TR Replies
author=Stefan link=topic=39233.msg158125#msg158125 date=1512409381]
Huh? When were you up there? We were there on December 2nd....although we did not go for Green Mountain...we went for 5988 which is SW of Green Mtn. We the first to drive to the trailhead and we had the only tracks made by our vehicles to the trailhead. We were on snowshoes....We saw no one...and we saw no other vehicles even on the way down. Do you mean December 3rd? Just trying to see...
Huh? When were you up there? We were there on December 2nd....although we did not go for Green Mountain...we went for 5988 which is SW of Green Mtn. We the first to drive to the trailhead and we had the only tracks made by our vehicles to the trailhead. We were on snowshoes....We saw no one...and we saw no other vehicles even on the way down. Do you mean December 3rd? Just trying to see how I am crazy....
Cool pics...looks awesome...good steeps and deep too!
Wow..way to get the feshies..looks lovely..good video too...vicarious yada yada,😎
Thanks for helping me shift my head and body into ski season, Randy! The skiing was quite fun - better than I would have guessed, despite the "makes a good snowball" quality of the snow. I think modern gear may have been helping a bit there. I was pleased at how much the older rained-on snow was keeping my bases from any nasty wood or rock contact despite the relatively shallow snowpack down low. Did not look as savory in the deep forest adjacent to our op...
Nice snow pit! Thanks for sharing it as I doubt many would take the time for that. I know it's rare that I do more than just quick tests.
I rode Alpental 12/1 and found fun snow on the upper mountain, both the fan and upper nash. Conditions got much worse on lower mountain with a noticeable rain curst (still fun on a splitboard tho!). Upper nash had the best turns of the day! The fan was fun with some exciting holes.
Thanks Chairman! I'm digging out the gear for some early laps tomorrow. You?
Gib says no uphill travel restrictions at the moment.
See you Sunday, Silas?
See you Sunday, Silas?
I didnt dig a pit but was unable to break thru on skis. On the ridge top where windblown I didnt boot through when in transition. Â The bond was good as it had slowly changed from warm rain to cold snow. With the loss of some 30" what was left as base would be pretty consolidated .
Bring on the next batch!
Bring on the next batch!
Thanks for the report! Winter is taking hold up there.
That sounds better than I imagined. What is the crust like? Did the new seem pretty bonded? The forecast looks promising.
Thanks Lowell. I approve of the name change but still like to call it Big Chief! It was always my go-to lift when I was gettin' on top of the tele turn.
Heh.. the November to remember.. :/
I did one lap up tye mill to dudley's with my dog kololo that day. 12 pm start. Backside did indeed look amazing, with few tracks. We just did DD to khers, lift line direct. Not a scratch.
Reason for posting... Apparently Stevens no longer allows dogs during partial early season openings? Fortunately we got our day in, but in the past I've done it later. Only to smiles and waves from patrol. I didn't find out the hard way,...
I did one lap up tye mill to dudley's with my dog kololo that day. 12 pm start. Backside did indeed look amazing, with few tracks. We just did DD to khers, lift line direct. Not a scratch.
Reason for posting... Apparently Stevens no longer allows dogs during partial early season openings? Fortunately we got our day in, but in the past I've done it later. Only to smiles and waves from patrol. I didn't find out the hard way,...
Thanks for stopping by on the way home. Great to see you!
Im probably in the minority of people who stand in that line frequently, and liked the name change.
Mack, I think you might be confusing John Kerscher.. Khers chair:p? Similarly named old ski pioneers. :)
Im probably in the minority of people who stand in that line frequently, and liked the name change.
Mack, I think you might be confusing John Kerscher.. Khers chair:p? Similarly named old ski pioneers. :)
author=telemack link=topic=39149.msg157898#msg157898 date=1511368835]
It was renamed about 5 years ago after John Kehr, one of Stevens's founder/owners.
Bruce Kehr. He installed and ran the rope tow with Don Adams in 1937-38.
With his wife Virginia, he managed Stevens Pass ski area for many decades.
Considering the amount of time and effort the Kehrs invested in the ski area, I think the rename is fitti...
It was renamed about 5 years ago after John Kehr, one of Stevens's founder/owners. I still prefer big Chief, but he was important in the early days.
When did they rename Big Chief to Kehr's Chair? Lame.
No his heals were totally free, and he was slaying it!
author=Jake the Brit link=topic=39131.msg157837#msg157837 date=1511067100]
Is photo number 3 somewhere on the HiBox ridge? What a line! Reminds me of the back of Dragontail, but steeper and longer.
Stellar photos.
Looks like Kaleteen to me
That crust softened appreciably in the afternoon. Which was great because I rolled-out of bed around 1030 with a pair of logs for legs after going hard Sat. Made two sets of powder 1s (so one set of Powder 11s) and was home @ Hyak before the "rain" began. I much appreciated the compacted slope conditions for the ascent.
Interesting that Crystal would call/start preparing a search team for you at 3:30... I share your concern about the precedent that sets for skier self sufficiency (or lack thereof).
Like most folks here, when I ski in the backcountry, I expect to be self sufficient. I don't expect anyone to 'come after me' unless I either signal for help or am past my 'panic time,' as Chris calls it. I kit up expecting to be able to spend the night out, and I've also ski...
Like most folks here, when I ski in the backcountry, I expect to be self sufficient. I don't expect anyone to 'come after me' unless I either signal for help or am past my 'panic time,' as Chris calls it. I kit up expecting to be able to spend the night out, and I've also ski...
Maybe give Crystal Ski Patrol the time you want them to start calling/looking for you (we call it the "Panic Time" in my house), as opposed to the time you think you'll finish the tour if all goes well. For me, the two are usually not the same.
author=Charlie Hagedorn link=topic=39131.msg157839#msg157839 date=1511069470]
I grew up on the east coast; closer to the ocean is east... Oops. :).
