TR Replies

Jim, sorry I didn't get myself organized to join you today. I agree with your last line - things would have been much better everywhere if that underlying wet snow had had a chance to freeze.

Another fine report.

Thanks for the wide-ranging report.  

Any guesses on conditions there this weekend?  Looks like there will be a fair amount of new wet snow and maybe rain to at least 5000' Sat AM on top of crusts or ice most places, so I'm thinking not a great place to be at least on Saturday.

Ah, cascadeclimbers isn't that bad.  There is a ton of spray, but there is also an incredible amount of good information and lots of good people.

MW8+, you mentioned admiring the descent off Kaleetin.  After ticking a few days tours off my list earlier this winter, this one has risen to the top.  First day weather and snowpack permit, I'm planning to ski it.  Interested?

Good!  We'll meet sometime to ski and then your friend Skip can lead all the hard pitches...

Ok, some truths must be revealed.  Don't be at all defensive of your NW skiing with me, it's one of the reasons I moved here.  When I moved to Colorado I was on my two year and x number month straight skiing (forget now the number, but am reviving my count) - having enjoyed a month in South America skiing 6 volcanoes one summer and my 3rd trip to Mt Shasta the next for the dreaded Aug-Sept Northern Hemisphere doldroms.  How bummed was I when Colorado couldn't muster the guns to ma...

Even with our low snowpack you'll not likely need to hang up your boards in May 'round here.  The good corn is just coming out by then!

It was just our presence or rather our weight that did it. We were 150 vf downhill of the crown, about 400' lineal from the highest point of the crown, and the first person was about 100' from the edge of the slide. We were just preparing to cross the slope one at a time. There was a whump (those in front heard and felt it, those in back did not). There was a 10 second delay before the slope released.

nice TR! and nice *not* to hear 'can't believe you poor pnw'ers, skiing this horrrible snow...now let me tell you about colorado!'. in case you haven't already, you can make friends with rainer burgdorfer as well, his book covers a lot more and higher ground than martin volken's. higher ground is especially good since, given its low elevation, powder days at snoqualmie are few and far between.

Oh - and the dogs loved the day. The travel was mostly quite good for them, and in the bare patches lower down there were lots of rodents to keep them perked up.

Ski_Photomatt,
We had the same uneasy feeling about the young pair of boarders we met. They were really whipped by the time they were at the ridge using our tracks, and then were heading off into completely untracked areas on worse exposures. We talked about taking care,etc., but it's hard to act like a cop or their mom out there.  
BTW, we were just 4 at that point. Took one back early and returned.
We were pretty cautious, but wondering a bit about our judgement, too. It's so t...

We took our track back to the XC trails, through Grand Junction, and to the Outback run. It would have been too much work to have to break trail just to get out another way, and our car was at the Silver Fir lift. The snowpack was relatively low, but easily sufficient - its got to have a pretty high water content under the newest snow by now. Unfortunately, with the weekend's change in weather, it is probably not very skiable today!

Thanks for the report Charles.  Nice to know it's finally skiable in there.  Which way did you go back out - the road or backtrack?

Some scary stuff out there today in a lot of places! -Glad to hear you made it out!  :)

Good Skiing, Darin

Don_B, russ - did you see any activities related to the reported avalanche on a SW-facing slope, 2' x 300', which carried a skier over cliff bands, with minor injuries? It sounds like they were also somewhere on Skyline Ridge.

Thanks for the reports, and glad you found great snow.

Don,

Thanks for the report.

If that's backcountry trees you mean, just remember any treed slope open enough to make fun turns in when the snow is this deep is also open enough to slide (so sayeth the instructors I've learned from, and they've pointed to pretty tight but turnable trees as an example).

I'm going for lifts tomorrow, and am watching to see what the east side looks like for the weekend for a (hopefully) little lower hazard level.

Thanks for the inspiring report from Crystal!

Many fine runs in the Colpiti (sp?) creek drainage, in fact! And some great photos in the low light up on that opposite wall from where you entered. And the finest midnight ski I've ever done up to the edge of that drainage. That does it - I'm going to start doing the research to book a week next year!!

I've done 4 trips into those GAH huts you flew over, and the skiing was awesome each time, ranging from late January through early April. The folks we went with said they've gone 7 additional years, and never had a bad line. The terrain is low enough that it tends not to get quite as hammered by wind as places like Fairy Meadow, and the tree skiing is generally awesome, which is great for storm days but nice for other days as well! I don't know about Sentry, but the only lack at GAH is the big g...

Yep, I remember you guys, Peter.  Thanks for the kind words.

As far as your partner Rick's email goes, I don't have it, but if he is Rock Randall you can send him an instant message using this forum's IM feature.

Next weekend should be memorable, eh?

Wow. Nice report, Zap.
That's another one to put on my list.  Thanks.

:)
Never fear, Robman.  We're saving some special lines for you and maddog for when each of you get back into the action... and we might even get Kam and his gang to ski with you!

Now if I can just remember to let you know when I'm within about 15 minutes of my fun limit.... ;)

Rain pelted the windshield as we drove through Skagit Valley early Sunday morning on our way up to Mt. Baker. The weather seemed pretty grim (at least compared to sunny skies the day before). Going to see a movie in Bellingham was even suggested. The lure of snow won, though. Even marginal snow is better than most movies (well, sometimes). We skinned up towards Herman Saddle in crusty, icy conditions. Visibility ranged from clear broth to pea soup (say, what movies are playing anyway?). Deciding...

Greg,

Thanks for your report. We ( 2 telemarkers and 1 AT skier) got off to a leisurly 9 am start after a delicious, hot and very filling breakfast at the Mountaineers Baker lodge. Saw your tracks, but we spent the "early" part of the morning on the N. side of Table Mountain. Very nice powder over there, avy report was right on, bomber snowpack. We got up to the saddle about 1 pm. Yes, anything that got sun Saturday was pretty crusty on the way up. It made for easy trailbreaking...

Sounds like a good move to me.  Our little group has a saying, "Why leave good snow to look for good snow?"