TR Replies

The light on the horizon on Sunday was spectacular. A few of your photos captured it well -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickpope/90460471/

Nice work Nick. I see there's as much rime on Hood as ever.

I love the exit shot from the Reid.

OK, here is a TR for Saturday:

Up and down the Swift Creek trees.  30 degree slope, 600' runs.  UP and down. Snow good.

C'mon -- you don't need that kind of stuff from Baker  That's a Paradise TR!!  ;D ;D

(Asbestos underwear in place)

For the last six weeks, I have been hitting low vis days and staying around the Bagley Basin area (the "Seattle Chutes").  I have too much respect for Baker's backcountry to belittle it with a flurry of Blueberry Chute TR's.

When I get out to Ptarmigan, or Upper Mazama Bowl, or the Stoneman, or Lake Ann -- you'll hear about it.

(Unless, of course, it is a secret stash!) ;D

thats pretty much what i was saying in l...

Actually..."preadolescent fit" needs an article; and it would still be fairly awkward.

That's not Phil you're editing there, but I was referring to him...

Well, I'm guilty as charged. I ski the Baker BC just about every weekend.

In the beginning of the year, when I was always looking for partners, I posted here looking a couple of times and didn't get any responses. Mostly I would hook up with people in the parking lot. After a while, I gave up asking if people were TAYers. I always just ended up explaining what TAY was, and they gave me a look like I was some crazy Internet lurker. So I gave up.

Now, my regular partner is a great...

After searching upstream for a snow covered route across the creek, we decided to go for it.

Indeed, a sketchy affair, the bridge crossing md2020 speaks of...  We crossed it a few weeks back and it spooked me for sure.  Then on a later trip we plowed over the creek upstream about 150 yards or so.  I'd imagine with the added snowpack I'll do it that way again...

ronj, Mad_Dog, thanks for a great tour!  My mental map of...

Good grammar... err and point, Phil.  ;)

And those who have skied with me know I have no knee-jerk aversion to being around snowmobiles. In fact, I sometimes take great advantage of their trailbreaking and grooming functions.

Here is a picture from that day. It was awesome.


Eva  ;D

(Edit to fix your link, Eva, hope you don't mind. rj)
How's it look now, Tony.

Nonetheless, the ratio of folks who post to those who lurk is rather high (read the numbers on how many readings posts get, and talk to Charles if you still don't believe it). Perhaps there are just a few Bellinghamites who read TAY, but there are plenty of lurkers who could share some useful info or even poetry if that's what they have to contribute in return for what they receive here...

Dear Jim D:

Most of us would prefer to be away from snowmobiles while bc skiing. But such language and such assumption, presumption, assumed selfish pre-eminence, and preadolescent fit is certainly a bore.

Did you bother to speak to those offending individuals, or did you lack the courage? If you did not bother to speak to them, is your anger justified? Aside from offending you, how were they in the wrong ("well behaved")?

I would suggest don't be such a "laz...

In the last two posts there seems to be a notion that if your a backcountry skier you must read/post here.

I don't think thats the case, at least around Baker.  The BC there is packed as usual.  Bagely Lakes Basin must have had a couple hundred sets of tracks after the weekend.

Conditions reports for Skyline, Bullion or Paradise really have little value for a place 100+ miles away so even though there are not many TRs I don't think people are simply leeching info of this...

I've discussed this a bit with some of my friends -- here's my theory.  Last year was so poor that most of the decent skiing was to be had only around Baker or Rainier, a good 3-4 hours for most of the posters here.  Given that the folks on this board are the most likely to be skiing regularly, no matter the conditions, perhaps the bulk of the TAY crew is exploring Snoqualmie and Stevens and other areas and giving the "long-distance" driving areas a break?

I know I am...

Brenda and I wondered where you all had gone. We climbed up Edith Creek, then hurried and skied the middle rib below Golden Gates down to the foot bridge before losing the visibility. First tracks and excellent snow. The bridge was interesting. There must have been 10' of snow piled on it, forming a very narrow ridge, with a long drop to the creek below. After searching upstream for a snow covered route across the creek, we decided to go for it. I think we'll ski to the road to cross next time....

We are out there, just having too much fun to write about it.  Skied 5 k by 2 pm in absolutely wonderful conditions.  Headed in when it warmed up and the warm front moved in.  Early starts are always a good idea in the Baker BC.

Even though the vis wasn't the best, the group was.  It certainly was just like a class reunion.  Lots of us having the pre-Paradise breakfast party at the Tall Timbers in Eatonville before heading up.  Once first tracks were laid, making our depth perception come back, the skiing was very good (just one more reason I don't always like to go first  ;)).  Our lagre group broke into several smaller groups, re-grouping at various stages for our tour to Narada.  The tre...

We were across the highway, skiing out of Gold Creek on Saturday.  It was also much warmer than we expected - the temperature difference between the top and bottom of our runs was big... the snow was baking down at 4000ft, despite what the telemetry showed for that day - the filtered sunshine and fog was like an oven I guess.  Snow in the open was gloppy, but in the forest it was powder.
We also triggered a small 12 inch slab on a steep roll.

Thanks Scotsman! and Ron! and all the mouskateers! I have pictures of Ron’s militia in the conga line and bunny hop and the little hill we skied above the parking lot. Pretty day once we got below the clouds.  I will contact AV nerd for tutorial tomorrow on how to send pictures. alisa :)

No wolf, no gal, just me and my neighbor Timmy and his Volki's (aka Union Creek trailbusters).  Me:  "I don't know Timmy, looks a bit sketchy.  I'll keep an eye on you though."  Timmy: "Ok."  Timmy breaks, I follow, repeat pattern...I cook Timmy dinner later that night.

These areas certainly are not secrets, but from 7 to 8 am it was just us, two guys heading off in a different direction, and the birds.  Wonderful.

...What struck me was the number of people up there and the lack of postings on this site.

You may be on to something, mjb266.  Some of those ingrates may be just using us and not giving back.  ;)
Nice report, by the way.

Thanks for breaking the trail on Saturday ajjenkin.  That was much appreciated.  Assuming of course, that was your group with the wolf and a gal whose name, which I will butcher if I tryed to pronounce it, started with an "M".

Btw I didn't know that secret stashes still existed at Crystal, being the mountain of a thousand locals.  If anything I'd call it excellent hill management. 8)

Did you start out from Hyak?  Cass and I saw a few people leave just before we did.  We assumed they were going to Mt. Catherine, as we were, but never saw them again.  In fact, almost amazingly, we appeared to be the only ones on the mountain yesterday - we didn't see anyone to or fro.  

As you mentioned, the forecast was most certainly wrong; it was 32-degrees as we approached the pass and 40-degrees when we got off the mountain.  I've skied worse conditions wit...

We'll take a rain-check on that beer!   We were in there first on Saturday morning.  Didn't see anyone for about an hour.  That was a special hour.  No noise, light snow, filtered sun, visibility breaks, and a thick carpet of stable fresh with no underlying crust (on north through east aspects).  When things got busy we went over to Cement Basin to find a large party putting in a nice up track - cheers to them - felt like instant Karma.  Amazing snow in Cement too....

rob, jon and I were there on weds. rode #2 and #3, made a trak btwn them and did laps. nice snow, but it was cold weds.

It was nice up there today... lots of tracks, but also lots of good snow.  The sun was out all day, so south aspects now have a crust.
The wind was fierce on the ridgetops - lots of windloading going on, but just below the ridgetops it was calm.