TR Replies

Last week while skiing Stormy Mountain the same road was powder coated on the margin, it was easy to shed speed. Truthfully, the ice and breakable crust can make a boring road pretty darn exciting.

1/14/16 9:49am

RonL

Interesting, I have seen the rainshadow usually pictured as a circle NE of Olympus and that may take in Blue and Maiden, but I have always had trouble visualizing where it would fall outside of the towns with regular weather reports. Blue mtn. with just around a couple feet if that was clearly different than Hurricane ridge at a similar elevation though.

1/14/16 7:45am

peteyboy

Glad you liked the track! Doing Baker with the overnight shiver WITH the road ski is quite an accomplishment. Way to suffer and get it!

1/14/16 5:29am

Gary_H

author=RonL link=topic=35356.msg145123#msg145123 date=1452616932]
Did you two, or anyone else who has done this trip, get any pics or notice an abrupt change in the snow levels? The snotel sites really highlight the differences between both ends of this traverse. I am just curious if it feels gradual or if there is a noticeable line where the rain shadow falls.

We did this traverse on May 9,2008, here are 3 shots which show how th...

1/14/16 5:17am

cchapin

author=RonL link=topic=35356.msg145123#msg145123 date=1452616932]
Did you two, or anyone else who has done this trip, get any pics or notice an abrupt change in the snow levels? The snotel sites really highlight the differences between both ends of this traverse. I am just curious if it feels gradual or if there is a noticeable line where the rain shadow falls.

There wasn't any noticeable difference in snow levels from our perspect...

1/14/16 5:11am

jtack

January 10, 2016, Rock To Mastiff Traverse

Nice report Andy, glad you had good snow. I have experienced that bobsled run and I do not care much for the ride.

1/14/16 5:01am

Pete A

strong work! looks like a fantastic trip.

1/14/16 4:35am

jtack

January 10, 2016, Rock To Mastiff Traverse

What great turns, nice to take a trip, and just have it go click click, no drama. Thanks for the great pictures!

1/14/16 4:24am

jwplotz

January 10, 2016, Rock To Mastiff Traverse

This is a great photo Ryan.

1/14/16 12:56am

Pete_H

author=jwplotz link=topic=35423.msg145107#msg145107 date=1452569685]
Thanks guys.

You would have loved it Scott. Nice soft snow had one of the alder trees snapped on rappel.

I've heard of Doctoria before too, but have always thought that shot was west of Lake Victoria. Maybe I'm wrong though...

Yeah "Doctoria" would be west of lake Victoria. Great ski from NW face of Cashmere to Lake Vi...

1/14/16 12:43am

lukehumphrey

author=Jim Oker link=topic=35431.msg145138#msg145138 date=1452640474]
That's a sweet looking camera. How are you liking it?

So far so good.

1/13/16 7:24am

Lowell_Skoog

author=RonL link=topic=35356.msg145123#msg145123 date=1452616932]
Did you two, or anyone else who has done this trip, get any pics or notice an abrupt change in the snow levels? The snotel sites really highlight the differences between both ends of this traverse. I am just curious if it feels gradual or if there is a noticeable line where the rain shadow falls.

When I skied the traverse in Feb 2006, I seem to recall a significant...

1/13/16 5:02am

Jim Oker

That's a sweet looking camera. How are you liking it?

1/13/16 4:21am

lukehumphrey

FYI: Added some GPS tracks data to the bottom of the post.

1/13/16 3:35am

lukehumphrey

Thanks guys, appreciate it. Camera is the Sony A7RII which is a FF mirrorless camera, but it's sort of DSLR-sized, the lenses especially. No fill flash.

1/13/16 3:19am

Jim Oker

Yes, great pics, love the B&W for these. Fill flash?

1/13/16 12:03am

ErikT

Thanks guys - it was a cool trip - used to that area being quite busy.

We heard snowmobiles down on the Easton from the Roman Wall...always impressed how far that sound carries - it helped that there was no wind. I credit the Seahawks with the fact that there were only 1-2 vehicles down there on Sunday. Lots of tracks though!

Here's a more complete video: https://vimeo.com/151529782

1/13/16 12:01am

Jake the Brit

I've got to add my 2 cents. Wicked pics, great light & the over-exposed high contrast thing really works. I reckon #6 is the one.
I'm curious if that's a big 'ol dslr you're shooting with or some crazy modern iphone/ compact camera?
Great work.

1/12/16 11:50pm

RonL

Did you two, or anyone else who has done this trip, get any pics or notice an abrupt change in the snow levels? The snotel sites really highlight the differences between both ends of this traverse. I am just curious if it feels gradual or if there is a noticeable line where the rain shadow falls.

1/12/16 11:05pm

AJScott

I think Dan Z used to call it the "Myspray Couloir"

1/12/16 1:55pm

Norseman

Great photographs.

1/12/16 10:21am

ADappen

January 9, 2016, - Jim Hill Mt

Beautiful picture of Stuart. Here's one more looking your way and one more looking north from our Entiat perch.

1/12/16 7:45am

Sevanmat

Great post! I'm virtually certain we ran into you guys up there and asked about your planned descent. I also think we may have followed your ascent tracks, unfortunately, which indeed started the traverse a bit too high up the valley and resulted in an onslaught of tight switchbacks. Our day started too late to get a shot at the summit of Jim Hill so we gained the ridge (the vantage in this photo) and descended more or less the way we came, but on a more northerly traverse. It was a beautif...

1/12/16 7:14am

jwplotz

You're a creature of habit!

Lovely photo!

