TR Replies

amen My hip just hurts looking at that route

but if I was younger>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 8)

Charles

I finally had time to look at your report - wow! Makes the reader feel like they were there, which in my case is good, because that's the closest I'll get to actually doing it. I started skiing too late, and I'm getting conservative in my old age.

4/24/03 8:17am

RRandall

Thanks.

4/24/03 5:34am

peaceriver

My impression is that you need a Northwest taxed times two forest pass. Not that I use one.

4/24/03 5:20am

RRandall

CW -- do you still need a sno-park pass at Marble Mountain sno-park?

4/24/03 5:05am

RRandall

Whoa. Serious stuff, skykilo. Looks like from your home page you've skied more in the last year than I have in the last 20.

Beautiful photos and text. Thanks.

4/23/03 7:39pm

skykilo

Jack Mountain, eh? Thanks for the suggestion.

4/23/03 7:17am

curmudgeon

Good ski, guys! >:(

I remember being camped on Sahale Arm about thirty year ago, listening to the ice fall sweep the lower part of this potential route with ice calves about every half hour, deciding it was not worth the risk of climbing.

I never considered it as a ski route until Ben mentioned it last year. I put the glasses on it last June and decided it would probably go. Figured it would get done this spring, since the Cascade Glaciers no longer provide the ice cannons they...

4/22/03 6:16pm

markharf

Whoa.

4/22/03 10:21am

Robie

Thanks RG ! Now lets see how good it all works. I know Iv'e been up there in the past after closure or before opening day and employees have taken snomobiles up to drop fellow workers off to ski.A gang of them highmarking is something else.

4/22/03 8:05am

April 18, 2003, Red Mountain, Snoq. Pass

I have only recently found this website and just by chance happened to be at Chrystal mtn. last weekend. Judging by the pictures it looks like your get together was a lot of fun.

I also couldn't help but notice the snowmobiles using the area. Like you, this was a first for me. I can't remember seeing them at any time in the past. So I contacted the Forest Service and received a nice reply from Larry Donovan. He said that snowmobiles are not permitted in the s...

4/22/03 5:36am

Kenji

I think we saw your nice tracks; you must have hit it just right. I have to go back there some time.

4/22/03 12:49am

Bill_G

I think a slough becomes an avalanche when you're on the receiving end :)

Bill

4/21/03 10:20pm

ron j

Yeah, we were also considering the consequences of an unexpected lift start-up. We would have surely lost our lunches. We decided not to risk the most important (hard hauled) libations.

4/21/03 10:06pm

Charles

Ron, your solution would seem to be the best. I think some sites are set up to not allow other sites to link directly to their photos.

Nice photos by both photographers! I'm trying to imagine the action if the lift had "unexpectedly started at any time"?

4/21/03 9:23pm

ron j

Good Info, CW, Thanks.

4/21/03 7:46pm

ron j

Charles, it appears the picture problem is specific to the site where Jerry posts his pics. I swapped one of mine out for Jerry's and it seem to come up ok now. Strange...
Anyway, the link for more pics is in the original response now.

4/21/03 8:29am

J.P.

April 19, 2003, almost Crooked Couloir, Snoqualmie

Charles -

I believe the person who could answer your question is Larry Donovan, Winter Sports Recreation Coordinator with the USFS. His phone is 425-744-3403 and e-mail is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Larry is also the lead on the master plan permit review for the Crystal ski area expansion.

4/21/03 3:58am

Kenji

The coverage is still very good right from the Alpental road. We went up on the left of the creek following the road above Sahale Hill slope. Creek crossing in the basin is not problem at all.

4/20/03 10:39pm

Charles

April 9, 2003, Silver Peak

powderpig - nice trip, and thanks for the report. I'm wondering about your descent route? You wrote that you started down the east ridge from the summit, then dropped off the north side of the ridge. Is the "east ridge" the same as the "northeast ridge" (you wrote that you ascended by the "northwest ridge")? Also, did you drop into the north bowl from the ridge, or did you start down toward Twin Lakes (east facing slope) to get back to Windy Pass?

