Home > Trip Reports > June 7, 2008, Chinook Pass

June 7, 2008, Chinook Pass

6/7/08
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
5008
13
Posted by Robie on 6/7/08 8:32am
One should not sit on the couch but get up there and apreciate the chance to improve thier slush techniques. I think the most important concept is to make yourself believe that it is powder. Don't turn too much and pump those hands up. Jeff ,Walter and myself did four runs in the Naches glades. We needed the trees for visibility.  Maybe a slumped 6" on a wet crust . Set off one small slush sluff on a roll. I would expect more on steeper aspects . We stayed safe and worked on our slush techniques.
No pics, cameras couldn't penetrate the fog.Glasses didn't work either. Too sum it up -blindfolded slush lessons . Skiing back to the car was exhilerating. (kinda like a horse back to the barn). Nuff said  I don't want to spoil anybody elses fun.
author=Robie link=topic=10257.msg41315#msg41315 date=1212881558]
One should not sit on the couch but get up there and apreciate the chance to improve thier slush techniques.

Robie,
I Got off the couch and to the Pass, into the fog. It (fog) looked set in it's way and the frozen fog/rain was not enticing. So we went to Crystal in search of legendary Joe's Bad Ass Shoulder, where it is never foggy.  ::)
This is Scotsman in yesterdays powder at Chinook, yes there was powder.  ;D

Son Zach and I were also out at Chinook Pass today.  We found anything steeper than about 30 degrees was sure to slough 4-6 inches deep.  But much fun was still had.  We brought the ridiculously fat skis some of you have seen us on at Alpental in May.  My problem was - how do you find (or afford) skins for those things.  Zach used some cut for a 95mm waist ski, and that worked surprisingly well.  I dug around in the basement and found two pairs of 55mm skins from about 1982.  I rigged up a new tip attachment  (two skins on each ski) and was all set for double wide skinning.  No good ski photos, but here's my gear photo.  Even with the reverse camber, those double-side skins could really climb.

Jodabaker,I just knew you couldn't sit there . Way to score big! :)
Greg ,And on the flattish sections you could use just one of the skins! ;)

I don't know what you guys are talking about... it was sunny and powder at Chinook Saturday morning... well, as long as you were there ridiculously early.

I had to catch a noon flight to Chicago, so my friend Andy and I left Seattle at 3:30 am to make some fresh tracks. Got four hours of skiing in and made the flight no prob :-)

We got some sucker holes but that was pretty much before 7:30 am.

- Matt




Yep, as Joe says we got a couple of hours of powder on Friday afternoon and then on Saturday we drove up to the pass and saw the fog. Joe says the Bad Ass shoulder will be clear, there was much skepticism.

We drive to Crystal, hump our boodies up to the Quicksilver grind in the mist and it's clear at the Shoulder with a big sucker hole that lasted all day over 3-way and the King.

I am now convinced that Joe has sold his soul to devil .  Devil:" OK Joe final offer, you get a personal sucker hole this life, but you have to live in Lubbock, TX next life, OK?"

author=GregSimon link=topic=10257.msg41329#msg41329 date=1212894663]
Son Zach and I were also out at Chinook Pass today.  We found anything steeper than about 30 degrees was sure to slough 4-6 inches deep.  But much fun was still had.  We brought the ridiculously fat skis some of you have seen us on at Alpental in May.  My problem was - how do you find (or afford) skins for those things.  Zach used some cut for a 95mm waist ski, and that worked surprisingly well.  I dug around in the basement and found two pairs of 55mm skins from about 1982.  I rigged up a new tip attachment  (two skins on each ski) and was all set for double wide skinning.  No good ski photos, but here's my gear photo.  Even with the reverse camber, those double-side skins could really climb.


That is pure genius. I would never have thought of that! Very cool. Maybe I can rig a set of skins for my Spatulas after all.

author=Scotsman link=topic=10257.msg41346#msg41346 date=1212947300]
I am now convinced that Joe has sold his soul to devil .


Here all the time I was thinking my brash predictions and subsequent good fortune were byproducts of good karma. ::)

author=GregSimon link=topic=10257.msg41329#msg41329 date=1212894663]  My problem was - how do you find (or afford) skins for those things.
I rigged up a new tip attachment  (two skins on each ski) and was all set for double wide skinning.

Greg, Great way to get some use out of those old Montanyls skins, very ingenious!
Good to see that young Zach is swinging the turns with Dad!
I would give away my whole ski quiver if I could ski one day with my Dad or Mom.

There has been some discussion about designing a skin that has the center of the plush shaved down or replaced with some light weight, but rigid waterproof membrane between the plush sides to reduce weight.

