TR Replies

Nice. Looked pretty good over your way from Fortune/Ingalls this weekend.

author=ps44 link=topic=34305.msg141581#msg141581 date=1432597919">I would be interested in more details on the "cross-country route out of the Cle Elum River valley" approach - would you mind to elaborate?

Dunno how Lowell went, but there are a couple ways, e.g., our descent route...

5/27/15 12:03pm

great tips! thx people.

5/27/15 11:32am

sipski3

I have been using mountain-forecast.com. It shows forecasts for different elevations which I find helpful for a quick go to for wind and was actually useful for cloud level too a couple weekends ago. It showed sun for Rainier at 8k and above when I went up to the prow a few weekends ago. Same for this weekend, but I didn't get a chance to get out this weekend to see if it was true. It has been pretty accurate when I've used it! http://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/Mount-Rainier

5/27/15 9:02am

Charlie Hagedorn

Great TR, route, and photos :)! We were adventuring in the clouds nearby.

Just wanted to add one number (we didn't ski, but the number's been hard to find); skiable snowline on the SE side of Chickamin was ~5200' Sunday/Monday.

5/27/15 8:44am

Lowell_Skoog

I started a new thread that describes what I look for to predict cloud top elevation:

http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboarding/trip_reports/index.php?topic=34309.0

5/27/15 6:45am

iron

search for "cloud water"
http://www.atmos.washington.edu/mm5rt/rt/gfsinit.d3.html
then, pick the elevation you're looking for.

or, just do the "column integrated" option and you'll see the full picture.

note: this forecasting tool is a crapshoot too. i look at it and then start grabbing the grains of salt...

5/27/15 6:13am

for sure! would be great if they could try to nail down cloud deck elevation!? I've never been able to find such info. please post if someone knows of any.
I had a similar experience last week, forecast was for cloud-rain, but Paradise was well above that.

5/27/15 6:06am

MushBuster

We also went up to Green Lakes for Memorial Day weekend. Found some nice bare ground to camp on. Tried getting to the east side of South Sister the first evening but didn't want to remove my boots to cross the creek (lazy I know) so we headed up Broken Top for an evening mashed potato harvest. The next day we continued on past Green Lakes and off trailed it to the saddle between South Sister and Broken Top. Was eyeing two sets of tracks and went and added a third set of tracks and followed...

5/26/15 3:46pm

author=EricW link=topic=34260.msg141544#msg141544 date=1432240460]
Which route did you take from the Devils lake campground? Moraine lake or Green Lake? I am trying to figure out where the snow line is on the Moraine lake route. How far will I be carrying my skis before I can put them to use?

Thanks!

We went into Green Lakes over Memorial day weekend. Patchy snow starts around 6,000 feet, continuous snow is now found a...

5/26/15 1:29pm

mikerolfs

That black and white is my favorite. Lowell you take great pictures.

Did you drive all the way to the trail head?

5/26/15 8:51am

hedonaut

...go!

Agree with the others, nice photography. Well-played, timed trip. Also curious to see your route.

5/26/15 6:58am

Floater

Wow that is a bit more crazy than the Frying Pan...LOL. I would be worried the dang stuff would let go in one big massive slide in those dang chutes. Amazing pictures. Happy you made it back for the fun ski a couple weeks ago despite it being just plain old wonderful corn!

5/26/15 6:12am

PS44

Very good timing of a window in that pesky weather we have been having lately. The clouds must have been fascinating to watch.

I would be interested in more details on the "cross-country route out of the Cle Elum River valley" approach - would you mind to elaborate? How was snow?

5/26/15 3:28am

danpeck

Nice work Lowell! Thanks for posting. There's high likelihood I'll be there or on baker or both this coming long weekend for myself.

5/26/15 2:31am

ryanl

Way to channel your rehab energy Ben! That's one heckava trip

5/26/15 2:30am

Lowell_Skoog

author=shred link=topic=34305.msg141576#msg141576 date=1432585662]
Some really nice set of shots there, Lowell!
Way to sneak in a neat looking trip, with gloomy, doomy forecasting keeping most of us sidelined into domestic affairs. Bravo!