4/20/03 10:32pm

Charles

April 19, 2003, almost Crooked Couloir, Snoqualmie

Thanks for the report, Lowell. It sounds like a great tour. I'm wondering what the story is with snowmobiles at closed ski areas - Stevens, Crystal. Does anyone know if this is an activity approved by the NF/ski areas, or are the machines sneaking in to poach some lines?

4/20/03 10:25pm

Charles

Thanks for the report, Kenji. What is the coverage like from the road into Commonwealth Basin - skiable? Also, did you go into Commonwealth on the left or right side of the stream, and, if you got a look, how did crossings look in the basin?

4/20/03 10:21pm

Charles

Ron, I'm not sure why that's image is not loading - it failed for me too. When I found the URL for it by looking at the page source, then went to that address, the photo came up, and then it also appeared in your post, replacing the red X box. For some reason the browser won't pull in that image from the post?? I don't have any explanation.

Sounds like you all had a great time. I was hoping to make it, but I'm glad I didn't try because I was assuming it was on Sunday (I didn't look closel...

4/20/03 5:53pm

ron j

So what's up with the img posting thingy... Am I doing somthing wrong, Charles?
I only get the "red X box" for the Jelly pic when I view the thread but when I hit reply and then back I get the Pic??? What's up with that???

4/20/03 5:06pm

ron j

April 18, 2003, South Early Winters Spire

Woo Hoo, what a hoot that was!!
Perfect conditions... the rain soaked snow 6 to 8 inches down was totally refrozen and the newer above was still virgin!
Super skiing in the morning. Typical cascade skiing in the afternoon... just like my dear ol' (RIP) dad used to describe sex ("the worst I ever had was wonderful") ;D

Nice pics Jerry!!

Here's one of Jelly Belly and her new Doggles:

4/19/03 9:13am

philfort

Did the birthday tour today, not expecting much... but the snow turned out to be great, although that wasn't obvious until we reached Blue Lake col (firm snow and breakable crust to there). South slopes were silky smooth once the sun warmed them a bit. And there is still powder on sheltered slopes.

4/19/03 8:20am

wolfs

April 18, 2003, Pineapple Pass

What a difference a day makes.
I went up again this morning (Saturday) for seconds. But the snow had completely changed. The fresh snow seemed to have completely vanished, or somehow glommed into the crust that underlay it. I went Great Scott this time, but I would guess that where I was yesterday was probably the same. North faces were a little less crusty but also were more likely to have slid, probably because the crust helped stabilize.
The crust was at exactly the wrong consistency as...

4/18/03 1:08pm

alpentalcorey

April 18, 2003, Pineapple Pass

damn i knew i should have gone today! Lets hope that this snow stays around a bit. I won't be able to hit it until Monday.

4/18/03 9:42am

scotteryx

April 18, 2003, South Early Winters Spire

word up Phil?
"... was the sun out at all? If so then maybe south slopes will be good? "

The sun was out 1/10 of the day at times. There was a smidge of fresh on this crust. Most of the folks we saw looked like they headed up towards that corniced area at the col and dropped on on the other side, as I think that is the B-Day tour? I am guessing the south facing slopes were probably much better, as where we were....it was survival skiing at it's best.

4/18/03 9:03am

Charles

April 16, 2003, Hope Lake - Mig Lake

Maybe "garland" is not a commonly used term, or maybe it is specific to free-heel. It is a technique I think all skiers and boarders use at times, but maybe with different names or no name at all. I learned it as describing a way of doing a descending traverse that is not side-slipping (or that augments side-slipping). A garland is when a skier in a straight descending traverse drops their tips down toward the fall line and accelerates, but instead of continuing across the fall line in...

4/18/03 5:26am

philfort

April 18, 2003, South Early Winters Spire

That's not good news... was the sun out at all? If so then maybe south slopes will be good?

4/17/03 4:56pm

ron j

April 16, 2003, Hope Lake - Mig Lake

What's a "right turn garland" and why can't it be practiced to the left? :)

4/16/03 9:51pm

md2020

no, the uptrack was already there for us too. I would never be gung ho enough to be the first to leave the Narada Falls parking lot.

