May 18-20, 2009, Crystal to Naches Pass

Silver klister rocks!

Spent Mon-Wed morning skiing from Crystal to Nachese pass.  I would have gone to Stampede Pass but I could not manage a stable field repair on the top of three screws holding my binding.  Heavy new and heavier old snow made for slow but manageable trail breaking and High avy conditions.  Silver klister worked better than I expected once the new snow surface warmed up to 35 deg. F.

Jenny Osborne accompanied me to nearly Norse Pk before cutting up the hill back to the car where she cell phoned me an "all clear". 


Snow summary:
We did not hear any Whoomphing untill we hit small cup-bowls on the crest or E (leeward) aspects.
The slope cuts I performed on and near cornices resulted in long tracked avalanches that stepped down from 4" deep to 10" deep and usualy ran down to the next bench gathering lots of snow en route.


Monday night the drizzle turned to 4" of new snow overnight at 4K ft.  6" total new was observed Mon-Tue a.m. near Naches Pass at about 5K ft.

Skiiable snow ended abruptly at about mile post 14 on F.S. rd 70 above Pyramid Pk snow park.
Looks like the Gate to Hwy 123/410 Cayuse Pass is open.  Rumor has it Chinook may open this wk-end.  This work must be what we heard on Monday that starteled us so.