TR Replies
professor toe--very nice. cute dogs too. :)
I was out there on Sunday the 19th of Feb, visiting my sister at Goddard College in Ft. Worden St. Pk. Skied out to Hurricane Hill on the Feb. crust before the new snow fell. It was very hard ice for my Karhu Lookouts but a beautiful blue sky day. Anyway, here is a photo of the terrain looking from the top of Hurricane Hill east to Obstruction Point.
Some nice looking touring
[Edit: displayed photo too wide, converted to l...
Some nice looking touring
[Edit: displayed photo too wide, converted to l...
It was a great day indeed. We had our own challenges as we battled windy, cold conditions and crust on top of the ridge. Once we settled back into the tree line we hit the jackpot and found the "goods" 8). Darren, we missed you ;).
More photos HERE ;D.
More photos HERE ;D.
it was surprisingly good on that north facing slope yesterday. my partner and I dumped our packs in the meadow and made 7 laps down various slots through the trees before our legs said enough.
None of our group has interest in a guidebook (as far as I know). We're more interested in a book of photos or short stories. Most of these routes are in the quidebooks like Becky or Nelson/Potterfield. I've always felt like I don't want to lay out a red carpet for people to go ski things like this.
I sniff the makings of a new guide book as you guys continue to collect these awesome ski descents. Potential titles "Pucker Powder" or "50 Scariest Ski Descents in Washington".
I'll take the talking stick to whack the group of slowshoers who marched in line formation down the west slope of Mazama ridge. Thanks for gromming the slope.
This was one of the best tours ever!!! Our weather was incredible and we had the whole snowfield and chutes to ourselves. The pics are beautiful (really have to look at them enlarged), but don't do justice to the experience. Amazing, wonderful day....Thanks for taking all the pics, Eli. Hopefully we can get Eric on the cover of Ttips (or TAY) :)
~Lara
~Lara
Yeah, Paul's a sellout & on a fast track thinking, for some odd reason, he should have his PhD before he's 21 ??? Yeah Paul, there's just that much to look forward to in life! 8)
i travel with the bare minimum: laptop and ski gear.
Maybe your next project could be to build the laptop into the skis . . . would really simplify your packing!
Yeah, "woof, woof" to you Kam.
I've only toured with dogs twice now. They sure add a nice element to the trip what with their pooping, barking, stepping on skis while skinning detaching tail clips and interupting the rythm, food mooching, general doggy odors...what could be more fun?
Seriously, all that said, they were a nice addition to the trip and I enjoyed having them along. Amazing, the amount of territory they can travel!
I've only toured with dogs twice now. They sure add a nice element to the trip what with their pooping, barking, stepping on skis while skinning detaching tail clips and interupting the rythm, food mooching, general doggy odors...what could be more fun?
Seriously, all that said, they were a nice addition to the trip and I enjoyed having them along. Amazing, the amount of territory they can travel!
Yee-haw! Nice description, Jason. Sounds like an, err, intriguing venture. I don't think I'll be following you up there any time soon, but it's fun to see what you're up to.
Though I will back off in different spots from you guys, I share the "you don't know until you're up there" philosophy. There have been many times when we've looked up at a face or ridge and thought "no way that goes" but we said "let's go until we can't go further" and have found that in...
Though I will back off in different spots from you guys, I share the "you don't know until you're up there" philosophy. There have been many times when we've looked up at a face or ridge and thought "no way that goes" but we said "let's go until we can't go further" and have found that in...
Absolutely JibberD.Next trip, I'll let you know.
The terrain around Hurrican Ridge has great potential when conditins are right. We saw lots of snow-shoers and XC skiers but only 2 BC skiers although a lot of people where enjoying the rope tow.We met some more BC Skiers in the parking lot and shared a beer with them.
They where skiing what they called "Idaho Bowl" which from what I understood was the north facing bowl off the raod near the lodge. The" toilet bowl" i...
The terrain around Hurrican Ridge has great potential when conditins are right. We saw lots of snow-shoers and XC skiers but only 2 BC skiers although a lot of people where enjoying the rope tow.We met some more BC Skiers in the parking lot and shared a beer with them.
They where skiing what they called "Idaho Bowl" which from what I understood was the north facing bowl off the raod near the lodge. The" toilet bowl" i...
crotch warmed Guiness Yummy. Good to hear my juju worked. ;)
This sounds like a cool ski. Thanks for supplying one of the few reports I've read from there.
Maybe we can plan a trip together for a look?
Maybe we can plan a trip together for a look?
Nice photographs Phil.
You guys are putting together quite the portfolio of accomlishments. More power to you!
You guys are putting together quite the portfolio of accomlishments. More power to you!
Here are a few more pics from the descent:
Heading down the south ridge towards the col...
funky ridgeline "skiing" (would have been easy, if not for the exposure on either side).
Josh and Jason nearing the constriction halfway down the couloir
And below it
F...
Heading down the south ridge towards the col...
funky ridgeline "skiing" (would have been easy, if not for the exposure on either side).
Josh and Jason nearing the constriction halfway down the couloir
And below it
F...
