November 20, 2003, Crystal
11/20/03
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
2388
1
I was on the hill at Crystal first few chairs too.
All in all a stellar opening day, so don't take the following comments as strong criticisms -- just want to jot down a few more concrete aspects of the conditions that I noticed on the rare occasions when I emerged from the clouds of smoke my board was throwing ;D
Coverage was not deep in places, especially on unprotected, wind exposed and steeper terrain. Took a couple of core shots later in the day when the freshies in less filled-in areas tempted me. Keep in mind that the light powder is way easier to punch through than the usual cement.
Definitely less cover lower down, plenty of creeks breaking through etc., but certainly worthwhile. Be careful when you are hauling ass if the light is flat though -- it is still early enough that the snow surface still follows the odd micro-contours of the mountainside.
On some of the steeper areas around the exterminator run (which didn't really feel steep at all since the snow was so incredibly nice) I got my board sideways and did some vigorous jumping and stomping to see if I could get much of anything moving. I worked hard at it, but the snow was pretty stable and reasonably well-bonded to the heavier thin underlayer. Couldn't do more than get a few little rivers of unconsolidted power to flow sluggishly for a few yards. But you all know better than to make any decisions based on my anecdote.
So awesome day all in all -- 8 on a 1-10 scale, and a 10 for mid-November. Clearly the snow should remain terrific into the weekend.
All in all a stellar opening day, so don't take the following comments as strong criticisms -- just want to jot down a few more concrete aspects of the conditions that I noticed on the rare occasions when I emerged from the clouds of smoke my board was throwing ;D
Coverage was not deep in places, especially on unprotected, wind exposed and steeper terrain. Took a couple of core shots later in the day when the freshies in less filled-in areas tempted me. Keep in mind that the light powder is way easier to punch through than the usual cement.
Definitely less cover lower down, plenty of creeks breaking through etc., but certainly worthwhile. Be careful when you are hauling ass if the light is flat though -- it is still early enough that the snow surface still follows the odd micro-contours of the mountainside.
On some of the steeper areas around the exterminator run (which didn't really feel steep at all since the snow was so incredibly nice) I got my board sideways and did some vigorous jumping and stomping to see if I could get much of anything moving. I worked hard at it, but the snow was pretty stable and reasonably well-bonded to the heavier thin underlayer. Couldn't do more than get a few little rivers of unconsolidted power to flow sluggishly for a few yards. But you all know better than to make any decisions based on my anecdote.
So awesome day all in all -- 8 on a 1-10 scale, and a 10 for mid-November. Clearly the snow should remain terrific into the weekend.
I certainly agree with your observations on the hill conditions. Some places were definitely sketchy and required a cautious approach. Some of the dangers were marked and some not. Hey my pow board took some shots but nothing deep. Once things appeared to be tracked I ventured into the trees and near the tree lines. Most people pushed the snow to the sides anyway. I would not recommend it unless you know and feel comfortable about the surrounding terrain. I also started some small sluffs around Upper E earlier in the morning. Regarding the flat light I bring extra goggles with different color lenses. That seems to help just enough sometimes. Otherwise it's up to the knees to take it. I don't know about you hankj but there were some places earlier in the morning where you needed speed but also knew the terrain wuz bumpy. As a result lets just say I had some spectacular demonstrations of tail riding and looking up at the sky.
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