TR Replies

June 4, 2017, - Snoqualmie Pass

I skied the chutes today and hero corn from top to bottom. Some slide debris at the bottom, but no biggie. Skinned from trailhead to the summit. Left car at 7:30 am. 6 hours car to summit. Summit to pikers peak skied nice too. Firmer than the chutes, but it still skied like a champ. No wind, perfect day. Also snow down low wasn't ever sloppy or sticky.
We walked 15 minutes to the trailhead from where we parked. So no big deal. And the road is melting fast.

6/7/17 2:00am

Jake the Brit

Telling pic: Wow, it's that time of year already!!!

6/6/17 3:33pm

tabski

June 4, 2017, Little Tahoma via Fryingpan/Whitman

Those shoes are gone, man.

6/6/17 2:30pm

tabski

June 4, 2017, DANGEROUS SKI TRACK ON MT BAKER COLEMAN RTE

Ron's skis are gone, man.

6/6/17 12:19pm

silaswild

June 4, 2017, - Snoqualmie Pass

Indeed. Silver Queen white corn harvest is very good this year. I'm headed back up for day five tomorrow. Easiest access to 1000' of 30 degree slopes I know in June.

6/6/17 9:37am

river59

May 22-23, 2017, Mt Rainier, Thermogenesis

author=cchapin link=topic=38589.msg156181#msg156181 date=1496690323]
Lots of snomo tracks up there despite multiple signs around 6800' marking the wilderness boundary.

Please report the tracks to the trout lake ranger. I have had tons of runins with snomos up there over the years, but it seems like they are hammering the e side wilderness and rez this year. It is pretty rare to NOT run into them up high on that side of adams...

6/6/17 4:37am

russman

author=hedonaut link=topic=38539.msg155979#msg155979 date=1495762133]
niiiiiiiice.

I'll second Wehrly on this one.

NIIIIIIICE!!!

Or perhaps a more appropriate response to this TR:

YOU GUYS ARE MY GOD DAMN FAWKING HEROS!!

Second ever descent of the Therm??

6/6/17 4:10am

russman

author=tabski link=topic=38570.msg156099#msg156099 date=1496200650]
Heck yeah Dan, nice one. That upper berschrund feature is looking lots different than in past years.

Does anyone else feel like bergschrunds, cracks and moats are very large this spring despite a good snow year?

Drew, I have been thinking / observing this same thing for the past few years. Although my data is qualitative, I absolutely think I've...

6/6/17 4:07am

jakedouglas

May 27-29, 2017, Glacier Peak, Cool Glacier HW -Vid

Thanks for the chutes updates. Appearance sure fooled me, we didn't even bother taking a look from the top after looking at it from below and experiencing the wind up there.

6/6/17 1:47am

rover

Great trip report! GP has been on my list for years, you've got me all excited and thinking I might give it a try this season now!

I'm guessing you guys also drove in past the 'Road Closed' signs? It's a shame that so much of our access is being lost due to lack of maintenance/budget.

6/6/17 1:07am

rover

6/3/17 Birthday Tour - Beta

Adding my own bit of beta from Saturday as well.

+1 on the cornice info. The center has dropped and doesn't look as imposing as previous years, but after seeing the top of the cornice and its very tenuous attachment to anything solid, I'd be wary of spending any time underneath it. Bootpack to far climbers left is in good shape. Still possible to go straight up onto rock at the top of the bootpack and thus avoid moats or standing on the cornice. We were greeted by a mountai...

6/6/17 1:06am

kamtron

6/3/17 Birthday Tour - Beta

The more direct route from Copper basin back to the hairpin had a nicely skiable entrance, with optional cornice huck. Kangaroo chutes are holding up with continuous skinning from the car, but some of the intermediate rock bands are starting to melt out. Get it while you can.

6/6/17 12:25am

cchapin

June 4, 2017, DANGEROUS SKI TRACK ON MT BAKER COLEMAN RTE

We passed on the chutes, uncertain if the SW wind had kept it too cool and firm. Bummer!

We skied Mazama Glacier instead, and had hero corn from 10k to 7400', then dirty corn to 6,800, before starting the traverse back to Cold Springs. No tracks on that part of the mountain and fun to explore a new area. Only 1 crevasse to negotiate ~9400' that spans most of the glacier, but easily passed skier's left. Lots of snomo tracks up there despite multiple signs around 6800...

