www.turns-all-year.com Backcountry skiing photos from Lake Valhalla and Lichtenberg Mountain Turns All Year: Previous Home Page Galleries This is a gallery of photos which appeared on the Turns All Year home page in the past. Thumbnail images on this page can be clicked to view the full-sized photos, and lead into a slide show sequence for the gallery. These photos are from a backcountry skiing trip to Lake Valhalla, in the Stevens Pass backcountry of Washington. Sunny February photos of cross-country skiing and telemark skiing, and of Lake Valhalla and nearby Lichtenberg Mountain. List Galleries            < Older  Browse Galleries  Newer >

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from March 1, 2004: Lake Valhalla, Stevens Pass backcountry, Washington, February 20, 2004 First creek crossing Skinning up south slope Skinning with Lichtenberg Mountain REI Catalog? Skiing Lake Valhalla, with Lichtenberg Mountain Skiing Lake Valhalla Lichtenberg Mountain closeup Lichtenberg Mountain summit Club Med at Lake Valhalla Skiing Lake Valhalla, with Lichtenberg Mountain Skiing Lake Valhalla Skiing Lake Valhalla Snow and trees Powder Pete? Lichtenberg Mountain avalanche gully Breakable Crust Pete Pete heads for the shady valley bottom Lichtenberg south slopes, with ski tracks Photos by Charles Eldridge

Associated trip report: Pete and I parked at the lower Stevens lot, followed the cabins road, and skinned along on the south side of Nason Creek. It must have rained down to around 4000'; frozen tree drip in the forest, and hard breakable crust in the open (with some surface hoar). Conditions didn't look good for our intended plans, with lots of forest and distance, but the sunny south slope across Nason Creek did, so we skinned up it to Lake Valhalla. At around 4000' I hand tested a ski pole pit. There were two breakable crusts in the top 3", then about a foot of cold, loose snow, then a substantial crust. Under that crust the snow was very airy and crumbly - maybe this is what the reported Jim Hill Mountain avalanche released on? Climbing to 4800', about half way up the surface crusts started thin, and more new snow was on top. The snow was just starting to get wet on top from the bright sun.   We skied across Lake Valhalla to the north end and made a luxurious bench in a little solar oven. We soaked up the sun, ate lunch, and watched small avalanches come down the cliffs and slopes of Lichtenberg Mountain. When we skinned back across the lake, I had some problems with snow caking on my skins due the now very wet surface snow overlying much colder snow. The run back down (south slope) was on never great, but never horrible, snow. The top half, which lacked the surface crusts, was just heavy. Right in the middle was a small section of breakable crust, but then the crust became supportive if skied carefully (or if one didn't weigh too much). We had to put skins on again to make it back to the cabins road. Overall not great skiing, but it was a beautiful day in a beautiful place.   Charles

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