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Skyline Ridge/Bowl

12/15/08
WA Stevens Pass
5616
5
Posted by Moscawulff on 12/14/08 11:52am
Alecapone and I sought protection from the relentless wind and headed up Skyline today. Quite a few people were up there, most dropping off the backside, and spotted tracks that were further out gracing the southwest ridge of Valhalla Peak (nice turns to whomever laid em'!) The backside had some fun boulder hopping terrain through the knee deep pow. After a few hops down we found ourselves skinning up wishing we'd started earlier to have hit the aforementioned ridge across the way.

The rolling front side ridgeline offered some mellow turns with more boulder booters to keep the momentum going. Some wind-scour was experienced for a couple hundred feet half way down, but otherwise it was dry and knee/thigh deep. I spent a lot of time allowing my mind to imagine the lines possible to come as everything fills in. We finally have the cold, let's keep our collective spirits desiring the deep snows of winter and it will come.

Some pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/powderhoar/SkylineRidgeDec142008#

P.S. some beta from Stevens Pass staff is that the lifts start churnin on Wednesday. As the mountain is using some new fanschy electronic readers to speed up lift lines, I guess poaching mid-station lifts is out of the question...I'm indifferent.
Moscawulff wrote:
the aforementioned ridge across the way


From that ridge across the way, there appeared to be some snow that looked rip for the picking.

With all the cars in the lot, I was discouraged.  However, we were able to the find seclusion I desired.  Oh, and face shots on demand, just like the day before in Crystals slackcountry.

It was bluebird for the most part.  Darkening clouds eventually surrounded our haven as we left.  Damn it was cold!

Nice to bump into you again PeteA and friend.  I'm sure you got what you were seeking.

I was burning some time at work and saw these lucky few caught red handed.  Looks like too many colors for staff.  Wrong side of the road for you guys but I thought it was fun anyways. 


I thought them tracks looked slutty.



good to see ya too Mr. Snoslut...  the blue sky was definitely a bonus, and I kinda enjoyed the cold temps...usually I'm sweating buckets when putting in a skin track, but yesterday I never broke a sweat.  Skis managed to avoid any big dings until we headed down Double Diamond at the end of the day, then it was ping, ping, ping :)  oh well..thats was rock skis and a p-tex soldering iron are for!

So nice to finally be skiing powder again!!!


Yeah PeteA, I'm a sweater too so cold days keep me dryer.  Yeah we um um, charged down DD ourselves but it was dark.  I didn't hit any rocks but hit many objects made out of wood and spent time digging the nose of my board out from beneath the alder.  Eventually I just skinned down.

Btw, I'm stilling smiling at your friends comment about needing space for his turns.

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skyline-ridge-bowl
Moscawulff
2008-12-14 19:52:02