6/6/17 12:11am

alanskis

Thanks for posting the heads up Eric. We yelled at quite a few people that were following his tracks up to the drop. I hope nobody follows them over the next few days.
His two skis are still down there. One of them can be recovered, but the second one is waaaay down there. I don't have the expertise to even attempt to get them. The guys that pulled him out said that a 60m rope was barely enough for rescue. If anybody with a lot of experience is up for an adventure, I know Ron would lo...

6/6/17 12:10am

water

6/4/2017, Heather/Maple Passes above Rainy Pass

can chime on the chutes—they are fine. I hit them sat and i am not a strong (or good) skier. not been in that late (2:30) but the high overcast and being terribly out of shape colluded for the late descent. Anyways top bit (300ft?) had some was-rime or something that is metamorphosing into snow or something, but it wasn't chattery or icy, just not consistent corn....then there was a nice 700ft of great corn, before it turned into deep slush and then into slough management/wet slide city..wh...

6/5/17 11:36pm

johnbaldwin

We attempted the Rainy Lake and Lake Ann loop June 4. When we got to Rainy Lake we were surprised to see it was a mix of slush and water. After looking around we were able to ski around the SE side of the lake but had to walk about half way up the gully at the SW corner of the lake before being able to start skiing. This all took time and we ended up shortening our plans by climbing west up to the ridge above Lake Ann and skiing down to Lake Ann by the same route as Jason4's party.

6/5/17 3:01pm

Oyvind_Henningsen

May 27-29, 2017, Glacier Peak, Cool Glacier HW -Vid

thank you for your report Dan. it is very good to "see" you here.
great line!

Oyvind

6/5/17 2:34pm

Midwest2Northwest

Great TR! GP is a type 2 gem ;)

6/5/17 2:09pm

Midwest2Northwest

author=water link=topic=38569.msg156143#msg156143 date=1496439148]
anyone willing to relay the beta for the direct exit to morrison ck CG? I have always traversed back to the Crescent "glacier" area and had a nice little run from there down to cold springs.

topo and looking at creek, just veer east at bottom of chutes like normal but instead of traverse keep dropping and make sure to stay on west side of the creek? anything more?

6/5/17 2:08pm

Kyle Miller

Welcome back Dan! Great to see that you are back at it!!

6/5/17 1:52pm

hedonaut

May 20, 2017, Mt. Hood N Face, Left Hand ski

Aaaahhh yeah

6/5/17 11:27am

skykilo

Looks awesome. Beautiful lines indeed.

6/5/17 10:33am

skykilo

Yeah Dan!

6/5/17 10:23am

caverpilot

author=water link=topic=38569.msg156143#msg156143 date=1496439148]
anyone willing to relay the beta for the direct exit to morrison ck CG? ... topo and looking at creek, just veer east at bottom of chutes like normal but instead of traverse keep dropping and make sure to stay on west side of the creek? anything more?

thanks

Hey Water: GPS. ;)
Seriously I've been told that when we did 7 miles of road just to g...

6/5/17 4:49am

water

May 26-27, 2017, WA Pass Rambling, Black Loop Tour

anyone willing to relay the beta for the direct exit to morrison ck CG? I have always traversed back to the Crescent "glacier" area and had a nice little run from there down to cold springs.

topo and looking at creek, just veer east at bottom of chutes like normal but instead of traverse keep dropping and make sure to stay on west side of the creek? anything more?

thanks

6/5/17 4:46am

Chamois

Thanks K - haven't been up there but looks like a nice option to the hoards at the BDT

6/5/17 4:40am

jtack

May 26-27, 2017, WA Pass Rambling, Black Loop Tour

Thanks for the great pictures, you have inspired me to work on my night sky shots.

6/5/17 4:30am

mick_scott

May 26-28, 2017, Mt.Hood circumnavigation + Wy'east face

DAN!!!!

6/5/17 4:18am

Pete A

thanks for the bootpack :) we were a little disappointed when we saw that the fresh slide debris had likely wiped out the previous one... and then your crew swooped in and stomped in a new set of footsteps to use.

6/5/17 3:52am

swaterfall

Cool line!

author=tabski link=topic=38570.msg156099#msg156099 date=1496200650]
Heck yeah Dan, nice one. That upper berschrund feature is looking lots different than in past years.

Does anyone else feel like bergschrunds, cracks and moats are very large this spring despite a good snow year?

The 'schrud on Cowlitz Headwall on Rainier is yuuuuge and goes wall to wall already this year. I've skied tha...

6/5/17 3:39am

Well done. It's freaking gorgeous out there.

Thanks, for sure!