Thanks Jeff. We saw your group's entry in the Mt Daniel summit register on May 20. I was surprised that there had been no other entries yet this year.

5/26/15 1:46am

tabski

Inspirational! Don't know if you don't...

5/26/15 1:43am

Shred

Some really nice set of shots there, Lowell!
Way to sneak in a neat looking trip, with gloomy, doomy forecasting keeping most of us sidelined into domestic affairs. Bravo!

5/26/15 12:18am

garrettww

author=EricW link=topic=34260.msg141544#msg141544 date=1432240460]
Which route did you take from the Devils lake campground? Moraine lake or Green Lake? I am trying to figure out where the snow line is on the Moraine lake route. How far will I be carrying my skis before I can put them to use?

Thanks!

We went the usual summer trail which heads towards moraine lake, though we didn't actually take the side trail over...

5/25/15 11:22pm

powhound

Awesome write up as usual Ben! I can't wait to see the rest...and to get back to AK!!!

5/25/15 1:30pm

rlsg

Thanks for for the full meal deal tr...monumental for sure!!!!!!!!!!!

5/25/15 12:33pm

Jonn-E

Awesome!

5/25/15 11:23am

silaswild

Ben, Kam, Roger, and Tara, my inspiration! Thanks for sharing.

5/25/15 8:51am

bs.

author=Kyle Miller link=topic=34290.msg141484#msg141484 date=1431951185">

sick!

thanks for posting; i've been wanting to see more photos from your travels this spring.

5/25/15 8:32am

bs.

throughout our trip, we utilized many sources of information to familiarize ourselves with this new and imposing environment. we benefited from a ski guidebook, extensive cell phone topo maps, and saign's winter of research. but our most valuable resource of all was the sage advice of an experienced alaskan snowboarder named jaime. posting under the moniker "snowsavage" jaime has been regaling the internet for years with well written and superbly photographed tales of adventure...

5/25/15 8:05am

bs.

optimism and excitement were running high as we entered the second half of our trip. the forecast looked great for the rest of the week, but as we were learning, the chugach weather predictions are a bit more of a gamble than the precision modeling that we are used to in washington.

this was the exact opposite of what we expected to see driving up to the pass from camp. in fact, we decided to write off the day and go explore by car to see if we could find some interesting...

5/25/15 7:50am

bs.

that night we headed further north, down the inland side of the pass to the rendezvous heli ski lodge. with bar that offers $5 showers, it seemed like an ideal place to wait out a storm. the lot across the street seemed like a perfect dirtbag camp spot, and i was slowly getting used to the fact that it's generally acceptable to camp on the side of the highway at thompson pass. i dubbed this location "campsite 12-3".

5/25/15 5:41am

snoholic

We skied from the sub-peak above Gallagher Head lake first then cruised around to the true summit.

5/25/15 5:27am

FreeBird

Not sure, just skiing the best of what we could see ::)

5/25/15 1:05am

Good2Go

Awesome vid! Hawkins is a go-to spot for us in winter, but I can't seem to figure out where you were skiing. Were you dropping in on the far skier's right (west) of the N side, above the Gallagher col?

5/24/15 12:08pm

EricW

May 16, 2015, Fryingpan environs

Which route did you take from the Devils lake campground? Moraine lake or Green Lake? I am trying to figure out where the snow line is on the Moraine lake route. How far will I be carrying my skis before I can put them to use?

Thanks!

5/24/15 10:02am

runcle

May 17 ONP Obstruction

Yes, the road is clear of snow and bikable to Obstruction Point. However, the gate is close so there is no car access past Waterhole as of Thursday May 21. I could open any time though so I would call the park prior to making the drive over.

DH

5/24/15 3:00am

jtack

The twofer ski report was great, just sorry the sking was not great as well. Thanks for the post.

