TR Replies
Skied the standard routes down from the Castle today (3/18). Very windy (+30 out of the east). The wind slab was surprisingly unreactive on the N aspects I skied, nor was there as much transport as I would have expected. I think the melt/freeze from sunny wx from yesterday reduced available snow for transport today.
Thanks for the report Nick. We were undecided on a destination driving up, but this helped us choose an old favorite. We took the other approach up the creek, which wasn't bad (esp. since another group of 3 ahead of us broke trail most of the way - thanks guys!). Crusty snow on the east facing slopes as we left the trees had us wondering if we'd made a big mistake, but the upper slopes were excellent - just a touch of wind effect on the surface that didn't get in the way of wonder...
Wow, always wondered what that area was like. Thanks for the report.
It didn't suck over at Yodelin either. It was a little too deep/thick in the open and especially where the sun hit it later in the day, but the stuff that stayed shaded stayed great. I got moderate sluffing going on particularly steep pitches and knocked out a few very small chunky bits near the ridge but that was it.
Excellent! I am heading up today for a couple quick laps after work... not sure how much will be left or what the sun is going to do today, but even leftovers is better than sitting at home.
Jimw, thanks for the great pic, really like the Tam pano, had to go back and check Mikes vid to see the kicker. And Ben, your pic are really great, thanks.
JimW - Love the 'shitkicker'! It wasn't till the second glance that I noticed the person poking their head out of the door! Awesome picture!
Great write-up Jamie and excellent video Mike! I had such a great time up there and it was well worth the trip over! Everything about the trip was better than I had anticipated....good snow, good company, and good food. Here are a few of my favorite (of many) pictures from the trip.
Mike
Great write-up Jamie and excellent video Mike! I had such a great time up there and it was well worth the trip over! Everything about the trip was better than I had anticipated....good snow, good company, and good food. Here are a few of my favorite (of many) pictures from the trip.
Mike
Great summary of weather/conditions. The best splitfest conditions ever? I rode the chairs Sunday morning and it was good, except I had no camera for that cool silver light, the glaciers glowed blue! My last trip down the blueberry's into swift then out to grandmas put me just behind the last visibility of the day. Made for a slow exit. Wanna thank the crew that puts this on every year, Pete at chair 9 is a great host. See ya next year.
Great TR and looks like a very cool place off the beaten path. Thanks for sharing and will add this to the list of places in the west to ski/check out!
No sorry for the confusion. Hiked out the standard "exit". Slot would be a pretty fun mountaineering hike out though.
Nice! We were there exactly one week prior to you for 4 days. What an awesome place! We had weather and conditions all over the map, from hot and sunny, to rain, to wind, to... snow. Managed to find decent snow each day, but looks like you guys really scored with honest to god POW.
But don't tell me nobody hit the "shitkicker"?? Best line of our trip... and easiest access from the yurts, being only about 50 ft up the hill. :) (you can see the untracked run-in at 3...
But don't tell me nobody hit the "shitkicker"?? Best line of our trip... and easiest access from the yurts, being only about 50 ft up the hill. :) (you can see the untracked run-in at 3...
That tour qualified as "When you're in hell just keep going " and in a perverted way it was fun.
Mike your video is almost as fun as the skiing, fantastic, thanks!
Thanks for the write-up. It was a fabulous trip. Great snow and great company. Video here:
worth 3 minutes
thanks to our yurt neighbor Jason C for the across the valley clips of the Proboscis.
worth 3 minutes
thanks to our yurt neighbor Jason C for the across the valley clips of the Proboscis.
I hope your trip was one of those where "you don't have to be having fun to have fun".
Well, that certainly was a lesson!
Who knew it was possible for two experienced skiers to misjudge snow conditions so badly? And where did all those mega-runnels come from? The coral reefs under the trees were bad enough, but the tree wells were truly evil. That was an amazingly difficult thousand vertical feet of descent, especially considering it stretched on for two miles. I crashed six times, more than all the previous 39 days this winter combined!
Who knew it was possible for two experienced skiers to misjudge snow conditions so badly? And where did all those mega-runnels come from? The coral reefs under the trees were bad enough, but the tree wells were truly evil. That was an amazingly difficult thousand vertical feet of descent, especially considering it stretched on for two miles. I crashed six times, more than all the previous 39 days this winter combined!
yu a betta man dan Regine, Gunga Din; we turned around at the lot when the wind tried to blow the doors off the jeep and Regine could find nothing but hard ice crust under 2 inches of moving spindrift in the snow in the lower parking lot; I'm still playing it safe, as you know! Another injury could kill my bc skiing. How's YOUR knee? LOL
I lived at Irwin Lodge, just under Purple, for 3 years back in the 90's. I miss it...thanks for the pics! What a day....
Nice! You guys make terrible conditions into fun adventures... And awesome conditions into awesomeness!
Thanks for the great trip report. I've skied McCully Basin with Wallowa Alpine Huts but am always looking for other places to explore.
Looking good up there. Hoping to ski some San Juan BC before too long here! It would be good to hit the Elks and the CO Sangres this year too.