I've always thought a wintertime traverse (when coverage is good down into the creek/river valleys in the range) would be a pretty cool Wallowas trip. Pretty open travel for the most part.

Me too - if you could sign up for a couple of the yurts (maybe Norway and McCully) with...

6/5/17 2:49am

PhilH

May 26-28, 2017, Mt.Hood circumnavigation + Wy'east face

A group of 7 of us stayed in the McCully yurts last winter and had a very nice 4 days of skiing. There is plenty of terrain out there, and as our guide told us "the snow is always good snow in McCully." A more accurate statement would be, you can always find good snow somewhere in McCully.

6/4/17 10:38pm

PDX_Tim

Looks like fun! I was in the group of 6 ahead of you by maybe 45 min on the Wy'east on Sunday morning. Conditions were great on Wy'east and Superbowl, and not bad all the way to the Meadows base by the time we got there, around 9:30 am. I think you may have met Randy climbing somewhere en route the previous day, he seemed to know you were circumnavigating. The Timberline buffet is a great cap to any big Hood trip!

6/4/17 11:34am

Lowell_Skoog

author=kamtron link=topic=38570.msg156104#msg156104 date=1496250479]
Do you think this is an effect of greater snowpack creep, or that the bridges over such obstacles fall apart in the first warmup?

Probably a combination of both, I'd guess.

Also, I think thinning of the glaciers may be a factor. In the past, with thicker glaciers, the seasonal snow around transition zones (moats and schrunds) was better supported...

6/4/17 11:00am

Jim Oker

May 27-29, 2017, Chiwaukum Traverse

I've always thought a wintertime traverse (when coverage is good down into the creek/river valleys in the range) would be a pretty cool Wallowas trip. Pretty open travel for the most part.

6/3/17 3:52am

garrettww

Lots of goat tracks, but there may have been some wolverine mixed in there too.

6/2/17 11:32am

cumulus

May 20, 2017, Mt. Hood N Face, Left Hand ski

Love that first photo, full motion in stillness. Sounds like a great adventure!

Think we met you up on Adams last June, the bike crew.

6/2/17 10:20am

Wachusett

May 27-29, 2017, Glacier Peak, Cool Glacier HW -Vid

Well done. It's freaking gorgeous out there.

6/2/17 10:19am

jtack

Thanks for the multi media trip report! Great video and pictures. Those packs looked like carrying a one armed gorilla, the pie may have eased the pain but I doubt it! Refreshed great memories.

6/2/17 6:59am

Dave_R

May 27-29, 2017, Chiwaukum Traverse

Hey Garrett,

Thanks for the report. Nice work. I love that area!

Perchance, you didn't see any wolverine tracks, did you?

-Dave

6/2/17 6:32am

JasonGriffith

May 27-29, 2017, Forbidden Tour

DAN IS BACK!!

So good, as always. Thanks for sharing the adventure!

6/2/17 5:31am

Charlie Hagedorn

I think she'd jump at the chance if they let her take one of those for a walk.

I'm pretty impressed with the images she got. The Ricoh camera she had might have been a 'Theta S' ?

6/2/17 3:07am

goleary

May 27-29, 2017, Forbidden Tour

author=Charlie Hagedorn link=topic=38564.msg156112#msg156112 date=1496269863]
Susan borrowed a "360 camera" for the trip

For a second when I read that I envisioned her doing the tour with this attached to her back:

Cool pics!

6/2/17 2:38am

cmosetick

May 27-29, 2017, Forbidden Tour

Thanks for the report here Dan. Glad you had a good ski. I'm always impressed by your lines.

6/2/17 1:10am

Charlie Hagedorn

Susan borrowed a "360 camera" for the trip, and has uploaded a few images to Google Maps. They're pretty cool, and provide a little more beta.

Ascending Sharkfin: https://goo.gl/jcU83w
Boston/Forbidden Col: https://goo.gl/z1k54Q
Moraine Lake: https://goo.gl/sNidLC
Lower Inspiration Basin: https://goo.gl/uOBiUy

6/2/17 12:52am

kthack

cascadekid - We parked at Morrison creek campground as well. My watch said ~4000 ft give or take. The road was undriveable from there for most (we did see a jeep on the road higher up, but he had driven through ~2ft deep off camber slush and over at least one 12 in diameter fallen tree). We walked probably a half mile uphill before putting on the skis.

Midwest2Northwest - great to meet you up there as well! Yes I believe we did follow your traverse out, thanks for that. Good to know t...

6/1/17 1:23pm

Midwest2Northwest