5/23/15 3:18pm

r1de

May 16, 2015, Fryingpan environs

author=ps44 link=topic=34287.msg141519#msg141519 date=1432057468]
The solo skier was me - nice to meet you all.

I should have asked! Great pics, and I agree - some diurnal freezing & thawing are in order.

5/23/15 9:23am

danpeck

May 14, 2015, 60% chance rain100% chance Birthday

Hey! Nice write up Jamie! It truly was the experience of a life time to experience the Birthday Tour in all it's naturalness.

Good times for sure!

5/23/15 8:48am

danpeck

May 17 ONP Obstruction

So is the road passable all the way through via bike?

5/23/15 8:48am

PS44

May 16, 2015, Fryingpan environs

The solo skier was me - nice to meet you all. I was hoping for a corn situation higher on the Fryingpan glacier but gave up at about 8200'. Even there the snow was amazingly saturated with water. Water skiing comes to mind. From what I could see, Fryingpan Glacier looks really nice; smooth and clean. It should be in prime after a few cold nights and warm days.

Meany Crest

5/23/15 8:48am

Jonn-E

May 10, 2015, Fortune and Ingalls Peaks (VIDEO)

Great video! The part where Jeff casually drops in on a timelapse cloud shot tweaked me out a bit!

5/23/15 5:34am

Shred

May 14, 2015, 60% chance rain100% chance Birthday

Some things just cant be un-seen...
Happy Birthday, Mike!
Looks like you fellas had a swell day.

5/22/15 2:15pm

mikerolfs

May 14, 2015, 60% chance rain100% chance Birthday

Loved it!

You guys got pretty long lines there. Jtack and I visited once in the later summer and skied only something like 400' on the north side before we ran out of snow.

5/21/15 12:54pm

mikerolfs

good thing my mom doesn't frequent Turns All Year.

Thanks for the great day Jamie and Dan. Was just great. Compare skiing car to car at Washington Pass to what is available at Mission Ridge now. You can still ski quality snow, but you have to walk on dry trails for more than half the height of the mountain to get to it.

5/21/15 5:34am

Shred

May 10, 2015, Fortune and Ingalls Peaks (VIDEO)

Super Stoke! I love how your first turns on borrowed skis, and old rental bindings, is a straight line!!

5/21/15 5:21am

Shred

Nice vid, TNT!
The day was salvaged ;)

To the great folks of TAY: if you could keep your eyes peeled for our set ups, that would be Greatly appreciated!
184Cm K2 Annex 98's with Dynaslipper White Speed Radicals
180 something BD Zelots (Blue) with Dynafit Beasts
160 something ONP3 Pink Girl skis (not sure of model) with TLT Radicals
They are most likely a little banged up ( after flying out of the ski rack at 60mph)... however, somebody did pick them...

5/20/15 1:54pm

Jake the Brit

Stoke +1 on the video. That's quite a drop you climbed past down from the summit. I bet you didn't show that to your mum!

5/20/15 10:32am

ryanl

very inspiring Kyle, thanks for posting.

5/20/15 4:37am

cumulus

what, no slide alder no thorns?? you're gonna get all soft over there..!

Soft is looking good and that H2O to snow travel is super impressive.

5/20/15 4:33am

hedonaut

That looks fantastic Kyle, thanks for the report! A lot of sweet-looking terrain, and I appreciate the comparisons to our Cascades. Some day...

5/19/15 2:44am

Kyle Miller

Thanks for the kind words. It has been a total blessing seeing the four corners of the world through Splitboarding.

North/Northern Norway
East/Japan
South/New Zealand
and West/Washington
all in one season.

Norseman I was very fortunate to be invited on a road trip from Innsbruck to Lyngen through all of Finland. For a week I was with "The ghosts of Lyngen"

It's funny and seems that the Finns use fat skis while the Norge people a...

5/19/15 12:23am

rlsg

Awesome!!! Bet your are regretting being away from electrical work... ::)

5/18/15 10:10am

snoholic