TR Replies
I was out there yesterday as well. Took Mama Bear on her skis and Baby Bear in her pack. We hit the Wenatchee Ridge trail from the snopark. There were some nice tracks already layed down for us (good practice for Mama Bear!), so the going was easy even with the precious cargo. Like you said, lots of nice safe glades filled in with the velvety smooth! Perfect for family fun. Quite a snow storm on the way home, but plenty of coffee and some bockwursts in Leavenw...
author= Hi Scotsman! Now close the window and get back to work. TELEMACK
Nice work TELEMACK. Glad you found some safe freshies.Went lift skiing on Sunday due to high avy danger. Woops, got to go, boss is looking over my shoulder. 8)
Seems ominous to me...
...and...
What? (we were all caught in an avalanche, or we had hot dogs and Kool-Aid near a big stump...) What could it be?
I've been waiting to see if any reports would appear since I sat the weekend out.
I'll drop in another dime to read more.
...and...
What? (we were all caught in an avalanche, or we had hot dogs and Kool-Aid near a big stump...) What could it be?
I've been waiting to see if any reports would appear since I sat the weekend out.
I'll drop in another dime to read more.
Just because you failed once just means that it will be that much more enjoyable when you actually get it right ;D
-Spiral Butte is nice.
-The bowles on Hogback by Devils digit are fun.
-Twin peaks are great
-Spiral Butte is nice.
-The bowles on Hogback by Devils digit are fun.
-Twin peaks are great
I was out there saturday and attempted Round Mountain. Got lost and discouraged by a long slog to nohwere. ANy other ideas for white pass backcountry?
What a great report! Thanks.
Reminds me of my good old days nearly (or really) missing ski races and such while skiing Tuckerbrook at Cannon or various hiking trails at Wildcat or Waterville... :-)
Reminds me of my good old days nearly (or really) missing ski races and such while skiing Tuckerbrook at Cannon or various hiking trails at Wildcat or Waterville... :-)
I've gratefully followed trip reports for several years on TAY but never replied to a report. Although I'm seven years removed from the homeland of the north-central Green Mountains, the Bruce Trail (as well as the Teardrop, Cotton Brook, The Chin and other romps through the birches) will always hold a special place in my backcountry skiing heart as the place I (and countless other relocated refugees) first fell in love with skiing under my own power, with good friends, away from anyone el...
(sorry for thread drift JimD :-) )
It seems like a "gravel pit" area for the DOT, I guess. I've never had any trouble parking there the few times I have, but I'm not sure if it's legal. They plow out a very large space though. Parents take their kids to sled on the pile of gravel. Never seen the DOT hassle anyone...
It seems like a "gravel pit" area for the DOT, I guess. I've never had any trouble parking there the few times I have, but I'm not sure if it's legal. They plow out a very large space though. Parents take their kids to sled on the pile of gravel. Never seen the DOT hassle anyone...
Phil, what is the winter parking situation for the Surprise Lake trail? I've often thought about a ski trip up that valley but have been put off by not knowing if there is legal parking.
JimD - not to ignore your original report - were you on the "front side", eg the south facing slope above the pass? Thanks for the report.
JimD - not to ignore your original report - were you on the "front side", eg the south facing slope above the pass? Thanks for the report.
We headed up above the Surprise Lake TH just west of the pass... it was deep in the open (2.5ft - 3ft on top of the crust), but I sure wouldn't qualify it as heavy. Only problem was in the trees (which is where we were 99% of the time), it was "deep dust" on irregular icy crust.
Would have been sweet if we'd found an open slope steep and safe enough..
Would have been sweet if we'd found an open slope steep and safe enough..
I started a "snowmobile vs. skier" thread over in the Hot Air forum. I think this topic deserves its own thread, separate from this trip report.
http://www.turns-all-year.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=ha1;action=display;num=1138511078;start=0
http://www.turns-all-year.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=ha1;action=display;num=1138511078;start=0
Distasteful and disturbing? I'm always appreciative that everyone crowds in Bullion. That way you only have to cross one ridge to become solitary. Sonya and I spent Sunday lapping lines off the adjacent peaks with no one else in sight. I've always figured the folks in Bullion Basin were looking for a "social backcountry experience" since the solitary "backcountry feeling" is so darn easy to get in the area - even on a sunny weekend. ;D
Anywho, g...
Anywho, g...
My guess is that you'll get lots of advice if you just find a place that works for you and start using it. I might start with the area that CPC was using out of Snoqualmie.
