May 2, 2010, Silver Pk Basin

This was a spring tour outback of Snoqualmie. Started from the Silver Fir lot, occupied by one other identical gold Outback.

Went up the Outback ski run, appropriately enough, and met the couple who own the other Outback who were skiing down from the Grand Junction warming hut, and gave us the good word about Cayuse/Chinook Pass. Light mixed snow/rain were coming down, with yesterday's tracks getting filled in. Maybe 2 inches of recent wet heavy snow at the lower elevations. Higher up, snowing most of the day with progressively better conditions. We went up to Nordic Pass and down to Olallie Meadows, Windy Pass. Skiing in the forest was hoods-up for drippage and tree bomb protection, but not too bad for conditions. Saw bear tracks at Olallie meadows.



There on up had 6 to 9 inch pole penetration, with a almost a rain crust over less dense snow, and above 4500' elevation it was quite a bit lighter with a bit of styrofoam crunch in places. We stayed climbers left in the Silver Peak basin to avoid open steeper loaded slopes on the west, and went to 4700' where we hit turn around time. Really nice turns in the basin, fast and not grabby snow. Fine down through the meadows, too.  Met skier J.D. from Alpental at Grand Junction. By the time we got back to the Outback run, though it was double-poling to get down the blue run -- heavy and grabby. The gold Outback was gone, replaced by a white one.