4/16/03 9:34am

JMor

Skinut we did have a very good time, although the weather turned on us in a very short time. You would have enjoyed the tour with us, we thought about you, had talked about doing Foss Peak, but didn't quite get there because of the change in weather. And as you say " so much to ski, so little time."

md2020, I'm sure that you had some deep snow the previous week, but for us "old timers" it's always much better if we can drop in on someone else's uptrack, just lik...

4/14/03 8:53pm

md2020

excellent, but the Sunday before that up track was about 18 inches deep.

4/14/03 8:50pm

Skinut

Gosh, Jeanettte, I wish I could have been on your trip! Sounds like you had great snow and a great time. I have yet to do this tour, and also the Narrada Face, this year. So much to ski, so little time!

4/14/03 4:51pm

ron j

Thanks for the kind words, Paul.

4/14/03 4:13am

paul_smith

Nice stills, excellent video! Great work and it looked like a decent day on the Tatoosh! Thanks 8)

4/14/03 1:42am

ron j

April 5, 2003, Mt Catherine

Nice run down on the trip, Jeanette.
Yep it was classic mixed bay of mountain weather, that's for sure.

Jerry took this classy shot of Castle:

Seems like it outta be on the cover of a coffee table book somewhere.

There's a few more action shots of the gang at:
...

4/13/03 10:36pm

scotteryx

Tr and images now at

4/13/03 6:27am

Andrew Carey

April 12, 2003, Paradise-Mazama, Again?!

Just missed you :D We climbed up above McClure Rock, hit a white out, skied down, down into Edith Basin all on excellent snow then down the D slope across the creek from Mazama in unpredictably breakable crust and decided not to go up Mazama. Today (Sunday) we hit that wedge area on Mazama between the trail up and the slopes above the Paradise Valley Road and did 3 runs (Me, Regine, & 2 kids) and then did the 1st glade run above the PV road--great snow today! Saw Ron...

4/12/03 7:45am

Faceplant

March 22-29, 2003, Fairy Meadows Hut, Selkirk Mtn

Zap, tells it like it is. There are guide services that will take you up there if the guide service is lucky enough to win the lottery and/or you can hire a guide and cook if you win the lottery. The guide service is up to you, but save the money and have the group do the cooking for themselves. It was a great way to bond. It was actually one of the most interesting parts of the trip. The skiing was some of the best I ever did. If you go guideless, make sure t...

4/11/03 2:26am

md2020

no trouble with the surface releases, since we stayed mainly in the moderate sloped parts of the upper bowl and never really got much warming at that elevation and aspect. We did see one surface slide come down from steep snow running up the side of Castle Peak, caused by a skier who had climbed for some steep turns. Stayed in the trees on the way down and away from the steep open parts of the lower bowl-snow was much heavier down there.

4/10/03 7:51pm

JMor

April 10, 2003, Mazama Ridge

Randy, thanks for that great up track to our first destination. Sure glad we were able to fumble around in the parking lot long enough for you to do all the dirty work.

Greg, will look forward to skiing with you soon.

md2020 sounds like you had a great time over on the Tatoosh. Did you have any trouble with the surface releases that were happening later in the day?

4/10/03 4:58pm

ron j

I'm pleased to hear that Charles got out, Dorothea. Sounds like he got in a shakedown crusie in for his new gear for the Hood/Silcox trip. Can't wait!!

4/10/03 12:06am

GregLange

Mad Dog: You write a nice report! It makes me wish that I'd have been there. Looking forward to skiing the Tatoosh with you guys in June or so...Greg Lange

4/9/03 8:55pm

ron j

Yeah, Sunday was a worthy ski day.
Here's a shot of Mad Dog skiing across and uptrack similar to the one that Randy made (thanks Randy!):

4/9/03 8:27pm

md2020

we skied the bowl up near Castle Peak in the Tatoosh both Sat and Sun and the snow was excellent. Better on Sun with the low snow level and overnight dump Sat night. We figured Mazama Ridge area wouldn't be as good as the north facing Tatoosh slopes. One of the best days of the season.

4/9/03 2:28am

Randito