My memory might be a little fuzzy but I believe they were using a combination of USFS *AND* Plum Creek Timber land.
Then again, the one time I did use CPC, we were greeted by a series of slednecks at one of the "innermost" portions of our day s...
Yes, last Saturday was yet another great day in Washington's winter-wonderland! We cut the track up to east peak and skied west facing powder from the ridge back into B.Basin the entire day. Sunbreaks and calm winds, with fairy-dust sparkling against dark clouds filled the heart and soul with beauty.
Note: Ajjenkin broke trail to Union Creek, which is in an entirely different basin.
The large number of people in B.Basin last Saturday was distasteful and disturbing. After a few ru...
Note: Ajjenkin broke trail to Union Creek, which is in an entirely different basin.
The large number of people in B.Basin last Saturday was distasteful and disturbing. After a few ru...
... My problem is I can't find any authority to tell me where it would be legal.My guess is that you'll get lots of advice if you just find a place that works for you and start using it. I might start with the area that CPC was using out of Snoqualmie.
Lowell, I completely agree with you that
Skyline ridge is an inappropriate place to use either a snowmobile or a snowcat .I ski there aswell and think it should be free of both.
However, if it is legal then the snowmobilers have a right to be there without being hassled aslong as they don't endanger or hassle me.
However, those that don't think it is a good use for the area( and I am one of them) have the right to lobby the USFS to ban them. Until someone gets them banned...
Skyline ridge is an inappropriate place to use either a snowmobile or a snowcat .I ski there aswell and think it should be free of both.
However, if it is legal then the snowmobilers have a right to be there without being hassled aslong as they don't endanger or hassle me.
However, those that don't think it is a good use for the area( and I am one of them) have the right to lobby the USFS to ban them. Until someone gets them banned...
I have a snowcat but don't know where to use it legally to get some skiing. ???
Any ideas anybody?Prehaps I should start a new thread but Lowell's lead in was irresistable. ;D
Definitely start a thread on that one. Would be awesome to hear how many folks actually have those.
While these might be spots to go in and just use it for access, couldn't you use it on any forest service road? Some thoughts that come to mind.
Smi...
We contacted the Forest Service to ask where we could use it for some snowcat skiing but they where just befuddled because they had no policy regarding privately owned snowcats.
Which means there is probably no law or rule against it. So there may be nothing stopping you from driving your snowcat up Skyline ridge. Or even grooming it, assuming that you don't harm any trees. And yet, I doubt many people would consider that an appropriate use of...
Maybe Cascade Powder Cats near Stevens Pass would let you use their land :-)
http://www.cascadepowdercats.com/
In fact, I'm kind of suprised no one has brought this up on these forums this season... apparently the Leavenworth cat operation merged with the Snoq pass operation, and moved to Stevens this year.
I've often wondered about snomo-assisted skiing on the back side of Windy Ridge and Captain Point (in fact I scoped it out in December 2004, but found some key roads gated, w...
http://www.cascadepowdercats.com/
In fact, I'm kind of suprised no one has brought this up on these forums this season... apparently the Leavenworth cat operation merged with the Snoq pass operation, and moved to Stevens this year.
I've often wondered about snomo-assisted skiing on the back side of Windy Ridge and Captain Point (in fact I scoped it out in December 2004, but found some key roads gated, w...
I've been waiting for someone to mention pisten bullys or snowcats. I am not rich but I have a share in a snow cat that my partners and I found when we where doing a remote project in Adak in the Aleutian chain. We bought it for vitually nothing and spent the entire summer renovating it. Trouble is we don't know what to do with it?
My friends have talked about taking it to snow-mobile areas but I have told them that's too dangerous as a snowmobiler could come around a corner too fast and cras...
My friends have talked about taking it to snow-mobile areas but I have told them that's too dangerous as a snowmobiler could come around a corner too fast and cras...
Imagine that I'm really wealthy and I buy myself a Pisten Bully. I like to ski groomed slopes, but I don't like to ski with other lift skiers. So I go up on Skyline ridge and pack myself a nice big ballroom slope. I don't see why it should be a problem, since motorized access is legal up there.
90%, will you stand with me when the leftist PC clowns complain? If not, why not?
90%, will you stand with me when the leftist PC clowns complain? If not, why not?
See our Dec 6th TR. That is named "Ptarmigan Peak". We head for it just about every day that throws a sucker hole at us, and usually end up on top, looking for our ski tips, retreating down our up track inside a cow.
