TR Replies
Snow condition: strong wind created hard pack snow and surface is not smooth. There are small ice parts.
Hi Cem, thanks for the reports (this and Bachy). Sounds like quintessential above-treeline, mid-winter conditions on Hood. Congrats on being able to get out mid week on the two days of good weather!
Jeff
Storm ,
road is open all year unless washed out .I think this trips works best as a 2 or 3 day er in the spring. I can see Spray park,Observation and echo rock form my house and it drives me crazy that the road to mowich or near there is usually passable but gated in Spring. Even from Mowich the trip up the russell gl is a marathon. But a fun one.
road is open all year unless washed out .I think this trips works best as a 2 or 3 day er in the spring. I can see Spray park,Observation and echo rock form my house and it drives me crazy that the road to mowich or near there is usually passable but gated in Spring. Even from Mowich the trip up the russell gl is a marathon. But a fun one.
Great Trip Lowell-While watching the eclipse I pondered about how many full moon ski opportunities I have squandered. How great it is that you were able to do that in late Oct! Way to look out side the box.
Charles-I have the standard AT setup with heavy boots. I wish I had a little lighter gear for this, but what the heck. The pitch is about 1200vf of grass at about 30 plus degrees. I think I could ski the grass in the fall without the snow, but snow could help for sliding and a skin to the top. That way people don't get the idea that I'm skiing on grass.
That sounds great!!!!
Thanks for sharing.
I recently moved here from Utah and we had a group of people that would ski on every full moon during the ski season. It is truly the most amazing time to ski. The best is if it is very clear and cold and the snow recrystalizes(sp?) ???
I am not sure if that happens here, but I would definitely like to check it out someday.
We even got a couple New Years moonlight adventures.
Lunar eclipse definitely had to make things "interesting&qu...
Thanks for sharing.
I recently moved here from Utah and we had a group of people that would ski on every full moon during the ski season. It is truly the most amazing time to ski. The best is if it is very clear and cold and the snow recrystalizes(sp?) ???
I am not sure if that happens here, but I would definitely like to check it out someday.
We even got a couple New Years moonlight adventures.
Lunar eclipse definitely had to make things "interesting&qu...
We were the first two from Muir, and would have seen you normally. But we skied through backdoor, did not see a soul until reached the parking lot.
Never thought of skiing Muir at night...
Never thought of skiing Muir at night...
Nice TR lowell. That cabin can be really cold. I spent part :) of one of the most miserable nights there during a trip. The funniest part was when morning came around, tents shook and their inhabitants exclaimed, "Man that was a cold night." The rest of which I spent up on top of that little peak with the monument waiting for the sun to come up wishing the whole time I had a sleeping bag or even a mat (or better yet went down). Boy when that moon went down and the sun came up though, t...
Nice adventure, Lowell.
Thanks for sharing it.
I, too am a great fan of moonlight skiing. But "lunar eclipse skiing" is a new one on me. :)
Thanks for sharing it.
I, too am a great fan of moonlight skiing. But "lunar eclipse skiing" is a new one on me. :)
Thanks all--I have a pair of Karhu metal edge touring skiis with fishscales and Atomic t-29's and skins. I'm a littlenew to BC skiing, but get up and down most anything. I'm a little hesitant to head out alone in winter to places I haven't been, so going with would be great. We can shift to PM to get this one back on track.
bill
bill
I think one could ski the trail back down. Certainly from Cataract Valley Camp 4600 ft. Above that I think the trail would be hard to recognize. Good map reading above there.
storm
storm
I walked in from Ipsut. It is about 16 miles round trip. I figured with the Mowich Lake road closed it would be more interesting.
Does anyone know if the park service keeps Ipsut open year round? I figure they would unless the road washes out.
Storm
Does anyone know if the park service keeps Ipsut open year round? I figure they would unless the road washes out.
Storm
Storm ,I did that years ago from ipsut , but memory fails me. If I remember its about 16 mi rt to Observation rock. If there was low snow one could ski the trail back ?
Other destination from that trailhead is Old Desolate. Loss of daylight hours doesn't help in these wanderings .
It's good to know what people are thinking early season this weekend looks like snows a comin.I better get on the phone and reserve Dorothea. One day GOTV one day skiing seems like a good weekend
Bill, I will keep you in mind for Wednesdays. Just so I know what type of trips you like: do you have fishscale skis?
