December 6, 2009, Kendall Knob Tour
12/6/09
WA Snoqualmie Pass
3129
2
Not the most exciting of tours, but with only a half-day to spend and the likelihood of icy, crusty snow we wanted something quick and easy. Quite exciting though were the conditions we found.
My friend Alan and I arrived to the parking turnout off exit 53 to find 4" of fresh with more pouring heavily from the sky--not at all what we were expecting. We skinned along the road, turned off into the woods past the first turnout, then more or less followed a flagged route up through the clear cuts to the main road. There we found the trail broken by one skier and snowshoers and, by now, about 6" of light, blower powder. We turned off the road at the switchback and followed an old skin track up the start of Kendall Peak Trail 1344. At the top of a knob it was our turnaround time so we deskinned, fleeced up, and turned downhill.
We found some good turns coming off the knob. The snow was soft, fluffy, and bonded just enough to the ice below to make the skiing fun. We hit the road, ran it out for a bit, then more or less followed our ascent line, pausing now and then to wrestle with clumps of trees that were quite a bit bigger than 20 years ago when we skied the clear cut last.
Back at the car after our three hour tour, we hummed some lines from Gilligan's Island then called our friend who had bailed, believing that conditions would be miserable. I had one word for him when I left him a message, "Sucker!" and we were on our way back to sunshine and the city.
The good snow at Snoqualmie should last a bit longer with these cold temps. Seems it was one of the few places to get the goods. The bond to the crust is light so could become a concern on the leeward if winds pick up. I observed some small soft slab formation, but nothing of consequence.
My friend Alan and I arrived to the parking turnout off exit 53 to find 4" of fresh with more pouring heavily from the sky--not at all what we were expecting. We skinned along the road, turned off into the woods past the first turnout, then more or less followed a flagged route up through the clear cuts to the main road. There we found the trail broken by one skier and snowshoers and, by now, about 6" of light, blower powder. We turned off the road at the switchback and followed an old skin track up the start of Kendall Peak Trail 1344. At the top of a knob it was our turnaround time so we deskinned, fleeced up, and turned downhill.
We found some good turns coming off the knob. The snow was soft, fluffy, and bonded just enough to the ice below to make the skiing fun. We hit the road, ran it out for a bit, then more or less followed our ascent line, pausing now and then to wrestle with clumps of trees that were quite a bit bigger than 20 years ago when we skied the clear cut last.
Back at the car after our three hour tour, we hummed some lines from Gilligan's Island then called our friend who had bailed, believing that conditions would be miserable. I had one word for him when I left him a message, "Sucker!" and we were on our way back to sunshine and the city.
The good snow at Snoqualmie should last a bit longer with these cold temps. Seems it was one of the few places to get the goods. The bond to the crust is light so could become a concern on the leeward if winds pick up. I observed some small soft slab formation, but nothing of consequence.
nice..my and a buddy where there as well (were you guys the group of ~4 on tele?)
agreed with your assessment! we were also surprised by the conditions, but no complaints here. The snow quality was true blower. We found the layer underneath to be quite hard, but with the new snow the sking was enjoyable.
It was very cold for sure. We also had a few interesting creek crossings, reminding us that it is still "early season".
This was my first tour and run on my new set-up! Very happy with how it worked out (last years Volkl Gotama + fritci freeride + climbing skins direct).
agreed with your assessment! we were also surprised by the conditions, but no complaints here. The snow quality was true blower. We found the layer underneath to be quite hard, but with the new snow the sking was enjoyable.
It was very cold for sure. We also had a few interesting creek crossings, reminding us that it is still "early season".
This was my first tour and run on my new set-up! Very happy with how it worked out (last years Volkl Gotama + fritci freeride + climbing skins direct).
We were a group of two on tele. The only others I saw where on snowshoes though I did see one set of skinny ski tracks, but not the skier who put them down (looks like they stuck to the road rather than the "clear" cuts).
With the 'woods route' that we used the one creek was easy to cross since the water was shallow and the snow walls around it not tall yet. It's also faster than using the road the whole way and gives a chance for some steep skinning. Glad you're liking the new set-up. It should serve you well.
With the 'woods route' that we used the one creek was easy to cross since the water was shallow and the snow walls around it not tall yet. It's also faster than using the road the whole way and gives a chance for some steep skinning. Glad you're liking the new set-up. It should serve you well.
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