more of a traversing descent into the white salmo...
Or perhaps get a film scanner, depending on how nice a 35MM camera (and lenses) you have...
Jim, It was 6hrs up and 3 down with continuous snow at about 2500'. PM me if you want helpful details.
Boot
Boot
Hey Boot - sounds like a great trip. The couloir looks interesting and the approach does look pretty direct with the aid of the trail.
Where did the continuous snow start and how long was the approach? I'm trying to figure out if this would make a good, fairly quick day trip.
Thanks for the info.
Jim
Where did the continuous snow start and how long was the approach? I'm trying to figure out if this would make a good, fairly quick day trip.
Thanks for the info.
Jim
Nice job! I wish I coulda gotten off work and made this outing. As I read about the trip up, I was wondering about that trip back across the lake later in the day - sounds like you'll remember that stretch for a while.
Peter, those were my shoe tracks coming up from the notch, maybe more from the SW than south. Didn't come from either lake route. If you look at the bottom of the map on Charles' post and follow down and left off the summit to the notch at 6400', then follow the couloir in a NWerly direction down to the blue creek line at 4600', and finally follow that down to its intersection with Dingford creek, you have my approximate route. Sorry for the digression.
Nice trip and photos. I could feel "the burn" in the quads on those jump turns in the upper couloir. ;)
We're near Mammoth and heading south.
Zap
We're near Mammoth and heading south.
Zap
I thought Big Snow was a seldom-climbed objective, but that doesn't seem to be the case this week. I was one of the skiers you met near the summit, Charles - it was nice to meet you, I'm a big fan of your site. I did see a pair of snowshoe tracks heading W off the summit, we followed a couple pairs of skin tracks up the Hardscrabble route, and we saw posthole tracks in the Hardscrabble basin on our way out. Lots of action!
I'm curious about your route,...
I'm curious about your route,...
I've got some great shots, but I'm a bit old fashioned in the fact that I use my 35mm film camera.......this is always a bummer, because I can't share them with the rest of the world........that's OK, because it makes my world pretty small.
Maybe next time I'll bring my digital. Sorry.
Stacy
Maybe next time I'll bring my digital. Sorry.
Stacy
author=Swooz link=topic=4628.msg19767#msg19767 date=1146691067]It looked like there was a lot of skiable terrain back there. Have you ever checked it out? How about the interior bowl? Ever go down towards the lake?
The back side of Sauk has some nice skiing, though the obvious runs are short (max ±1300 vertical feet). By the time the summer trail is mostly melted out, the south slope on Bald Mtn. and the east facing shots on Sauk ar...
Try this.
I have another one that's zoomed in more on Whistler but it doesn't show as much of the slopes to the east of Whistler.
Kudos on a nice trip. The Prouty looks like a blast to ski.
Edit to add: I just looked thru your photos. You have some great shots in there. I especially liked the sunrise photos; they have such vivid colors.
Edit to add: I just looked thru your photos. You have some great shots in there. I especially liked the sunrise photos; they have such vivid colors.
Charles, Another great spot in The Alpine Lakes Wilderness! Any chance you saw my board and dog tracks going down the south side from the day before? We came up and down Dingford trail and up the NW couloir that tops out at a 6400' notch and then up to the top. It's a route I've never seen described and like you found, requires the right conditions. It seems the shortest, least painful, and greatest amount of riding to hiking of all the routes I'...
author=Mad_Dog link=topic=4648.msg19807#msg19807 date=1146776290]
Nice turns you two. Allyson did you leave the BBQ at home, it was kind of fun on the way down from the Ski Fest, when you caught a little air and had that great "Barbie Q" rattle, shake, shake goin on :D.
yes i agree it was fun to ski with the bbq, however, i still had a little 'rattle, shake, shake' goin on near the bottom when the suncups tri...
Nice turns you two. Allyson did you leave the BBQ at home, it was kind of fun on the way down from the Ski Fest, when you caught a little air and had that great "Barbie Q" rattle, shake, shake goin on :D.
Great Beta :D
Hoping to head down there for some alpine fun end of the month. Thanks for the road report. which access did you use? Will be my 1st trip to the area.
C
Hoping to head down there for some alpine fun end of the month. Thanks for the road report. which access did you use? Will be my 1st trip to the area.
C
Thanks for the TR! Sounds like a really fun trip! Any pictures? ;-)
yes, it was a fabulous evenin', and i sure am digging this njr weather (no jacket required).
plus, great to get a jom of nearly 100% (except maybe for the stream crossing). spring skiing's the best!
8)
plus, great to get a jom of nearly 100% (except maybe for the stream crossing). spring skiing's the best!
8)
author=kam link=topic=4646.msg19781#msg19781 date=1146718782]
nice photo, Greg! any plans in late May?
