May 13, 2010, Stevens skiarea dusk patrol
5/13/10
WA Stevens Pass
4791
3
My more typical skiarea dawn/dusk patrol haunt is Alpental, but I decided I'd try something new and hit the slopes at Stevens. A secondary and quite quixotic motivation for going there was I lost a pair of sunglasses on the Little Tree run, on the last run of the last day of lift serve. Was hoping against hope that I might still be able to find them. But no such luck.
There's been a fair bit of snowmo and cat traffic on the runs. Not so much that it is unavoidable, but enough so that it's made maybe a quarter of the front side runs less appealing. Various snomos buzzing about on other runs while I was there, but I was I think only skier. Strangely there was a cat grooming some of the runs on Skyline. There were old high mark tracks running up both Cloud 9 and Little Tree, put in sometime since the big snow. But could work around them and put a ski line in still.
I went as high as the top shack at 7th. The top was awful survival skiing, refrozen crust over not well consolidated goo. Little Tree run was OK, still gloppy but at least not refrozen. Best snow was actually below Hogsback on the main groomers from about 5100 to 4300 feet elevation, so I lapped a few of these. As might be expected, runs that had either been groomed or heavily trafficked while the area was open had firmer bases and better balance of partially granulated vs glop on the top layer. At best it was protocorn but if the base was firm it made for zippy turns with good control.
Nice evening weather, pleasant and not too hot.
View from top 7th toward Chiwaukums
"Mad wolfs" graffiti at top shack 7th - I didn't do it, man!
There's been a fair bit of snowmo and cat traffic on the runs. Not so much that it is unavoidable, but enough so that it's made maybe a quarter of the front side runs less appealing. Various snomos buzzing about on other runs while I was there, but I was I think only skier. Strangely there was a cat grooming some of the runs on Skyline. There were old high mark tracks running up both Cloud 9 and Little Tree, put in sometime since the big snow. But could work around them and put a ski line in still.
I went as high as the top shack at 7th. The top was awful survival skiing, refrozen crust over not well consolidated goo. Little Tree run was OK, still gloppy but at least not refrozen. Best snow was actually below Hogsback on the main groomers from about 5100 to 4300 feet elevation, so I lapped a few of these. As might be expected, runs that had either been groomed or heavily trafficked while the area was open had firmer bases and better balance of partially granulated vs glop on the top layer. At best it was protocorn but if the base was firm it made for zippy turns with good control.
Nice evening weather, pleasant and not too hot.
View from top 7th toward Chiwaukums
"Mad wolfs" graffiti at top shack 7th - I didn't do it, man!
Moscawulf and I did Alpental a few evenings ago, with similar snow conditions. At Alpy we think they're driving the cats up and down to install new lifty shacks.
We climbed up through Upper International to the top of the chair, then skied down the top 100 ft of breakable crust over mush, the next few hundred feet of pretty good mush, crossed over to Adrenalin, and it was pretty good, then down Lower Nash. Finished in the dark, and had a beer at the bottom sitting around the non firepit. Goo times, goo times.
Mad Wolfs - as in angry or crazy. Maybe you should change your screen name ;)
We climbed up through Upper International to the top of the chair, then skied down the top 100 ft of breakable crust over mush, the next few hundred feet of pretty good mush, crossed over to Adrenalin, and it was pretty good, then down Lower Nash. Finished in the dark, and had a beer at the bottom sitting around the non firepit. Goo times, goo times.
Mad Wolfs - as in angry or crazy. Maybe you should change your screen name ;)
author=Rusty Knees link=topic=16657.msg69775#msg69775 date=1273844730]
... At Alpy we think they're driving the cats up and down to install new lifty shacks.
For the past couple of years the TGR film crews take over/rent/borrow Stevens for a while after they close. I have skinned up past some insane looking jumps; I think somebody broke both ankles last year.
http://live.tetongravity.com/_Stevens-Pass-the-Big-Dog-awaits/video/1045885/75233.html?b=
that as Tanner Hall who broke both ankles last year. Something with high kicker but small landing and he overshot it into flat. Cant remember exactly
Reply to this TR
Please login first: