December 11, 2003, Alpental
12/11/03
WA Snoqualmie Pass
2519
1
The party may be nearing an end, but the last hoorahs of skiing Alpental pre-season are still as good as ever.
I left the parking lot at 6:15 and followed the blessed cordouroy of the busy snowcat up to the mid mtn station. In the light of my headlamp I could see the snow at the edge of the cat track was 6"+ of fresh, and of course, it was snowing very lightly. The base was 41" down at West, so 4 feet of cover didn't seem an unreasonable estimation for the higher Alpental parking lot. With the new snow and a little elevation, the mountain was transformed into mid winter attire.
The upper section required a little more effort, but I was able to find the uphill tracks from the day before which eased the struggle of climbing. Delightfully, when I would hit less condensed snow, I would struggle in hip deep powder until I could reorient myself. This was a good omen for the descent. At the summit, the fog had rolled in, and light was scarce and flat.
AH the crisp smell of a new snowboard. I peeled back the plastic on my new 173 Supermodel and adjusted the bindings over my boots in a snug fit I had missed.
The descent was grand. The upper mtn was delightful light powder that cascaded down with me in the steep sections of the Schluct chute. I was able to cruise right out the edelweiss bowl but found the clouds had rolled in thick lower down. I dove into the trees and played in their good visibility until I reached the bottom.
Back at the car by 9.
I left the parking lot at 6:15 and followed the blessed cordouroy of the busy snowcat up to the mid mtn station. In the light of my headlamp I could see the snow at the edge of the cat track was 6"+ of fresh, and of course, it was snowing very lightly. The base was 41" down at West, so 4 feet of cover didn't seem an unreasonable estimation for the higher Alpental parking lot. With the new snow and a little elevation, the mountain was transformed into mid winter attire.
The upper section required a little more effort, but I was able to find the uphill tracks from the day before which eased the struggle of climbing. Delightfully, when I would hit less condensed snow, I would struggle in hip deep powder until I could reorient myself. This was a good omen for the descent. At the summit, the fog had rolled in, and light was scarce and flat.
AH the crisp smell of a new snowboard. I peeled back the plastic on my new 173 Supermodel and adjusted the bindings over my boots in a snug fit I had missed.
The descent was grand. The upper mtn was delightful light powder that cascaded down with me in the steep sections of the Schluct chute. I was able to cruise right out the edelweiss bowl but found the clouds had rolled in thick lower down. I dove into the trees and played in their good visibility until I reached the bottom.
Back at the car by 9.