I grew up in the Midwest, mountains are always to the west. I still get it wrong too. Feels weird saying going east to the mountains.
Great shots. I agree. That does look a little like dragon tail at the top.
Thanks -- these three were on a full-frame camera, using an older 70-300mm lens, mostly at 300mm. The key bit is the good visibility!
What lens/camera do you use? Those are stupendous images!
I grew up on the east coast; closer to the ocean is east... Oops. :).
oh good you changed it to west of the pass... I was beginning to think you were a master of atmospheric optic bending to get a pic of the big K like that east of the pass...
nice pics!
nice pics!
Is photo number 3 somewhere on the HiBox ridge? What a line! Reminds me of the back of Dragontail, but steeper and longer.
Stellar photos.
Stellar photos.
Quick lap on international this morn. Dense, surfy powder. Winter has arrived! May all freeriders be safe out there.
https://instagram.com/p/BbpnQYvAtQO/
https://instagram.com/p/BbpnQYvAtQO/
Nice to meet you at the sign on the way up (Bryan and Chris). It was a great day out there.
Verizon is definitely the carrier for the best BC coverage, and I'm so glad to see your comment about not mixing phone and beacon too closely; I figured this out a few years ago when my beacon started beeping on chair 6 while overlapping with my phone. After testing the theory, I found that just resting my phone on my beacon would result in error codes on the beacon. However, I found that...
Verizon is definitely the carrier for the best BC coverage, and I'm so glad to see your comment about not mixing phone and beacon too closely; I figured this out a few years ago when my beacon started beeping on chair 6 while overlapping with my phone. After testing the theory, I found that just resting my phone on my beacon would result in error codes on the beacon. However, I found that...
Prevailing wind direction at the pass for the day? OSOSNO has SE (140 moving to 120), OSOALP wind measurements are "bad".
Thanks for the TR -- keeping TAY alive, Wild-man :).
Thanks for the TR -- keeping TAY alive, Wild-man :).
Short notice, but anyone want a partner for a similar itinerary tomorrow? Ideally I'm looking for Seattle partner. I live in the Central District south of Swedish Cherry Hill, ~10 min from I5 and I90 and do not have a car. I can use a car share to rendezvous off Rainier near I90. If you can pick me up, I have a hot tub for a post-tour soak ;) About me: 4th season backcountry skiing in the Cascades and have been to the Alpental backcountry a few times; Avy 1 in 2015; strong skiier; decen...
Deep snow above source lake today. Storm slab moving around near snow lake saddle. Adventure skiing down low. Not sure how to post photo from phone, so here:
https://instagram.com/p/BbnKQZ2AXTK/
https://instagram.com/p/BbnKQZ2AXTK/
author=lukehumphrey link=topic=39118.msg157791#msg157791 date=1510945170]
Verizon has the best mountain coverage in my experience. I switched a couple years ago for this reason. Not as cheap as t-mobile, but could potentially save your life.
I used to have Verizon and coverage is great, I carry a satellite messenger (inreach) for more robust emergency signallying
FWIW: I tour with my beacon in my zippered right pants pockey and my phone/GPS in a left side chest pocket in airplane mode.
My own observational tests indicate that a transmitting beacon and an airplane mode phone with this separation does make a measurable difference in detection range  (by using old analog beacon)
However a non-airplane mode phone in close proximity to a beacon in search mode interferes noticeably.
My own observational tests indicate that a transmitting beacon and an airplane mode phone with this separation does make a measurable difference in detection range  (by using old analog beacon)
However a non-airplane mode phone in close proximity to a beacon in search mode interferes noticeably.
Verizon has the best mountain coverage in my experience. I switched a couple years ago for this reason. Not as cheap as t-mobile, but could potentially save your life.
Thanks for the report Randy. Also given the potential for interference between cell phones and avalanche beacons, it's recommended to keep your phone off, or at least far from away your beacon. Strange the Crystal patrol assumed you would have it on and readily accessible.
Randy,
Thanks for sharing this report! This is the kind of info the BC ski community here needs to know about. I pretty much always tour with my phone in airplane mode too. Also, I can't believe anyone would expect phones to reliably work in cold weather anyway. Lithium Ion batteries are notorious for dying in cold weather so this whole experience you had is interesting. You have to give people some time to warm up and charge their phone when they get off the mountain. Mobile coverage...
Thanks for sharing this report! This is the kind of info the BC ski community here needs to know about. I pretty much always tour with my phone in airplane mode too. Also, I can't believe anyone would expect phones to reliably work in cold weather anyway. Lithium Ion batteries are notorious for dying in cold weather so this whole experience you had is interesting. You have to give people some time to warm up and charge their phone when they get off the mountain. Mobile coverage...
Calling my emergency contact seems to have been a mistake.
What concerns me is if their new protocol is to start calling backcountry touring folks starting around 3:30 and expecting you to answer and initiating a search protocol at that point if you don't.
I typically tour with my phone in airplane mode to conserve battery. Besides with crappy T-Mobile coverage-- unless I'm high on a ridge I won't have signal.
I guess when I file future tour...
What concerns me is if their new protocol is to start calling backcountry touring folks starting around 3:30 and expecting you to answer and initiating a search protocol at that point if you don't.
I typically tour with my phone in airplane mode to conserve battery. Besides with crappy T-Mobile coverage-- unless I'm high on a ridge I won't have signal.
I guess when I file future tour...
Thanks Randy - that looks pretty good. Ha - I thought those were full-sized bottles at first. Man, I thought, these guys are just killing it if they can ski-in with this. And down again.
Did you get any explanation on why they called - just a mistake? Thanks.
Did you get any explanation on why they called - just a mistake? Thanks.