We should ski on a volcano, don't you think?
author=jdclimber link=topic=4637.msg19756#msg19756 date=1146674780]
How were the crevasses? Anything open or scary looking?
We only crossed one identifiable crevasse, perhaps 50-100m long. It was completely open on it's east side, showing some sag in the middle where the snow mobiles had crossed it, and barely visible on its west side. Everything else was completely filled in if you were skiing a straight li...
author=Darryl link=topic=4648.msg19787#msg19787 date=1146750463]I'm still split between the 'sides' ;) ("switch hitting" between AT and tele) which is fun for variety.
Cass - it looks like the AT binding on your right ski broke OR are you returning from the "Dark Side"?
Skip- observant eye buddy! The pack is newer (since January), and is far more comfortable than the old daypack; I guess for...
Very nice photos. Thanks for sharing!
That was my first time there and visibilty was shit so I couldn't tell you much about the terrain. I will tell you there was plenty of snow up there though. We hike the forest service road until we believe we came the the trail head. All the snow and no tracks made it hard to tell where the trail was actually at. Since the snowpack was fairly firm we just started climbing the face. Then visibilty went even more to shit. Anyway in regard to your last question, I just missed the summit and wa...
We haven't tagged the summit hut yet this spring, but I don't think it is normally locked. The snow is clear around the door, but the windows are all shuttered, so it would be cold and dark inside.
The road is drivable now to within less than a mile of the lot. The mt. will be skiable into summer this year if you know where to go and watch out for melt holes and cliffs. There is still significant danger from cornice falls on north facing slopes.
The road is drivable now to within less than a mile of the lot. The mt. will be skiable into summer this year if you know where to go and watch out for melt holes and cliffs. There is still significant danger from cornice falls on north facing slopes.
Thanks for posting this, Scole, I was thinking about being there Wednesday but ended up going somewhere closer. Any pictures of Whistler Mountain?
Sweet.
Who needs to pack when there is corn to be harvested? ;)
Nice tele turns, too.
Who needs to pack when there is corn to be harvested? ;)
Nice tele turns, too.
Cass - it looks like the AT binding on your right ski broke OR are you returning from the "Dark Side"?
Cass: you're a bit late using the JOM stick; i pulled it out months ago:
btw, that patch of yours has waaaayyy too much vertical... ;D
btw, that patch of yours has waaaayyy too much vertical... ;D
Here are a couple more pics. Can you name that peak?
Nice Job!!! Many people are unaware that Whitney is the highest peak in the US outside Alaska. I would like to ski the route you skied sometime in my future. Thanks much for your report!
I was second member of this party. Drove to 2700'. On and off snow. Maybe Memorial Day for drive to TH. Ascended and descended via the open semi-avy slope at appr 3300'. Was solid crust. Then up through mixed trees thus skipping standard TH route. A good option albeit tricky in spots.
More pix Rich por favor.
More pix Rich por favor.
@#$#, I wish I was there. Looked like fun. How much longer you think the snow will be good there?
Do you go for the summit by the summer trail route? I traversed across the w. face at the level of the trailhead earlier this winter and poked around on the north side. It looked like there was a lot of skiable terrain back there. Have you ever checked it out? How about the interior bowl? Ever go down towards the lake?
Lots a questions, but I used to have family in Rockport, and have often gazed upon the slopes wishing for a local partner.
Lots a questions, but I used to have family in Rockport, and have often gazed upon the slopes wishing for a local partner.
author=Paul Belitz link=topic=4617.msg19735#msg19735 date=1146600501]
Does that mean you enjoy inflicting pain on yourself at high mach numbers?
I was hoping no one would notice that :)
Sweet photo...
How far were you walking on the road until the trailhead?
How far were you walking on the road until the trailhead?
Some pictures ...
Ken and Protz skinning up to Iceberg with Whitney looming above
The Mountaineer's Route couloir (a Google image search will give you a ton of detailed shots if you're interested)
Ken and Protz skinning up to Iceberg with Whitney looming above
The Mountaineer's Route couloir (a Google image search will give you a ton of detailed shots if you're interested)
How were the crevasses? Anything open or scary looking?
Here is a shot of the turns potential from our early April trip. (Hope they come out in a small format.) It was light powder for the top half and rapidly warming as you can see by the pinwheel debris for the bottom half.
Another great ski fest indeed!
Nice work on the group photo JW!
A few additional pics are posted here
Skip- bummer you couldn't make it, but thanks again for making the arrangements to get the keg.
Justin- thanks for taking the keg off my hands for the haul up to/back-down from the party spot!
Nice work on the group photo JW!
A few additional pics are posted here
Skip- bummer you couldn't make it, but thanks again for making the arrangements to get the keg.
Justin- thanks for taking the keg off my hands for the haul up to/back-down from the party spot!