Joe, I'm interested and already trying to think of what you may have in mind. What kind of skis would you take for this trip?
Robie, yeah, sorry, I guess it was my fault, asking about the gate. But at least this thread stayed on topic for 3 or 4 posts!
Joe, I'm interested and already trying to think of what you may have in mind. What kind of skis would you take for this trip?
Robie, yeah, sorry, I guess it was my fault, asking about the gate. But at least this thread stayed on topic for 3 or 4 posts!
Charles and Bill-My plan will take some more snow maybe 10 to 15 inches to be on the safe side. I have no problem waiting.The November date(s) will work. Since I am so busy at work, Sundays might be best , but Friday could work. The WR road does not need to be open to get to what I am planning and yes it will not be a trudge into. ;)
Bill- I'm keeping you in mind , but Weds may not work for me-I can't speak for Charles though.
Sorry to be a thread buster-Robie
Bill- I'm keeping you in mind , but Weds may not work for me-I can't speak for Charles though.
Sorry to be a thread buster-Robie
This may be moving oer into "Partners Wanted," but ... My weekends are booked til 11/20, but I do have Wednesdays open and would really like to get out to some of these places I've never been. Keep me in mind?
bill
bill
Joe, the FS73 gates at the snowpark and at the Huckleberry Creek bridge were open on Sunday. As for the WR road, if you've got a plan, that's more that I have so let's keep in touch on this. I won't be skiing again in October, but as soon as November is here I'm ready. Wed, Fri, and Sun are the potential days for me.
.... It was a long walk in.
I'll bet it was. did you hike in from the Mowich side (up the Grindstone Trail) or from the Ipsut Creek side?
The road is open to the WR campground as of last Sunday. Let me know if/when you are headed up there maybe I can join you. Since I live so close I have been keeping track of the snow totals. I also have a plan. I was thinking of doing that Grand Park last Sunday as you did-is the Huckleberry Creek road still open?
JDB
JDB
Nice work Mark - so the road is still open all the way to Artist Point?
As Tim says, the road is closed at the upper ski area parking lot.
New ride 'eh - I remember the days of your minivan...what did you get? ;)
I must have metamorphosed into a minivan kind've guy at some point when I wasn't paying close attention, because I've now got another minivan; this one's abou...
Sounds like you made a good call for getting your turns in, Robman. I think Jerry and I passed you while you and the gang were having your palaver at the viewpoint on 410. We were headed up to the Crystal area for a recon hike.
Charles, I believe the gate at the WR rd was closed 2 weekends ago when we passed that way.
Charles, I believe the gate at the WR rd was closed 2 weekends ago when we passed that way.
There's nothing like pushing the limits of the snowpack! Did either of you notice if the White River road gate at Hwy 410 is still open? Just thinking about possibilities for an early Nov. ski.
The time stamp on that photo says 11:15. You can see a little bit of cloud wrapping around the far right side of the north face, so maybe the winds were hitting the mountain from the SW, producing more clouds where we couldn't see them? Rainier itself seemed to stay fairly cloud-free, but later on lower clouds did become common to our south and east. Robie, it sounds like you found a little more snow at Chinook, glad you had a good day too.
PS--just read Gusk's TR I was one of those that stopped at 8700, so I missed the pretty stuff up high. Great day out nonethless.
bill :)
bill :)
And what time was the photo taken? ???
Eli and I were on the Muir and it seemed like mostly 50-a couple hundred feet visibility with occasional 'get your bearings' and 'look at that, 25 skiiers lined up below Anvil Rock' breaks all day. We didn't see the mountain til after 4 on the way back.
bill
Eli and I were on the Muir and it seemed like mostly 50-a couple hundred feet visibility with occasional 'get your bearings' and 'look at that, 25 skiiers lined up below Anvil Rock' breaks all day. We didn't see the mountain til after 4 on the way back.
bill
Charles it turned out good for ya! Nice picture.
That 3 or 4" crust is what made our tour work too. The downside is if that bottom layer goes depth hoar.
That 3 or 4" crust is what made our tour work too. The downside is if that bottom layer goes depth hoar.
I was able to get in 12, 18, and then 15 consecutive turns on my first three runs, over a vertical drop of around 80 feet - it was that good! I stopped counting after that, because I knew I had October in the bag.
