Home > Trip Reports > April 18, 2009, Granite Mtn

April 18, 2009, Granite Mtn

4/18/09
WA Snoqualmie Pass
3643
5
Posted by Don_B on 4/18/09 12:02pm
OK, this is really somebody else's TR. Here are your pix. Fill in the blanks.
I was with a group teaching snow travel skills. We went up a ridge west of the first avy chute you come to on the trail. I saw these two skiers and some early tracks from very skinny skis, too. Probably a long carry through bumpy snow covered trail to get to 1500 VF of skiing? Temps were getting up to 50's, snow was soft by 10:30 and real soft by 2:30 with poles going in to the hilt and legs to the crotch, and get up out fast before they are fixed in cement. But it felt more corny than gloppy. Slide debris in the chutes and bowl to west from earlier this week. Nothing sliding today, but it will be a lot warmer tomorrow. The bowl to west looks tempting. I'll put some view photos of surrounding mtns on flickr later.

more photos here
Good to meet you up there and thanks for the pics. I was the skier in the blue jacket.

Conditions were perfect styrofoam early in the morning with a little postholing here and there which made for easy climbing.

Skinned for a ways but switched back to carrying soon enough. After lunch on top the snow skied pretty well to above tree line but was very grabby and gloppy below. We were driving away from the trailhead by 2:30pm. I got just under 3,000' of "skiing" total, but that included some self imposed rocky trail torture before I started carrying again.

and good to meet you. You and partner were making nice turns.

West bowl is pretty cool....You get more skiing in than just blasting down the south face.

Any estimates on how much longer Granite will be skiable?

I skied Granite Mt on Monday April 20, bluebird day, 60+ deg, light breeze.  I'd est it will be good at least another week perhaps longer, esp with cooler temps coming.   I got to 3000’ on foot via trail, where I started  heading N on skins thru the trees, stayed W of that first drainage, making my way in and out of trees, slush snow, esp in sun areas, worked hard on good skinning tech.  About time I got out on the S exposure, saw a boarder and skier coming down E side of drainage staying high, set off pretty big wet avalanche, all debris ended up down that first drainage, pretty heavy (impressive) flow for a bit.  I kept settin the uptrack staying near rock band to my left where snow was most stable.  About 1-2” ski penetration, beneath that snow firm, felt stable even baking under sun.  Got up to the fire tower by 5pm (after a late noon start from trailhead), deserted, and some nice cornices up there! 
First few turns down from the ridgeline let loose good amount of wet surface sluff, had to keep cutting away from it or staying ahead of my sluff, again it all ended up in that first drainage, I kept skiers left.  Skied down to about 3600’, snow turning to glop down lower, where I cut W back into trees. Good to finish with some tree skiing (more like branch dodging), just enough snow, firm, to ski down to 3000’ again to rejoin the trail.  I’ll try to post some pics later today.

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april-18-2009-granite-mtn
Don_B
2009-04-18 19:02:38