1/12/16 5:09am

Good2Go

author=jwplotz link=topic=35437.msg145101#msg145101 date=1452564249]
I find it very hard to believe you were touring around Stuart.

There she blows! South side rules!

1/12/16 4:56am

jwplotz

author=alecapone link=topic=35423.msg145106#msg145106 date=1452569308]
Sweet! You finally got it done! Upper part looks nice, lower part sounds like type plotz fun.

Was doctoria the name? Or is that just something else between doctor and Victoria creeks? Not sure where I heard that.

Thanks guys.

You would have loved it Scott. Nice soft snow had one of the alder trees snapped on rappel.

I&#...

1/12/16 2:59am

alecapone

Sweet! You finally got it done! Upper part looks nice, lower part sounds like type plotz fun.

Was doctoria the name? Or is that just something else between doctor and Victoria creeks? Not sure where I heard that.

1/12/16 1:45am

lrudholm

Cool ski John!

Way to give the mountains all your daylight and then some.

1/12/16 1:07am

ADappen

John, I'm impressed you remember that ill-fated trip. I've worked hard to forget.

Good2Go, The Entiat Valley seems destined to remain little skied. The snowpack to access the Devils Backbone area is usually thin (you start at 1700 feet) and the distances to get here are insultingly long. For those of us living in Wenatchee, for example, we have to deal with the cruelty of being in the car for about an hour to reach the area. Shorter drives get skiers to the Mission Ridge bac...

1/12/16 12:42am

jwplotz

January 9, 2016, - Jim Hill Mt

author=Good2Go link=topic=35437.msg145097#msg145097 date=1452562506]
Very cool terrain and generous of you to share details of your stash! We found copious pow on n facing aspects around the SW side of Stuart as well. Viva El Nino!

I find it very hard to believe you were touring around Stuart.

1/11/16 11:02pm

mcyrus

;D

The link led to a great report. Nice

1/11/16 10:47pm

TonyM

1-9-16, Mt Emmons, Crested Butte, CO

Hi Zap- this is the local equivalent of Camp Muir ;) It gets skied a ton. And yes, let the young put in the track, and test the slope! Good news is, this is a sliver of the available terrain and like most areas, once you get away from near town, there are no tracks, people, etc. That's next.

Skier-X- i'll ask around... good chance someone knows him if he's still in the area.

1/11/16 10:24pm

Good2Go

Very cool terrain and generous of you to share details of your stash! We found copious pow on n facing aspects around the SW side of Stuart as well. Viva El Nino!

1/11/16 2:28pm

jwplotz

Let me be the first to comment! Nice report! You had your cake and ate it too.

You and Tom have a rich history of dissing the NFL for skiing at your peril

Glad you had better results this time!

1/11/16 12:33pm

jwplotz

author=ADappen link=topic=35423.msg145086#msg145086 date=1452554557]
Was wondering what sufferfest you might be working on given our good snow conditions here in Central WA. Now I know. As always, a great trip report.

Thanks Andy! I heard you and gang were mining Entiat goods. I look forward to the TR!

1/11/16 12:16pm

jwplotz

author=Lowell_Skoog link=topic=35423.msg145085#msg145085 date=1452554473]
Is this roughly where you went?

How about the arrows with question marks?

I take it that the Pt 7088 couloir is a previous locally known descent.

Yes, that's exactly where I went, then the lower question mark around the front of that rock but...

1/11/16 11:34am

garrettww

Great photos Erik! Sounds like a cool adventure. Wish I could have joined you, but I'm glad to not have to repeat that road approach. Too bad you didn't get a tow from one of the sleds that left all those tracks!

1/11/16 11:28am

ADappen

Was wondering what sufferfest you might be working on given our good snow conditions here in Central WA. Now I know. As always, a great trip report.

1/11/16 10:44am

Lowell_Skoog

Is this roughly where you went?

How about the arrows with question marks?

I take it that the Pt 7088 couloir is a previous locally known descent.

1/11/16 10:10am

discostew

Your photos always make me want to get more into mountain photography. Then I remember that I'm too lazy to learn how to take great pictures and too fat to haul a giant camera up a mountain.

1/11/16 10:04am

mick_scott

author=jwplotz link=topic=35431.msg145067#msg145067 date=1452530379]
Such a unique, candid style your photos. They speak for themselves. You don't even need narrative. Thanks for posting these.

No doubt! Great images

1/11/16 9:49am

jwplotz

Thanks Ryan!

Here's a good photo from Steph Abegg (duh!) of Cashmere's N ridge in late spring conditions.

And a web pilfered photo of Point 7088, left couloir.

1/11/16 9:39am

kamtron

author=Jake the Brit link=topic=35423.msg145077#msg145077 date=1452537078]
Above PRIVATE PROPERTY. Ha.

Serious exposure ;)

1/11/16 9:35am

kamtron

Seriously awesome work. And pow on the glacier, that sounds delicious

1/11/16 8:30am

ErikT

thanks, Chamois - it was chilly, but thankfully the wind was almost non-existent! Would have been brutal if it was windy...

1/11/16 8:14am

Jake the Brit

Ay, I am back, but don't call, ha ha ha. Splitboard rapping sounds way too gangsta for me.
...in the dark,
on your bootlace!!
Above PRIVATE PROPERTY. Ha.

1/11/16 8:12am

ryanl

If you're not a local I don't know who is. Call it whatever you like.
Inspiring trip Jon, way to give'er

1/11/16 7:25am

Chamois

Nice photos - brrrrrrrr. Good weather window catch

1/11/16 7:22am

ErikT