Sounds like you had a great day on that gigantic vertical drop Charles, nothing like flying in just under the radar for your October turns ;D.
Thanks Guys,
Seeing the mountain on the way to work this morning, it sure looked good.
See you guys out there next time.
Seeing the mountain on the way to work this morning, it sure looked good.
See you guys out there next time.
Nice TR, Gus. Good to meet you, Greg, and Alan; thanks for bringing us some luck with the cloud break! We were just as surprised that not only was the October powder more than delightful, but we were also able to get back down to the parking lot on the minimal cover without any real ski damage. Too bad el nino took away our dream for a strong Monday storm that would fill up that pavement...
Dig the photo-
Brenda and I must have been right behind you. We followed a set of tracks nearly the entire loop. Some of the snow was pretty nice, just wish there would have been more of it. Rock skis had a good workout and got a bit of work on our brush beating skills. I managed to do a slide into home plate while losing it in the ski track down the west side ridge of Tipsoo Lake bowl. Hit a damn rock on my left hip...close call. Just a bad bruise. Be carefull in this early season stuff.
almost forgot...
almost forgot...
Nice work Mark - so the road is still open all the way to Artist Point?
Amar and I chose Paradise....wasn't the best idea. My alternative suggestion was Artist Point.
You would have won big with Artist's point. You would have had to skin from the ski area, but there was a good 24" of snow waiting there -- 12" base and 12" new. We got in two runs in the sun through the trees and mounds of Table's South side before the...
Nice report as always Mark, glad to here winter has returned!
Nice work Mark - so the road is still open all the way to Artist Point?
New ride 'eh - I remember the days of your minivan...what did you get? ;)
Amar and I chose Paradise....wasn't the best idea. My alternative suggestion was Artist Point.
New ride 'eh - I remember the days of your minivan...what did you get? ;)
Amar and I chose Paradise....wasn't the best idea. My alternative suggestion was Artist Point.
Nicely done, Zap and Jill. You must be all tuckered out.
I admit I'm having a bit of difficulty picturing Jill, all edges and angulation, screaming down your 40 foot dune in full-on GS turn(s)....but I'm known for my inadequate powers of imagination.
Jill and I are at the tail end of a 2 month road trip thru the Canadian Maritimes and the Northeast. We were traveling north from El Paso
Uh, took a wrong turn...
I agree with Lowell about the Scarpa F1 hardware, even though I really like the boot otherwise - the bellows is great and they ski fairly well for a light boot, but the lever hits you in the butt when you squat down, catches on clothing, is hard to close (you have to hit it squarely with a ski pole handle to latch it when it's cold) and hard to open (requires 2 fingers most times). I wish Scarpa had an AT boot with a bellows and a conventional heel latch, it would probably be just as fast to sim...
Now, that's the definition of hardcore!! Great trip report.
Thanks so much. You helped me a lot.
I will probably go for MLT 4 with Goretex liner, even tough some people are against that. Many preffer Termoformable liner but I think for my kind of skiing really doesn't matter.
Cheers.
Zoka
I will probably go for MLT 4 with Goretex liner, even tough some people are against that. Many preffer Termoformable liner but I think for my kind of skiing really doesn't matter.
Cheers.
Zoka
You guys shoulda stuck it out, cause it cleared out beautifully for us + you guys misses some of the best turns which were found above the saddle.
I think that skiing on the E. of the rocks (where Sky and I climbed up) was maybe a better choice...more snow & less cracks. IMHO
Ross
I think that skiing on the E. of the rocks (where Sky and I climbed up) was maybe a better choice...more snow & less cracks. IMHO
Ross
Well, where Paul and I skied far right and passed you guys on the way up, is usually a nice smooth slope around this of year (photo from Nov 12 2000):
But now it's got lots of cracks and bare ice, that's why I called it grim. :) Descending it in 20ft visibility didn't help, and there was only a few inches new on top of crust or ice.
On the Coleman proper, above 6800ft, I agree the sunshine and deep snow was pr...
But now it's got lots of cracks and bare ice, that's why I called it grim. :) Descending it in 20ft visibility didn't help, and there was only a few inches new on top of crust or ice.
On the Coleman proper, above 6800ft, I agree the sunshine and deep snow was pr...