The thing that makes so much snow at Baker is that most of that area is on a ridge between the Skagit and Nooksack drainages. Colliding air masses force air up and moisture out. The corollary is that the Swi...
Yes, more love xoxoxoxo ;)
i don't recognize any girls replying so i'm adding lots of girly love to this Baker mix. Other than the North Cascades Highway, would say i've had my most fond trips in the Baker BC.
~a wyoming born, minnesota grown, north american who loves to skiskiski no matter where i'm currently living :)
90%, welcome! I look forward to seeing your own great pics and pointers to awesome powdery travel.
E.J., you old scudder, you!
Don't let me catch you out on the slopes without your walker.
Your friend,
Lowell
Don't let me catch you out on the slopes without your walker.
Your friend,
Lowell
Again no offense taken. Elder, elderly, eld, it didn't really matter as I wasn't concentrating well due to stunning nature of the revelation....and my laughter. The primary and lasting response was/is hilarity. My wife and I now refer to ourselves as elderly and we are thankful to you for the humor this new appellation brings us, (we never have taken ourselves too seriously). Perhaps we will meet on the slope sometime. It was a great day of skiing.
Sigh. Get over the fact that when I see snowmobiles for the first time in 20 years of touring there, in one of the most popular (traditionally) nonmotorized areas with reliable trailside parking and access in the Western Cascades, that I and others have the right to have opinions about it.
If I invest a day's effort going somewhere that I know snowmobiles are legal and might be, and I see them tracking up slopes in 20 minutes that could have been a whole day's turns, oh well, rolled the dice...
If I invest a day's effort going somewhere that I know snowmobiles are legal and might be, and I see them tracking up slopes in 20 minutes that could have been a whole day's turns, oh well, rolled the dice...
i think that there needs to be a united front, not the bc people against the snowmobilers. the more people that we have advocating the recreational aspects of the land, the better off we are against developers and logging. there is plenty of room out there for everybody. you never know, it may be a snowmobiler that comes to your rescue in the backcountry. besides, we have convinced a few snowmobilers to give me us and our kakays a shuttle when the roads of trails are snowed in...
"This is a user group for BC users, troll. We are communicating."
Get over yourselves…get a clue…BC users should not be grouped in this ridiculous thread. I have been “trolling” this site for 2 years looking at great pics and even better real time data. This site has pointed me in many prime directions of powdery travel. My 1st indulgence into this sadness is simply to say enough! Move on and look at the pics of Top of Table Mountain>
Get over yourselves…get a clue…BC users should not be grouped in this ridiculous thread. I have been “trolling” this site for 2 years looking at great pics and even better real time data. This site has pointed me in many prime directions of powdery travel. My 1st indulgence into this sadness is simply to say enough! Move on and look at the pics of Top of Table Mountain>
And while I don't have a big issue with sleds there, since 1) it is allowed, 2) it's already a crowded area, not exactly peaceful, 3) they can only go on the south slope...
wouldn't it be a great place for those sled folks to introduce themselves to human-powered backcountry? I mean c'mon, it's like a 30 minute climb to the top - it doesn't get any easier than that. Taking a sled up there is like driving to the grocery store 2 blocks away.
It's just too bad that folks are afrai...
wouldn't it be a great place for those sled folks to introduce themselves to human-powered backcountry? I mean c'mon, it's like a 30 minute climb to the top - it doesn't get any easier than that. Taking a sled up there is like driving to the grocery store 2 blocks away.
It's just too bad that folks are afrai...
it was a vent about having to manuever around animal waste on the skin track last sunday.
If that bothers you, you should just go to a national park, or somewhere where dogs aren't allowed.
Remember - Seattle folk are just future Bellinghammers in denial =8-O
Really nice photos from the plateau. Thanks for sharing....Gregg, get over it and share a little more with us Seattle folk :)
I spent some time up there in 2003 taking my AV 2 course from the AAI and couldn't believe how incredible the access and powder were. We took our feild sessions at Teton Pass and ventured in all directions. I remember Glory Bowl well. I'm actually headed there again 3 weeks for my AV 3 course. I can't wait, its 2 days in the class with some field work and then 2 nights/3 days in Teton Nat Park. Can't wait to get back and use some of the info here in the Cascades. &n...
I think I sense some fast backpedaling!
