Feb 14, 2009, Humpback Mtn 5174' North Bowl Glades

I finally got to this run after looking at it forever from I-90.  We've all seen it, many have wondered about.  Most years it and its parallel glade to the west either doesn't have enough snow, like, kinda, this year.  Or often with the deep snow years it is littered with slide debris off the big cliffs above.

Jake came over from Leavenworth for the first of hopefully three days of skiing back to back, so we wanted  a one run day with less than 4000 vertical and this fit the bill.  I've been up Humpback several times before but usually for corn on a different aspect.  Our approach choice left something to be desired (blue line) but we new there were other ways down if necessary and we wanted to assess snow conditions on the north aspect that we intended to ski. 

It did not disappoint.  We dropped off the summit and in via the NE ridge (red line).  A nicer drop in exists on the NW ridge at the same altitude (4950 ft.)  Ours was Very Steep, about 25 feet of 50+ degree booting into the slope with vege belays.  Prior we contemplated skiing the East slopes but they had a breakable sun crust.  North aspect was the way to go. 
From 5000 feet down to 4000 the snow was excellent powder.   Jake thought the best of the season, on a variable base that we rarely scraped.
From 4000 feet to 3200 feet was 4" light new on a very firm lightly textured rain crust.
From 3200 to 2800 4" powder over still firm but we were seriously dodging a tangle of alder.  (Completely covered in a good snow year.)
From 2800 to 2300 at the Iron Horse Trail we booted down thin but solid snow.  Along the Iron Horse and then direct descent though the woods to the Interstate interchange.

Great day and finally got into that big North basin of Humpback.