Great report! I looks like such interesting terrain. You can even see the Rim from the highway. 8)
author=danpeck link=topic=35970.msg146972#msg146972 date=1457561789]
Yeehaw! I'd have to say I've been lucky too lately hitting it just right. I should post more often ;D
Yes you should!
Thanks for the great pictures and post, what great fortune to get such a great picture of the Ptarmigan, that would sure make my trip.....skiing looks delicious too.
author=Zap link=topic=35981.msg147013#msg147013 date=1457666622]
Nice TR and photos. Is there a snow machine in the access? ;)
Hi Zap... not for this trip... the tour begins at the Slate River winter TH just out of town. I guess you could take a sled to the bridge (about 1.5-2 miles from the car), but most just skin out and back on the flat summer road.
ScottK of Seattle and I did do a trip a couple weeks prior where w...
Nice TR and photos. Is there a snow machine in the access? ;)
I cut two pretty decent wind deposits at the top of Diamond Bowl off Spanky's Ladder at Blackcomb one afternoon last week. It was snowing and blowing and I couldn't see squat and it was slightly unnerving. Decided it was time for the hot tub. Lift skiing can be sketchy too!
So ditto for BC, Glacier Chair danger obs.
So ditto for BC, Glacier Chair danger obs.
Wow. That looks like it doesn't suck.
Those corduroy groomers were quite nice yesterday afternoon and evening too, as were both front and back side runs where the new snow fell on smooth surface and no one had skied yet.
Sweet! I miss the easy access, great skiing, and beautiful scenery. I should have stayed a few more weeks to catch the powder.
Skiing is fun yep. You don't know if you don't go. Vertical farming Pacific Crest on perfect groomers was fine fun for an old geezer and a young Vertfester with excellent gear selection (just like mine, hehe.) Nice NE breeze kept the precipitation drier when it began around midday. Good exercise, but too slow to get to Silver Fir lodge in time for Bacon Blue Burgers. :(
Good way to start the day... far exceeded the vertical farming Hyak dawn patrol missions of late. Nice to get out amongst the trees. Here are a few images. Poorly edited video to drop later. Edit: still learning how to shoot video, evidently. all came out as photos.
Navigating up towards waterfall. Headlamps weren't actually totally required, DST will take care of that soon though, for a little while
Navigating up towards waterfall. Headlamps weren't actually totally required, DST will take care of that soon though, for a little while
Yeehaw! I'd have to say I've been lucky too lately hitting it just right. I should post more often ;D
Cuttin' slabs in Crystal turned out to be pretty good training for Fieberbrunn!
" should be as good or better tomorrow "
Not so quick
See todays NWAC forecast
http://www.nwac.us/
Not so quick
See todays NWAC forecast
http://www.nwac.us/
Erik covered most of it, but I thought I'd throw a link to the blahg, with a few more details and my own set of photos:
https://beyondtheranges.wordpress.com/2016/03/08/skiing-across-the-enchantments/
https://beyondtheranges.wordpress.com/2016/03/08/skiing-across-the-enchantments/
Front range and I-70 is tricky. Lots of people and rules. Not so different from the Pugetopolis side of WaWa really.
Northern New Mexico has a totally different vibe. Welcome. Go for a tour above Williams lake, ski to the Bavarian, then have a litre of good beer in the sun on the deck at 10,000 ft. Welcome.
Northern New Mexico has a totally different vibe. Welcome. Go for a tour above Williams lake, ski to the Bavarian, then have a litre of good beer in the sun on the deck at 10,000 ft. Welcome.
You think the "Ranger" was hostile to you? That's actually pretty nice for them that they didn't call the sheriff. Try not paying the $6 and see how nice he is after that. Vail pass still makes me mad. They want you to pay $6 per person to access public land with no trails. All the sno-machine trails are on the other side of the freeway. And the parking lot is maintained and plowed by CDOT, as there is a rest area right there. Its a c...
I dig the black & white photography of late. Brooding would be an understatement, unless I was a girl chicken!
Yeah buddy yes please sure you betcha sounds great thanks!
Great SkiSickness bump!
Want a helmet for the lil nugget?
Want a helmet for the lil nugget?
Thank you for the great story Lowell - and thanks for reposting the stories you shared at meany as well. There's little doubt that without your passion and interest this would be off of most people's radar. I feel blessed to have been able to participate in such a cool event.
A huge thank you to the patrol race committee, the mountaineers and the other volunteers -
Thanks for sharing the group shot of all of us jtack! I've been hoping that one of those woul...
A huge thank you to the patrol race committee, the mountaineers and the other volunteers -
Thanks for sharing the group shot of all of us jtack! I've been hoping that one of those woul...
We were wandering up Smith Brook rd mid morning Saturday enjoying the unexpected blue skies and bright Sun with no particular objective when the solar heating on the cliff bands on the S. Side of Union released some impressive tree snapping wet slides that sounded like a 747 taking off. We immediately exited the area!
FYI, some POS was breaking into cars parked at Smith Brook. We were lucky and did not get hit . Watch out along 2.
FYI, some POS was breaking into cars parked at Smith Brook. We were lucky and did not get hit . Watch out along 2.