;)
;)
Sweet photo, nice TR. After years of skiing around it, I finally got on top of Table last winter, and that plateau up there is quite cool.
jim,
i agree that this is a constructive discussion. my closing comment was not intended to minimize the importance of the topic or ridicule it. it was a vent about having to manuever around animal waste on the skin track last sunday.
- not a post pooper
i agree that this is a constructive discussion. my closing comment was not intended to minimize the importance of the topic or ridicule it. it was a vent about having to manuever around animal waste on the skin track last sunday.
- not a post pooper
the "i'm special/entitled crowd"
And who would that be? I think this particular bit of name-calling is in the eye of the beholder (could mean those who want to regulate others' land use, could be those who want to use their own or public land as they see fit, for instance, or those who want specific social freedoms that suit their lifestyles, or those who want to ensure our society promotes their sense of family values, the list goes on an...
i was up there sunday and was suprised to see the sleds. although i'm a backcountry skier and wasn't overly excited to share tracks with those assisted by sleds, i didn't have a problem with them. they have every right to be there that i do (per juan's previous post regarding the skykomish ranger). i'm not into special rights or entitlement just because i'm a backcountry skier. if it gets to the point where the sleds bother me, i'll go somewhere else. those of you that are concerned with s...
It would be tough. If I was really motivated when seeing a snomo in the Wilderness, I can think of some ways to catch them at a stop and try to get the number. A photo would be easier. Perhaps catch them at the parking lot.
Perhaps we should ask our legislators to require prominent licensing on snowmobiles? Perhaps this user group (bc skiers) needs to be heard, speak up. There is $$ behind lobbying for snowmobiles. We should step up.
I would be interested to know if anyone sees sn...
Perhaps we should ask our legislators to require prominent licensing on snowmobiles? Perhaps this user group (bc skiers) needs to be heard, speak up. There is $$ behind lobbying for snowmobiles. We should step up.
I would be interested to know if anyone sees sn...
Is this a realistic strategy?
Has this ever actually resulted in the ticketing or executation of snowmobilers in the state of Washington?
The licenses are the size of a postage stamp. Good luck getting close enough to take a picture of it!
When we get the freak, localized North Bend freezing levels that dump snow on Snoqualmie and leave everything else soggy and wet, we'll return the favor :)
It has motivated me to just hunker down and do that 4 hr drive instead of the 2 hr drive and get me some Baker BC. :D
Whoops! This is one of the Baker crews' reasons for not posting. ;)
I am also under a mildly enforced gag order after the masses of skiers we had show up last year to get decent skiing.
Snowmobiles are licensed. If you see a violator, get the number, or take a photo, turn 'em in.
Is this a realistic strategy?
Has this ever actually resulted in the ticketing or executation of snowmobilers in the state of Washington?
As one of the Paradise regulars ( with reference to the thread regarding the lack of Baker TR's), I would like to thank you for sharing your Baker TR. It was tremendous. ;D We love you maaan!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It has motivated me to just hunker down and do that 4 hr drive instead of the 2 hr drive and get me some Baker BC. :D
It has motivated me to just hunker down and do that 4 hr drive instead of the 2 hr drive and get me some Baker BC. :D
I am admittedly torn here and have avoided posting on this subject since I first saw it. Sleds in this area will cause many headaches for the FS ans Stevens. I know people who don't give a rats ass about whether it is legal to ride their snowmos wherever they damn well please and are only concerned with getting the best line possible. I usually berate these people for their offense of using motorized vehicles in the Wilderness. I am not sure Skyline is the place for this battle to play out. It w...
ahhhhhhhh - that is a beautiful sight...My favorite area in the entire Cascades... 8)
OK 90% troll, I'll bite.
If obeying the law is "leftist", that explains quite a bit of what I see happening in this country.
One usergroup with big overlap here that's seen a lot of access issues spiral out of control because of a few stubborn violators is climbers, particularly craggers. When they have cases where just a few people violate a bolt ban or cut private property lines, the usual reaction from either public agency or landowner is to close the whole thing and screw eve...
If obeying the law is "leftist", that explains quite a bit of what I see happening in this country.
One usergroup with big overlap here that's seen a lot of access issues spiral out of control because of a few stubborn violators is climbers, particularly craggers. When they have cases where just a few people violate a bolt ban or cut private property lines, the usual reaction from either public agency or landowner is to close the whole thing and screw eve...
Sure it's a terrain trap but then so is just about everything else where you are headed (N Face of Table, traverse into Herman Saddle, etc, etc.)