General opinion-
Not to be a killjoy for fat ski lovers, but IMOHO carrying skins that are over 90mm are a waste of space in my pack. Besides being bulky they are heavy when wet.
Subsequently, that also means that I am personally not in favor of touring with with wide skis, due to bulk, lack of mobility and excess weight.
I have wide touring skis and they are fun to ski, but I find they tire me more carrying them around. I get 1/2 the mileage (used energy) that I get with my narrower 88mm waist skis.
But Scotsman's DPS skis shed a whole new light on wide light skis, still a tad to much bulk for squeezing between trees and tight chutes.
I digress, probably better discussed in the Hot Air threads.

Thanks for sharing that great picture of the quad skins!



Joe ,besides agreeing with you on moderate width skis (88mm) after today I'm bigger believer in JBAS.Was that you again on king?

author=Robie link=topic=10257.msg41368#msg41368 date=1212981444]
I'm bigger believer in JBAS.Was that you again on king?

Robie,
Based on your other report, I was probably right behind you at the base area. I saw two people with a dog and they veered to the route to Forest Queen and I went up chair 4. Then went to Pickhandle via Mt Boondoggle to see what is left of the snow there. Good coverage in the NW bowl, but not much snow anywhere else especially on East facing slopes. Skied a ribbon of snow down the South face of Pick to Jim Town and traversed South on a saddle below Black Tusk to the peak near you guys at what you call Gunbarrel (I call it Cannonball). I skied what I call Gunbarrel (others call it dogleg chute) straight off the top of the summit into the chute (little adrenaline pumping) down to the upper Miners Lake. Skinned out and was going to do 3-way peak, JBAS or the King, but saw two clouds roll in, lost motivation and went back home.
Other than you guys early the only others I saw was when I was driving away.
Wish I would have skinned faster so I would have run into you earlier, so we could have hooked up.
Very pleasant day.
I also found $1 under chair 4. Got to make sure I claim that on my income tax.

author=Robie link=topic=10257.msg41368#msg41368 date=1212981444]
Joe ,besides agreeing with you on moderate width skis (88mm) after today I'm bigger believer in JBAS.Was that you again on king?


Sorry but I have to  mildly disagree with both you and Joe, fat skis(100mm + by my definintion) are fun in the mixed conditions we are getting just now. The new breed of carbon fibre/wood composites are a revelation and negate the disadvantage due to weight when paired with some dynafits IMVHO. Try them before you dis them and don't close your mind to the new shapes . There's a revolution going on brothers! Once u go phatt, u never go back! ;D

author=Scotsman link=topic=10257.msg41379#msg41379 date=1212990495]
Sorry but I have to  mildly disagree with both you and Joe, fat skis(100mm + by my definintion) are fun in the mixed conditions we are getting just now. The new breed of carbon fibre/wood composites are a revelation and negate the disadvantage due to weight when paired with some dynafits IMVHO. Try them before you dis them and don't close your mind to the new shapes . There's a revolution going on brothers! Once u go phatt, u never go back! ;D

Ahh, but I have tested the waters...
I demoed a pair of rockered tele skis. They were made by BD, I think they were 125+ under foot. I skied them in some knarly mank and they turned quick, did not have the shovel vibration, they slide sideways real well. They would be great as a specialty ski, but not my everyday or especially touring setup. The skin is too wide it cuts down glide, meaning more resistance per step=more energy. Plus I need to get a bigger pack to haul that carpet.
I have yet to ski the carbon fiber skis, and due to the pricing, not sure when that will happen. But I am open to try, just don't want to tote the skins for them.
Doesn't seem that I am struggling skiing or climbing with my mid fats, so I am uncertain of why I need improvement and with the added burden of  more weight and bulk to my pack?
Every time I fold up my 94mm skins, I think man this is a lot to carry around.


author=Joedabaker link=topic=10257.msg41382#msg41382 date=1212993297]
Doesn't seem that I am struggling skiing or climbing with my mid fats, so I am uncertain of why I need improvement and with the added burden of  more weight and bulk to my pack?


Exactly, you may not be struggling but it would help the rest of us in the skin track if you where more burdened and weighed down!
I think you should be made to skin with Spatulas and Alpine Trekkers to even the playing field ;)

I certainly wasn't thinking I'd every be skinning or climbing with those silly fat skis.  Back in April, Zach convinced me to buy a pair (for the two of us to share) when the prices went down.  I was expecting they'd be good for a few days a year of lift-served powder skiing.  But they were so much fun that I bought a second pair.  That's saying a lot for a penny-pincher like me. 

Once the lifts stopped, I expected we'd put the fat skis away til next December.  But we were sitting around Friday evening saying to each other "Is there any way we could skin on those things?"  And the double-wide skin idea was hatched.

The super-fat rocker skis are certainly not practical.  Very silly, actually.  But I do like silly sometimes.

I'm sure we didn't climb more than 2000 feet on Saturday.  I'm not sure I'd want to be skinning on those silly fat skis all the way from Paradise to Muir.  But I must admit that I'm thinking about it, especially if the snow is as sloppy next weekend as the forecast suggests.

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june-7-2008-chinook-pass
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