Phil....I'm not sure where you guys went to see anything like a "grim sight"?
Where we were on the glacier, sure there were crevasses, but easily negotiated, and we were able to make a very direct descent down the glacier in primo conditions.
Where we were on the glacier, sure there were crevasses, but easily negotiated, and we were able to make a very direct descent down the glacier in primo conditions.
When we skied back down the C/D the visibility was good all the way down to below the glacier so that was not an issue.
There was a few inches of snow on the moraines around the camp. Once on the glacier though the accumulated new snow really increased.
Ross
There was a few inches of snow on the moraines around the camp. Once on the glacier though the accumulated new snow really increased.
Ross
One more question and I am out of here:
I heard Dynafit TLT 4's you should buy half a size bigger than your regular boot size because of different shell design.
Are sizes of your Inverno's and TLT's and MLT's the same?
Did you go for 1/2 size bigger?
I don't know a lot about boot sizing, so I just pulled the liners out of my boots and looked at the numbers molded into the shell. Here's what they say:
Inverno: 10
TLT/MLT: 2...
Thanks, Phil. The glacier below Heliotrope has really fallen apart the last couple of years. Sounds like it's not yet filled in enough for the blundering likes of me.
"Hogsback Camp" is the USFS name for the summertime tent city at 6000 feet.
"Hogsback Camp" is the USFS name for the summertime tent city at 6000 feet.
Thanks alot.
In Vancouver BC canada I have no option to see TLT 4's in stores. Only I can order them over the NET. I have Grivel G14 step-in crampons.
One more question and I am out of here:
I heard Dynafit TLT 4's you should buy half a size bigger than your regular boot size because of different shell design.
Are sizes of your Inverno's and TLT's and MLT's the same?
Did you go for 1/2 size bigger?
Thanks for your time. :)
Z
In Vancouver BC canada I have no option to see TLT 4's in stores. Only I can order them over the NET. I have Grivel G14 step-in crampons.
One more question and I am out of here:
I heard Dynafit TLT 4's you should buy half a size bigger than your regular boot size because of different shell design.
Are sizes of your Inverno's and TLT's and MLT's the same?
Did you go for 1/2 size bigger?
Thanks for your time. :)
Z
Glad the headwall turned out well for you guys...
I dunno where hogsback camp is, but there were only drifts of snow at 6000ft where the moraine ends and the glacier starts. By 7000ft the snow was deep and great on the C-D, but not in the area people normally ski below Heliotrope - that was wind-scoured and crusty, with lots of small crevasses (and a few big ones) where I've never seen them before. It was a grim sight.
I dunno where hogsback camp is, but there were only drifts of snow at 6000ft where the moraine ends and the glacier starts. By 7000ft the snow was deep and great on the C-D, but not in the area people normally ski below Heliotrope - that was wind-scoured and crusty, with lots of small crevasses (and a few big ones) where I've never seen them before. It was a grim sight.
I am thinking to buy one of those! ???
Lowell_skoog, could you please tell me what was alternative for you when you were looking for to find extension of your Inverno's? Why you picked MLT's?
I asume it's step forward from Inverno's.
MLT's are designed for middle ground between skiing and climbing. If you like to climb in them you have to give up some downhill performance. Do you think that make sense?
Do you think that TLT4 is better choice that MLT f...
Hey Ross, that's impressive--skiing the headwall this time of year (not to mention the C-D in questionable visibility). How were the crevasses below Heliotrope Ridge? How much new snow at the Hogsback camp?
thanks,
Mark
thanks,
Mark
Yeah, I'm really sorry I couldn't join you! Thanks for the timely report though - it is nice to know what is going on up there, and it sounds encouraging for being able to ski to the car soon (without being an outlaw, that is).
Are you happy with TLT 4's?
My friend told me that boot is not step-in crampon compatible. When I look in the model (picture) I can't see why it's not.
I am looking for boot that I can climb some moderate snow and ice routes in SW BC and ski back.
Another boot I am reviewing is Garmont Dynamite. What do you think?
Thanks for your help.
Z
My friend told me that boot is not step-in crampon compatible. When I look in the model (picture) I can't see why it's not.
I am looking for boot that I can climb some moderate snow and ice routes in SW BC and ski back.
Another boot I am reviewing is Garmont Dynamite. What do you think?
Thanks for your help.
Z