Nice to see you back on the slopes Jibber. I was getting worried about you. ;D
With the number of people taking dogs up to Bullion Basin ( me included) some of the runs need to be given doggy names.
See you soon.
Chris
With the number of people taking dogs up to Bullion Basin ( me included) some of the runs need to be given doggy names.
See you soon.
Chris
What's really funny is that I'm reading this TR from a computer in the UCSD library.
Glad to confirm that there is skiing in SoCal, as I might be stuck down here for a long while starting next year.
Nice pics as usual, Kam! :)
Glad to confirm that there is skiing in SoCal, as I might be stuck down here for a long while starting next year.
Nice pics as usual, Kam! :)
Great report Telemack.
I am a convert. I must admit that I was highly skeptical of the conditions we might find, but the toilet bowl was not full of crap that day. :D
The views from the lodge are so spectacular and there are so many great lines you can see over in the mountains across the valley but Oh what a price you would have to pay to get to them.
The wet slide occured on the very, very steep slopes in the trees well below the lodge. Telemack had skied ahead with no slides. I...
I am a convert. I must admit that I was highly skeptical of the conditions we might find, but the toilet bowl was not full of crap that day. :D
The views from the lodge are so spectacular and there are so many great lines you can see over in the mountains across the valley but Oh what a price you would have to pay to get to them.
The wet slide occured on the very, very steep slopes in the trees well below the lodge. Telemack had skied ahead with no slides. I...
Cool.
Looks like the whole fam damily ski's, eh?
I though the Hummel's and the Skoog's were the only ones like that :)
Them there San Gabriels look a bit bony there tho, Kamster. But then, again, I guess you're used to that, eh? ;)
So why don't you hop a day earlier flight and attend you and Stefan's birthday ski party at Mazama bowl next Sunday?
Gonna be another foot or so of new freshies by then 8)
Looks like the whole fam damily ski's, eh?
I though the Hummel's and the Skoog's were the only ones like that :)
Them there San Gabriels look a bit bony there tho, Kamster. But then, again, I guess you're used to that, eh? ;)
So why don't you hop a day earlier flight and attend you and Stefan's birthday ski party at Mazama bowl next Sunday?
Gonna be another foot or so of new freshies by then 8)
Absolutely amazing! It's beyond my comprehension. Congratulations!
I used to ski camp part way up Coal Lake Rd, directly across the valley from Big 4, and spent a lot of time looking at - and listening to - that mountain. The view from part way up Mt. Stillaguamish is even more impressive than that from the valley floor.
I would have thought that Big 4 could never be skiied. Wow! Unbelievable! Hope you can post a link to more pictures.
Larry
I used to ski camp part way up Coal Lake Rd, directly across the valley from Big 4, and spent a lot of time looking at - and listening to - that mountain. The view from part way up Mt. Stillaguamish is even more impressive than that from the valley floor.
I would have thought that Big 4 could never be skiied. Wow! Unbelievable! Hope you can post a link to more pictures.
Larry
ha! i knew phil was on a secret project when i saw his truck was left at the park and ride at 6:00. congratulations and nice work.
Hey John,
Eric, Stephanie and I checked out this Red Mtn/Cooper R. Road spot today. We skiied up the road about 1/2 mile, followed some tracks up left into the woods after the first real drainage to cross the road. 1/4 mile we hit the huge clearcut. I'd say that the clearcut is approaching 1500ft of vertical. We skinned up to the top. Instead of veering off with the road at the top of the clearcut(it looks like the road is downhill to climbers right), we con...
Eric, Stephanie and I checked out this Red Mtn/Cooper R. Road spot today. We skiied up the road about 1/2 mile, followed some tracks up left into the woods after the first real drainage to cross the road. 1/4 mile we hit the huge clearcut. I'd say that the clearcut is approaching 1500ft of vertical. We skinned up to the top. Instead of veering off with the road at the top of the clearcut(it looks like the road is downhill to climbers right), we con...
We had the same good powder conditions today on North slopes beyond Skyline Lake, ran into the last group of Mountaineers destroying their snow cave, so no one would fall in it when the snow begins to melt.
Close to the ridgecrest was sun and wind crust, but below 5300' was much better, especially where trees guarded the snow from too much sun. The slopes back to the parking lot were mostly challenging, soft powder where trees had blocked the sun and rutted tracks from yester...
Close to the ridgecrest was sun and wind crust, but below 5300' was much better, especially where trees guarded the snow from too much sun. The slopes back to the parking lot were mostly challenging, soft powder where trees had blocked the sun and rutted tracks from yester...
Now that is what I call an adventure, complete with a flavorful mountain and SNOW!
I wish I could have been there. Work is taking it's toll for another week....so I can get it!
I'm excited to see the other photos!
Nice!
I wish I could have been there. Work is taking it's toll for another week....so I can get it!
I'm excited to see the other photos!
Nice!
(edited to add: not sure why, but I'm feeling kind of dirty embedding more than one pic here...)
But I'm glad you did! Thanks, guys.
Ok, here we go, I'm testing the new 3 pic (<100KB) thread limit, as suggested by Charles...
Here are Jason and Josh making the last traverse to the summit area: (almost looks like powder, doesn't it?)
