Jan 18, 2009, Birthday Tour
1/18/09
WA Cascades East Slopes North
9805
19
Joining the long list of those who had a kick ass time in the inversion sun, Sam, Itchy, and I headed to the Methow for some sled assisted touring. We parked at the Silverstar gate and towed up to the hairpin, taking time to navigate the sled through the massive slide debris covering the road at Cutthroat Peak. Once at the hairpin we followed a skin track up Spire Couloir, booting the last part and then onto Blue Lake Col. The North Cascades Heli guides were poaching our line off the col all morning. It kind of sucked having so many tracks that far out in the bc but at least I knew there wasn't anything within a heli flight that was any better. Despite the tracks, Madison Avenue skied well with a mix of cream cheese powder and corn depending on the aspect. We found solitude and layed a fresh skin track up to the col that leads back to the hairpin and completes the tour. The entry to the couloir (don't know the name) looked a lot trickier than it was. Skied recycled powder down to the sled just in time for a sunset ski down an iced Highway 20. While there were some massive wet slides present, I believe they came down earlier in the week and stability seemed good. Coverage was decent up high and the telemetry didn't lie about last weeks rain event coming down as snow in the NE Cascades.
Sam dodging tracks down Madison Avenue
Itchy hucking his meat
Slides covering Highway 20
last run down
Sam dodging tracks down Madison Avenue
Itchy hucking his meat
Slides covering Highway 20
last run down
nice work altasnob!
Great snow quality (considering the state of things), good times, and awesome views made for an outstanding outing altogether. This truly is one of the most beautiful places in the world.
more pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/christopherlyles/BirthdayTour?feat=directlink
a few crappy videos:
sam on madison ave
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuXGIQKoutQ
jay (altasnob) on madison ave
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp7DbWT-Xs8
more pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/christopherlyles/BirthdayTour?feat=directlink
a few crappy videos:
sam on madison ave
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuXGIQKoutQ
jay (altasnob) on madison ave
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp7DbWT-Xs8
Very nice report, and great to hear that you could reasonably navigate through the slide paths! Sure looks bony! What about 1st or 2nd Bowls on the North Side of Washington's peak? Are slide paths beyond the hair pin negotiable?
Cool.
Cool.
That is a fun trip on a spectacular day like yours.
I heard that if you contact Northwest Heliski and find out where they will be flying that day you can avoid their commotion.
I've also heard, without certainty, that they will do their best to avoid overlapping your tour if they know ahead of time where and when you are going to be at a location.
Or for about $1000 bucks you can ski until your group tires or money runs out, several exposures in the North Cascades that would be tough to get to on many tours.
I heard that if you contact Northwest Heliski and find out where they will be flying that day you can avoid their commotion.
I've also heard, without certainty, that they will do their best to avoid overlapping your tour if they know ahead of time where and when you are going to be at a location.
Or for about $1000 bucks you can ski until your group tires or money runs out, several exposures in the North Cascades that would be tough to get to on many tours.
Nice tr and great photos altasnob!
Good getting guys. Papa Bear called me early Monday AM wondering if I had heard from you. He was worried; how cute is that?
I am glad that you found favorable snow conditions, it seems like it could have gone either way for you up there this weekend.
Good pics Jay and Chris. Where are Sam's? Did he do his famous cornice drop trick? Did you consider lining up at the landing area with the heli skiers for a lap or two? It mighta worked.
I am glad that you found favorable snow conditions, it seems like it could have gone either way for you up there this weekend.
Good pics Jay and Chris. Where are Sam's? Did he do his famous cornice drop trick? Did you consider lining up at the landing area with the heli skiers for a lap or two? It mighta worked.
nice work I'm glad NCHS didn't track the area to bad.
If you own a pass to any ski resort in Washington you get a industry discount of only 700$ a day.
