Jan 21, Granite Mtn.
1/15/09
WA Snoqualmie Pass
2114
1
Very good corn right off the top and into the gut of the main gully. I was able to ski down to about 2800, where the waterfall is. The lower 1k of skiing was slushy chunder with a lot of debris and vegetation. But there were turns to be had and it was much more fun than walking. The top pitch was really really nice and definitely worth the effort.
Stability was better than expected given my late departure (descending around 2P). Ski pen was only about 1 inch for the first 1k, with a fairly firm crust beneath. The snow beneath that crust was consolidating too, it got more and more supportive of my boot packing as I approached the top. All in all, things were pretty well consolidated. The lower FL, overcast skies and light winds today probably helped to keep things in shape a little longer today.
Hopefully we'll have some more new snow soon and we can go back to powder mode.
Stability was better than expected given my late departure (descending around 2P). Ski pen was only about 1 inch for the first 1k, with a fairly firm crust beneath. The snow beneath that crust was consolidating too, it got more and more supportive of my boot packing as I approached the top. All in all, things were pretty well consolidated. The lower FL, overcast skies and light winds today probably helped to keep things in shape a little longer today.
Hopefully we'll have some more new snow soon and we can go back to powder mode.
I also did Granite, on Saturday (1/17). Corn was just on the firm side of right at noon. Started from not quite the top but also went down gut of gully and made the effort to run down the lower gully for as long as possible. Along the way, inspired by the two fearless snowboarders who I happened to be just behind (but not so inspired that I repeated the giganto cojones straightlines over 3 foot wide collapsing 45* snowbridges that they did), worked my way past at least two waterfalls before giving up at a third that seemed to have not even the narrowest strip of snow without choking vegetation. At this point fought thick brush for 100' before reaching relative salvation of crusty old growth and then the mainline trail about where it touches same gully. Worked better than I'd expected given low snowcover.
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