March 15, 2002, Nordic Pass, Snoqualmie Pass

We aimed to get into the Snoqualmie Pass forest with hopes of still more powder skiing, during this possibly final round of low snow levels. Bought the 2-ride ticket (still have 2-for-1 deals on the web), dropped our packs at the top of the Silver Fir, and had a nice run in the 6-8" new on top of the groomed. Rode the lift again, got our packs, and headed for the big trees. A clearcut slope near the beginning of the old-growth forest caught our attention, so we skied that and were disappointed by the damp, cohesive nature of the snow, especially toward the bottom. The day was becoming warmer than we expected, given the forecast, so our only hope was the protection from daytime warming the big trees give the snow. Once into the old-growth, we were very encouraged to find 10-18" overlying the most recent rain crust, dense near the crust but loose and powdery toward the top, so we set a good track to the top of our favorite powder run near Nordic Pass. The first run was great, as were the second, third, and fourth. The snow was very consistent, stayed in good condition throughout the day, and showed no signs of significant instability.

There are some photos from this trip here.

Charles