February 28, 2004, Crystal Mountain BC
2/28/04
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
3135
5
Busy day. Kinda too busy. Must have been something like ten or more parties, 35 or more people back there and that is just the ones we saw [well, at least 25, I guess now that I have time to add it up; but a large number. I think back to ten years ago when you might see two other parties on any typical weekend].
We dug a pit on a moderate W facing slope, found a weak layer about 9 inches down and another 9 inches below that. Top one slid something like RB4, next one down RB5.
A party of at least seven + dog that was skiiing nearby started a skier-initiated slide on that first layer, about a 9 inch crown, I couldn't see the full scope of the slope that slid from where I was [it wasn't necessarily a real big slide, couldn't have run more than 150 ft or so given where it was, but I'm sure it gave someone a scare">. Fortunately they were able to ride out of it. Between that beta and the pit we stayed away from some of the more tempting/sketchy slopes. I think we probably took one run on every aspect. South sucked. North and West were good, especially if close to trees. East was kinda mixed. YMMV on that of course, it could all have been slope-localized conditions we were encountering.
Light snow, variable visibility all day with occasional sun breaks just long enough to make a new crust ... The exit was nasty, between the crust and the vast numbers of tracks that had preceded us, it was like bad lift serviced skiing. Oh well the top was nice.
Still not quite so good at figuring out my new TLTs. I had that ice under the toe piece problem and gawdam did that piss me off, I could not get the offending ice out no matter what I tried. Any TLT vets want to give suggestions on a) good tool or method for deicing and b) mojo to keep from icing in first place if any such mojo exists? [Thanks for suggests so far. I like em 'cept for that one issue.]
We dug a pit on a moderate W facing slope, found a weak layer about 9 inches down and another 9 inches below that. Top one slid something like RB4, next one down RB5.
A party of at least seven + dog that was skiiing nearby started a skier-initiated slide on that first layer, about a 9 inch crown, I couldn't see the full scope of the slope that slid from where I was [it wasn't necessarily a real big slide, couldn't have run more than 150 ft or so given where it was, but I'm sure it gave someone a scare">. Fortunately they were able to ride out of it. Between that beta and the pit we stayed away from some of the more tempting/sketchy slopes. I think we probably took one run on every aspect. South sucked. North and West were good, especially if close to trees. East was kinda mixed. YMMV on that of course, it could all have been slope-localized conditions we were encountering.
Light snow, variable visibility all day with occasional sun breaks just long enough to make a new crust ... The exit was nasty, between the crust and the vast numbers of tracks that had preceded us, it was like bad lift serviced skiing. Oh well the top was nice.
Still not quite so good at figuring out my new TLTs. I had that ice under the toe piece problem and gawdam did that piss me off, I could not get the offending ice out no matter what I tried. Any TLT vets want to give suggestions on a) good tool or method for deicing and b) mojo to keep from icing in first place if any such mojo exists? [Thanks for suggests so far. I like em 'cept for that one issue.]
Thanks, Wolfs. I know how difficult it is to knock out a TR the same night you get home, but it is certainly helpful for us Sunday skiers to get some first hand info from the day before. We DO appreciate it.
Sounds maybe like you were up in the BB area, eh?
As for your dynafit "snow under the toepiece crossbar" irritant, before you leave on a tour, just spray some slippery stuff in that little pocket (i usually use silicone) under the toepiece crossbar. Then on the swithchover, before you put the skis on, just cycle (snap) the bar open to closed a couple of times (gloves on; they tend to pinch) before you put then down to step into them.
Sounds maybe like you were up in the BB area, eh?
As for your dynafit "snow under the toepiece crossbar" irritant, before you leave on a tour, just spray some slippery stuff in that little pocket (i usually use silicone) under the toepiece crossbar. Then on the swithchover, before you put the skis on, just cycle (snap) the bar open to closed a couple of times (gloves on; they tend to pinch) before you put then down to step into them.
We were a couple of the herd - although I only saw about 12 others. Dug a pit on the east facing upper slopes of Union Creek got a RB4-5. A layer about 14" down slide, but couldn't move the rest of the column. Did 2 runs on Union side - the "roller" set off by our skis tended to fan out and chunk up the slope, but the turns were pretty good.
Tlt Bindings: spraying them helps. I also carry a small pocket knive for sticking in the pocket to break up the snow that compacts there under certain conditions. Having it in a pants pocket makes it quickly accessable.
Kinda too busy? You just got get out in front of the masses. We managed to find good fresh turns all day in bullion(south facing in the trees) and cement basin (north facing) , but we did pass a couple of convoys on the way up and ended breaking trail. Next time we'll leave even later. The ultra-fat skis are nice on those heavy days, definitely worth the up hill price, when you're yoyo-ing for turns. The ultra-fats lower your snow quality requirement for a good day. For a good spray lube, try Mclube from a marine store. It's safe on marine hardware and sails and is a dry-film lubricant so it won't pick up dirt.
Funny - looks like everyone has the same ideas. After a grim day at Snoqualmie Saturday I thought I would try Crystal b/c of the higher elevations. But that thought was fleeting and I tried another area [which shall remain nameless] and that held very nice powder. I guess I'm glad I avoided Crystal!
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