Home > Trip Reports > TR Replies

TR Replies

Great info, Zap.
You certainly seem to be committed to making up for lost time  ;)
There's been lots of wind and higher freezing levels so I don't know that all aspects/ridgetops and low elevation (Reflection Lakes) would be skiable.  There were 50 inches at paradise, yet there are plenty of bushes sticking up thru the snow, big creeks are still open, and lots of gullies haven't filled in yet.  Another 4 feet of snow would make a huge difference  ;) abc
Good point, Jim...  which reminds me; there's a telemetry
station at Nordic Pass, at about 4,000 ft elev. as I recall.
Does anyone know the URL for that station or how to get the data from it?
After a couple of years watching, I'd say it really helps to have 36 inches of snow depth showing on the Snoqualmie telemetry before expecting it to be reasonable up around the Nordic Pass elevation. Sigh...
Greg, yeah that's me.  Well, first of all remember that we are much older than you  ;) so our family obligations have changed lots over the years.  It's great to take part in your kids' lives as much as you can, they simply grow up way to fast.  I'm going to  be out of commission for a few weeks and won't be able to ski on Jan 4/5 as we will be in London for my sons wedding!  Since it's a proper English Society wedding, I'm gonna have to wear a hat (other that ski h...
I was just wondering what the conditions were up in the Snoqualmie area.  I just heard on the news today that Snoqualmie has only 10 inches at the base and the downhill areas are hoping to open sometime before Christmas with this new strom front that is suppose to drop some snow.  

That Mt Catherine Loop is really great.  We had lots of deep pow pow in there last year.  Looking forward to it again this year.  The tree skiing in through there is some of the best &n...
Way to go Andy, sounds like you got a great ski day!!
Mad Dog (Jeannette{?}): How do you and Ron do it? Not like I want my little ones to be in college yet, but you are helping me to define the days when my kids are off in a positive way! It is so nice to read your reports every week, and vicariously join you on your tours. Please let me know what your plans are for the 4th and/or 5th of January. I'd like to join you if I can.....Greg Lange (see Charles' T-A-Y email list for the details)


Happy skin tracks 8)
Yeah, that's a help, Mikey.  
I was wondering what things were like back in there.  Sounds like we need another Snoqualmie dump or two to make it nice back in there, huh?  
Thanks for "taking one for the team"!  ;)
Yep, I 'spect all the nook and crannie stashes up there are now good to go  8)
So much for my ability to correctly predict conditions. I had been assuming that with the strong east winds of today (White Pass had gusts near 100mph) the Paradise area would be getting hit hard and have lots of scouring. I guess that only occurs when I'm about to go up there! Andy, I'm glad you got such great conditions, and thanks for the timely report.

It sounds like there is now enough snowpack that you can ski just about anywhere you like around there?
Mike, thanks for the good info. I've been in those woods with early snow conditions and I know it can be a real struggle. I'm looking forward to being able to travel through there above all that brush!
I was there also on Wednesday. Sorry I missed you Zap. One thing to add is that in gentle unskiied spots, one wallowed in about two feet of fresh. Very unconsolidated. Otherwise Baker area probably has the best converage. Wonderful day there.
Nice report, Jersan, Thanks.
It's good to know that more snow has fallen up in that area since NickD was up there.
I've been browsing weather data with a ski trip on Thurs or Fri in mind. It looks like everywhere has been getting some good quality snow, and the Baker area has gotten a lot of new. What I am wondering is if this Green Mtn tour is likely to still have good access - ie. not too much logging road to get to the good stuff - as I have never been there before? I'd appreciate any ideas people have on this.

Also, any recent info on the Baker area itself? I saw a suggestion that Mt. Baker Mark m...
Thanks for adding the photos - nice shots and they really give a good idea of what the conditions were like.
BTW, don't know how I could forget this piece of excitement.  On the way home from Paradise, a little ways outside of Elbe, it was very windy, the tall firs were whipping back and forth, suddenly, like slow motion, this huge fir tree starts to fall, landing all the way across the road, about 150 in front of my car.  Fortunately I was able to see all this happening and was able to stop in time.  The top of the tree was positioned such that we were able to drive into someones drivew...
Hmmmm....
So now today I can get the reply page to come up... what's up with that?
Well, Nick, Charles E, Charles W, Robie, Et Al, the way the forecast is shaping up so far, you guys may very well have your pick of good days this next weekend. I vote for great skiing for both Sat and Sunday  8).
AHHHHGGGG...... Nice snow while I was at home. Good report to see as it allows hope  to develop and a seed of a thought to say to the Mrs........ honey on Friday I was thinking........ 8)


    Thanks for the report Robie

                                CW
Curses! And Dorothea was trying to get me to change to Sunday.Did the Christmas thing.
I'm surprised Ron and I didn't run into you in the parking lot at Paradise or at Longmire since we were waiting for the gate to open too.  However, when we got to Paradise, we were parked down by the lower Paradise road entrance so we didn't have to walk that far to the snow  ;D

Thanks for your report, we thought that it would be pretty wind scoured up towards Muir since the telemetry from most of the areas, the day/night before showed high winds.  We lucked out again in he...
Did I forget to mention how windy and snowy it was up there.

Charles it would be nice to ski with you again, you could even leave a couple of hours later than us and still catch up  ;D

Thanks Nick, we did get it nailed just right once again, and it was great.
Glad to hear you are back skiing once again.  Bachelor has been a favorite area of mine for a loooong time  8)

Sounds like you had a great time, thanks for the report.
That is funny.  I had friends with a very similar experience at the blue lake trailhead.


