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Dec 9. Crystal-Conditons report

12/15/08
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
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Posted by Scotsman on 12/9/08 7:51am
Not really a TR so I won't bore you with the details but I thought you might want to know about conditions. Stewie, PNWbrit and I went to Chinook, not enough snow there so we went to Crystal.

Skinned from Base to top of Green Valley Chair. Skied down to base via Lucky Shot. Surprising amount of snow which was cascade concrete at its best. Only hit a few rocks and Forest Queen side has more snow. Looked wintry and cold up there. A good 20" in places, wind scoured in others.

All the lifts where being tested and they are compacting snow on groomers and lifites we saw said they where considering opening a limited area on Saturday depending on snowfall expected on Friday.

Nearly there, one more good storm and it's good to go IMO.
Nice work finding some good ol' concrete! I am yearning for more of it... bring it on, however high the water content may be!


Good man -- thanks Chris.

Sounds like a bunch of us are jumping on the lifts at the local resorts---
the heel lifts, that is.  ::)

Way to do your part in packing out the slopes before the pineapple express does its thing  :'(.
It must have been hammering precip while you were there. The telemetry was showing big totals, unless that was Chugie pissing on the sensors  :D.
Looks like it may have snowed another foot if the temps were cold enough.



It was spitting frozen rain for a while and then the sun came out and then the clouds rolled in but no precip up until we left at about 2.

Hope it doesn't wash away as its a nice heavy , dense base type snow.

Got your message Joe about it snowing a foot in Alyeska. Sounds good . Hopefully there will be more by the time we get there on Friday. Yeeehaaaw!

Good report ! please Let it be base.

Thanks Scotsman!

Thanks for the recon work Chugie.

Have a good trip Chris.  Remember to carry a camera.  We'll want to see pictures.

Chris - nice to get out and "ski" with you and your pack.

Have a safe trip to AK.





author=PNWBrit link=topic=11440.msg47574#msg47574 date=1228930555]

Have a safe trip to AK.



Now that doesn't sound like any fun to me! ;)
Good fun and a couple good scares to shrink the peanuts in his britches.  ;D


author=Joedabaker link=topic=11440.msg47594#msg47594 date=1228962687]
Now that doesn't sound like any fun to me! ;)
Good fun and a couple good scares to shrink the peanuts in his britches.  ;D




Following you around in AK is going to ensure me peanuts shrink. Can I get a cuddle if I get scared?
Snow Bell always gives ITCHY a cuddle when he gets scared!

author=Scotsman link=topic=11440.msg47597#msg47597 date=1228964155]

Snow Bell always gives ITCHY a cuddle when he gets scared!

I won't even ask about ITCHY, I hope it's an acronym for something harmless.

Alyeska -- now there is something to geat excited about!  If I ever happen to die I hope it's on the North Face there, which is very much like the North Face at Crested Butte but bigger and with snow on it.

Sounds like they're going to open on Saturday.  $25 reduced lift tickets for those without a pass; wow, that's pretty damn cheap!  My guess is that they're anticipating a bleak season for sales at the mountain- the economy, SR-169 closer, the economy, the economy...  Good ol' $25 tester...

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dec-9-crystal-conditons-report
Scotsman
2008-12-09 15:51:20