If you own a pass to any ski resort in Washington you get a industry discount of only 700$ a day.
author=Snow Bell link=topic=12000.msg50142#msg50142 date=1232561325]
Good getting guys. Papa Bear called me early Monday AM wondering if I had heard from you. He was worried; how cute is that?
Yeah, I was a wee bit worried when I hadn't heard from them.
Now, I'm jealous.
Well done guys, getting the birthday tour is soooo cool.
Itchy, I'm so proud of you and well done Jay and Sam!
author=Scotsman link=topic=12000.msg50158#msg50158 date=1232575626]
Yeah, I was a wee bit worried when I hadn't heard from them.
Now, I'm jealous.
Well done guys, getting the birthday tour is soooo cool.
Itchy, I'm so proud of you and well done Jay and Sam!
Thanks papa bear- always good to get some affirmation of a job well done.
We sure did have a great time -and what a great place to be, helis or not.
Chris- aka- Itchy
Well played, lads
It may be hard for some of us to feel your frustration with the helicopter operation and their tracking of the goods because you sledded in and were merely deploying your variation of their game. Getting the goods is not easy but using machines to get you in is kind of a cop out. How long would it have taken a fit person to ski up the road? Oh, nordic skiing is so yesterday...
Having been up there in winter last year, thanks to sleds, I can feel the frustration of tracked out BC after walking uphill for hours.
In terms of sympathy, admittedly, there are shades of gray. For me, and the Jan 18 posse, the sled replaced the car, sled never left snow covered pavement. Not some stunt of snowmobiles going up hill in "ski terrain" like you see in the movies.
I feel that a helicopter in touring terrain is pretty close to seeing a dirt bike on a hiking trail, minus the erosion issues.
However, WA pass has lots to go around.
Good work on getting the goods!
In terms of sympathy, admittedly, there are shades of gray. For me, and the Jan 18 posse, the sled replaced the car, sled never left snow covered pavement. Not some stunt of snowmobiles going up hill in "ski terrain" like you see in the movies.
I feel that a helicopter in touring terrain is pretty close to seeing a dirt bike on a hiking trail, minus the erosion issues.
However, WA pass has lots to go around.
Good work on getting the goods!
Nice! Good job, Chris & company. Man, the blue skies! This inversion layer is at least good for that, eh? Great pictures, dudes.
Isn't it illegal or immoral. or somthin' to do the birthday tour in January???
author=T. Eastman link=topic=12000.msg50179#msg50179 date=1232603359]
It may be hard for some of us to feel your frustration with the helicopter operation and their tracking of the goods because you sledded in and were merely deploying your variation of their game. Getting the goods is not easy but using machines to get you in is kind of a cop out. How long would it have taken a fit person to ski up the road? Oh, nordic skiing is so yesterday...
So, I take it you ride your bike to the ski hill?
FWIW- Sleds are getting more and more "friendly". I bought a 4-stroke and it purrs like a kitten, while getting great gas mileage and no more exhaust than an automobile! A lot of access occurs within 5 miles of our place. Keep in mind that many snow sliders drive many miles to sit on chairlifts at an overcrowded ski hill that spew diesel all day, everyday. Sledding in multiple miles to save energy, as well as daylight in January, opens up a whole new world. No brainer for me. I recommend 4-strokes or propane conversions!!
Can't say I agree with T.Eastman either. They traveled to the base of the tour on one snowmobile towing two skiers. Now that's snowmobile-pooling !!
author=Scotsman link=topic=12000.msg50242#msg50242 date=1232682300]
They traveled to the base of the tour on one snowmobile towing two skiers.
I bet Itchy had to be the lead guy on the rope to get "first tracks". ;D
I'm not a huge fan of snowmobiles generally, but the newer four-strokes, especially in this type of application (shuttling to a trailhead along FS roads or snow covered highways) doesn't bother me in the least.
Makes me want to spend more time skiing with Toby. ;)
Makes me want to spend more time skiing with Toby. ;)
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