That was us at the Blue Lake trailhead.  Breaking trail in flat old growth we heard tons of whomping as our weight caused the snowpack to settle.  Nearly instantanously, trees almost buried but not quite would spring up as the inch of settling was enough to free them, sometimes 30ft from where we were standing.  Trailbreaking was extremel...
I wanted to go there but my partner said it would probably be a "gait wait" kind of day. Glad to hear you nailed it.
Hi Scott, did you by chance see a pair of scott ski goggles somewhere on the trail or in the trees.  I lost my pair there a month ago and was hoping it wasnt buried under the snow.

Thanks

josh


Did not see any, but there was quite a bit of fresh snow, even from the night before so they could be anywhere

Good luck finding them
Hi Scott, did you by chance see a pair of scott ski goggles somewhere on the trail or in the trees.  I lost my pair there a month ago and was hoping it wasnt buried under the snow.

Thanks

josh
That is funny.  I had friends with a very similar experience at the blue lake trailhead.
Ron has been having trouble posting a reply on this thread, and asked me to add this bit containing photo links:

"She's not lyin'. Skiing was great. Here's the proof:


The rest of the pictures are at
Yes, I had also been wondering where you had gone, Zap, as you had been a regular contributor of useful trip reports. Congratulations on your foot's successful maiden voyages!
Thanks for the info, Nick. The several bits of info I've seen about Crystal this past weekend suggest that the ski area was really pushing it to open (the newspaper mentioned a graphic example - blood-stained snow on the downhill side of an exposed rock!).
Thanks for the report on your near-epic trip. From the State Patrol's note, it sounds like you wouldn't have been the first to spend an unplanned night on the wrong side of the gate? At least they were willing to check for survivors the next day!
Good report Mad_Dog - thanks for the details about the snowpack. After reading your last few reports, I'm thinking I should start following you two around so I will be in good snow. Looking forward to the photos!
Maybe you guys should think about Sunday's instead of Saturday's we seem to have lucked out so far.
Perhaps water skis or swimning trunks would have been of use?   :D
Great report, zap.
Sounded like a great trip.  Glad to hear you're back on the snow.  Your reports on Brent's old site were always a source of great information and inspiration for me.  It's great to have you back!
Showed up at Paradise 'bout 9:30 a.m. today, nice steady moderate rainfall on top of 34 inches of snow; we didn't even stop, just circled the parking lot and headed down & home; we do have our winter ski cabin now up & running 1/2 mile from the Nisqually Entrance; last few weekends have been working weekends, we had hope this would be the skiing-christening weekend  >:( but Tuesday is looking good ... ;) abc
Sounds like maybe the apre' ski beer got consumed a little early on that trip  ;D
Even though I have had a time or two of sort of fun slogging through the wet snow and rain I don't regret not getting on skis Friday. Spoke to a friend who spent a hour thinking of a tour on Kendall knob road. 12 inches or so of wet slush low with a weak crust at 3600 or so where the snow got so heavy, sticky and wet they turned around for saner activities.

Charlesw
I was at CM yesterday for the opening day of the lift season and had much better snow on the Muir snowfield last Friday (12/6). I would highly recommend not paying for a lift ticket and driving and hiking as high as you can get before looking downhill. We are still more then a week away for good backcountry snowboarding days  >:(
I am sorry to report that, contrary to my earlier claim, neither CharlesW nor I went to Snoqualmie Pass yesterday, so no TR. It just didn't look like it was going to be very much fun. Reading an account of opening day at Crystal in the morning paper makes me think we made a good decision - bad snow, little snow, edges caught on rocks, dislocated shoulders, bloody snow - now that sounds like fun!
Hey, thanks, Miguel.  Been contemplating a Sunday destination and all info helps a bunch.
One last funny note on the X-tal to Chinook traverse.  As usual, I spout off something and then only later go check to see if its correct.  I said Burgdorfer notes it as an early trip, so I go look at the 'Best Time' and it says 'January to April'.  Whaaat? says I.  Then I look in the first edition and it says 'November;April' which is his 'either-or' notation.  I wonder what made him change his mind?

Now I gotta go and check all the tours in common!

Have a...
Paul if this is a multiple choice question I will choose all of the above as far as all those things that age, time, and gravity take care of  ;) ;D

As far as the new snow goes, I had to make a trip up to Buckley today (410 to Crystal Mt) and it was 63 degrees!!    >:(  What's up with that?  

Ron I think "plan B" is definitely in effect now that Cayuse is closed.
Bummer  >:(
I kinda had my heart set on getting up to Cayuse on Sunday and skiing Naches one more time.  Oh well, there's a lot of mountains out there and now there's snow in some of them!
Guess we'll all have to invoke "Plan B".
BTW, David Lowery, thanks for the kind words.
Be careful out there, y'all.
It now looks like Cayuse is out for the season:

Cayuse Pass SR123
Elevation: 4675 ft (1425 m)
Temperature: n/a°F
Weather:
Road Surface Conditions:
Restrictions Northbound: CLOSED FOR THE SEASON
Restrictions Southbound: CLOSED FOR THE SEASON
Last Update: 1:00 PM, Dec 12, 2002
Next Expected Update: 4:00 PM, Dec 12, 2002
Thanks to all for the info above.  Ronj, I do have Burdorfer's book, but I didn't even think to look in it.  Thanks, it's much clearer now.  I'm planning on Saturday morning though, so we'll meet up another day.  Our route/skiing plans will probably be limited due to the avy conditions..it should be pretty bad out there.