On the way down, Jason finally reaches safety, as he finds powder in the narrow gully above the couloir:
Josh enjoys some primo Cascade powder in the couloir:...
Here are Jason and Josh making the last traverse to the summit area: (almost looks like powder, doesn't it?)
On the way down, Jason finally reaches safety, as he finds powder in the narrow gully above the couloir:
Josh enjoys some primo Cascade powder in the couloir:...
Are there ways to get to the Tatoosh, esp. the W parts, besides from Reflection Lakes?
Soinds like it was sunshine, stable fluff, and grins all around yesterday. 8)
Good report.
Thanks, Adrianne.
We're headed up there this am and your report helps.
Thanks, Adrianne.
We're headed up there this am and your report helps.
acrobatics, sunshine, stickified skins...what more could anyone ask for? despite all of us having csf (catastrophic skin failure) at some point on the climb, the warm temps, sweet views, and pow in the trees made it all worth while. (though i too wish i could huck a front flip off a jump). thanks for a great day all! :D
Did he finish the front flip? upright?
almost (back landing; nothing hurt), but he did manage an up-right landing on an earlier flip (no photo)...btw- I'm not trying to endorse such acrobatics, particularly in the backcountry...though it does make for an amusing photo :)
A photo going up, with Sasse Mountain in the background:
A photo going down, with Hawkins Mountain in the distant background:
http://web3.foxinternet.net/lrobinson/pics/Red1.jpg
My cave brain is attempting to learn this computer stuff.
A photo going down, with Hawkins Mountain in the distant background:
http://web3.foxinternet.net/lrobinson/pics/Red1.jpg
My cave brain is attempting to learn this computer stuff.
Heya Silas- We found similar conditions today in the Snoqualmie vicinity; looks like we were at different "stashes" as our tracks didn't cross :)
We found pretty good powder turns above ~4,600-ft on a forested/gladed NW aspect. West-to-south aspects not so good (wet, heavy, and some small pinwheels in places on the descent through the forest).
Other trip pics are po...
We found pretty good powder turns above ~4,600-ft on a forested/gladed NW aspect. West-to-south aspects not so good (wet, heavy, and some small pinwheels in places on the descent through the forest).
Other trip pics are po...
Thanks Larry.
Those pictures are very cool.
How appropriate that you posted them on foxinternet! ;)
Those pictures are very cool.
How appropriate that you posted them on foxinternet! ;)
Cool Charles,
I always wanted to know about the glades off Valhalla Mountain. They look pretty neat from Mt. Mc Causland. There are still some infrequently skied north facing shots off those general mountains if one doesn't mind a bit of lateral touring to reach them. Thanks for reporting,
John
I always wanted to know about the glades off Valhalla Mountain. They look pretty neat from Mt. Mc Causland. There are still some infrequently skied north facing shots off those general mountains if one doesn't mind a bit of lateral touring to reach them. Thanks for reporting,
John
Even if I did I would still have to figure out how to make the scales move in a manor that would allow me to keep up with you. ;D
Thanks so much, John. Since none of the other tours in the area are all that heavily visited by skiers, I don't think you need fear this area will get overrun, except perhaps by snowmobilers. And yep, I'm quite familiar with the wonderful Cle Elum Crust.
Alpine Rose, I was optimistic about the road distances. The 1/4 mile reference on the upper road should be more like 1/2 mile. You are correct, it is the northernmost basin you are aiming for, with the summer trail. In the clearcut we diagonal toward the right edge of the unit (when looking up). This puts one above a steep clearcut draw that is easiest to get across by using the upper road. This draw drains the middle basin. With cold temps and cloud cover the SE facing slopes in this basi...
Hey---I wanted that steep one on lookers' left through the cliff. Was it stable?
John, thanks for sharing your info on this trip. I've hiked up there and would really like to do it on skis, especially if there are no sno-mos. After looking at the map, I'm confused about where you skied and how you got there.
The map shows three major basins between Red's summits. As I was following your description - "1/2 mile up road, then 1/4 mile up the second road, then up into the largest basin" - I placed you in the southernmost basin. Then, presto, your descript...
The map shows three major basins between Red's summits. As I was following your description - "1/2 mile up road, then 1/4 mile up the second road, then up into the largest basin" - I placed you in the southernmost basin. Then, presto, your descript...
Thanks Rich.
Snoslut: yes - have you got that fishscale splitboard ready yet?
Snoslut: yes - have you got that fishscale splitboard ready yet?
Charles, we found good powder skiing in the trees. However, frozen tree and cornice bombs were scattered under the new snow, they made great gates for turning around. For the most part, I think the tree skiing will be good. Have fun.
Charles you thinking of another Lewis n Clark forest expedition eh? ;D
Thanks for the timely report - I'm thinking of skiing tomorrow. It sounds like north slopes had powder over a pretty strong crust, and so the skiing there was reasonable?
Also, what was the snow like in forested areas - that is, under the trees? Was it just frozen junk or had some new snow filtered down through the trees?
Also, what was the snow like in forested areas - that is, under the trees? Was it just frozen junk or had some new snow filtered down through the trees?