Jan 24, 2010, -- Hex Mtn -- Salmon Le Sac area.

1/24/10

3074

4

Posted by Randito on 1/24/10 1:32pm

I took a pretty good sized group (13) out here as an introductory backcountry trip. We did a beacon search partice session at a small clearing at 2750ft. Coverage on the logging road was sufficient -- but boilerplate. Soon after passing the summer hiking trail trailhead at 3500ft the wind started kicking up and snow started falling -- Along the ridge it was definitly horizontial snow. Our main group of skiers stopped at the top of the clearcuts at 4500ft and a sub-group of four tagged the summit (in clouds and wind) Skied the west facing clearcuts with caution -- due to the stumps and sticks that still protruded. The brand new snow had built up to about four inches which made the skiing sort of OK -- except for dodging stumps and the occational spot where the crust underneath would break through. Skiied the logging road back to the summer trailhead and then skiied clearcuts again -- here the coverage was even thinner and the new snow was only about two inches deep -- but that two inches did make the skiing OK -- as the underlying crust was bulletproof. New snow on the logging road all the way back to the parking area -- had about three inches of new on the cars.

View down from top of clearcuts facing west

View up from bottom of lowest clear cut (3200ft)

1/25/10 11:08am

cchapin

Wow that's a big group! My girlfriend and I are Mounties and we were looking at your trip. Glad it all worked out. I think I might recognize the person in the bright blue jacket from the Ski Mountaineering class, which we are students in as well. We may be asking you if we can register for one of your trips soon ;)

I see you have a trip planned for Wallowa's. We can't do it this year but it's definitely on the list. Have fun!

1/25/10 11:10am

jim-oker

Haven't been there in a while, so I looked at your pictures with some interest. It looks like the slash piles in that clearcut are finally sort of working down into the ground, and some new little trees are starting to grow up. There were a few lines worth skiing on that slope soon after the cutting, but it at least looks like the situation has improved in the last bunch of years. Still, it was much more fun (and scenic) when that was a nice glade ski through the mature open forest...

1/26/10 2:28am

mtneer-ordinaire

Thanks again, Randy, for a great outing! Glad you liked the two pics I snapped. ;D

1/26/10 2:48am

snoseeker

Thanks for the trip report Randy. Way to go flexing with the changing conditions/human factors and generating interest for a group that's already good sized.

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