11 12, 2010, Mt. Hood Mt. Hood Meadows
11/15/10
OR Mt Hood
3988
9
First Trip With The New Voile Mjoj RX!
Well, I took the new Voile Mojo split board up to Mt. Hood Meadows today to try it out. The weather today was fantastic with mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the low 30`s below and high 20`s up above Cascade. The snow was about as "variable" as it gets. Lower down, there was a firm sun crust about an inch thick witt 8 to 10 inches of very soft powder underneath. Mid mountain saw a significant freezing rain even which left a 3/4 inch coating of clear ice on everything and created a horrible boiler plate ice crust on top of wind packed powder. When I got about Cascade, I was treated to some very decent wind packed powder.
The touring part was a little harder than normal due to breaking though this sun crust and having the tips get caught under this layer. When I got to the mid mountain level, I was really wishing I had brought the crampons along for I was dealing with a hard freezing rain crust and had to really work at it to not slide. At the level of Cascade, I had to give up and pack the board while route finding the ridge line on bare ground.
A couple of things I noticed about touring was that while it is much more efficient than snow shoeing, it is still quite a bit of work and I used muscles in different ways. Additionally, I have very ducked out feet and this actually caused me a little trouble in touring mode. I kept stepping on my own tails. I think I am going to add a 3 degree turn on the binding disks to help with this. The skins worked great until I hit solid ice, then the crampons would have been the ideal.
Up top, it was amazing how cold it got as the afternoon passed into evening and I was ready to ride. The Mojo is very user friendly when it comes to switching from Touring to riding mode and I was ready to ride in a few minutes.
The board itself rides like a dream. I have an older pair of Rome Arsenals on this board and found that the stiffer highback added a ton of responsiveness to this board. I found the torsional flex to be easy and responsive and the rocker design of the tip and tail made negotiation the Sastrugi and crust a lot easier. When I did break through the crust like a pane glass window, I was able most times to keep the nose up and not flip. This crust was as close to "unridable" as I have ever seen. I do not think I could have ridden in this crap with a conventional camber board.
On a side note, I heard several instances of "whoompfing" as I toured up through our Badlands area so I decided to dig a pit and do a column test as well as a Ruschblock test. I dug my pit on a 35 degree slope facing east on the lee side of Vista Ridge where a lot of snow is wind loaded. Dug down about 6 feet to the old summer snow layer. Beneath the current sun and rain crust, there is 8 to 10 inches of powder snow that you can easily push a fist in. About 10 inches down lies a very definitive sun crust with a thin band of faceting depth hoard.
When I did the CT test, I got a clean Q1 to Q2 fracture with a CT-4 The entire 10 inch chunk shot out of my column. Did the Ruschblock and got the thing to go with an R-3...as soon as I got both skis on the block, it went.
At these lower levels, we do not have the volume of snow to produce grave risk, but this is a potential problem layer as we pile on new snow. Any Hood riders need to keep this in mind.
Anyway, after doing my pit, I hiked the rest of the way up and got some great wind blown powder from Superbowl down to Vista. The Badlands area was horrible with that 1 inch thick layer of freezing rain crust. The rockered tip and tail on the new Mojo did make a very noticeable difference and I only went ass over tea kettle a couple of time when I broke through the crust like falling through a window pane. This is a sweet, responsive board. I hit a small jump with it and found the pop to be very satisfactory. My stance was definitely too wide as I got some knee pain so I will be making a few fine tunes to this board, but I am stoked overall.
Today`s Pics:
Well, I took the new Voile Mojo split board up to Mt. Hood Meadows today to try it out. The weather today was fantastic with mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the low 30`s below and high 20`s up above Cascade. The snow was about as "variable" as it gets. Lower down, there was a firm sun crust about an inch thick witt 8 to 10 inches of very soft powder underneath. Mid mountain saw a significant freezing rain even which left a 3/4 inch coating of clear ice on everything and created a horrible boiler plate ice crust on top of wind packed powder. When I got about Cascade, I was treated to some very decent wind packed powder.
The touring part was a little harder than normal due to breaking though this sun crust and having the tips get caught under this layer. When I got to the mid mountain level, I was really wishing I had brought the crampons along for I was dealing with a hard freezing rain crust and had to really work at it to not slide. At the level of Cascade, I had to give up and pack the board while route finding the ridge line on bare ground.
A couple of things I noticed about touring was that while it is much more efficient than snow shoeing, it is still quite a bit of work and I used muscles in different ways. Additionally, I have very ducked out feet and this actually caused me a little trouble in touring mode. I kept stepping on my own tails. I think I am going to add a 3 degree turn on the binding disks to help with this. The skins worked great until I hit solid ice, then the crampons would have been the ideal.
Up top, it was amazing how cold it got as the afternoon passed into evening and I was ready to ride. The Mojo is very user friendly when it comes to switching from Touring to riding mode and I was ready to ride in a few minutes.
The board itself rides like a dream. I have an older pair of Rome Arsenals on this board and found that the stiffer highback added a ton of responsiveness to this board. I found the torsional flex to be easy and responsive and the rocker design of the tip and tail made negotiation the Sastrugi and crust a lot easier. When I did break through the crust like a pane glass window, I was able most times to keep the nose up and not flip. This crust was as close to "unridable" as I have ever seen. I do not think I could have ridden in this crap with a conventional camber board.
On a side note, I heard several instances of "whoompfing" as I toured up through our Badlands area so I decided to dig a pit and do a column test as well as a Ruschblock test. I dug my pit on a 35 degree slope facing east on the lee side of Vista Ridge where a lot of snow is wind loaded. Dug down about 6 feet to the old summer snow layer. Beneath the current sun and rain crust, there is 8 to 10 inches of powder snow that you can easily push a fist in. About 10 inches down lies a very definitive sun crust with a thin band of faceting depth hoard.
When I did the CT test, I got a clean Q1 to Q2 fracture with a CT-4 The entire 10 inch chunk shot out of my column. Did the Ruschblock and got the thing to go with an R-3...as soon as I got both skis on the block, it went.
At these lower levels, we do not have the volume of snow to produce grave risk, but this is a potential problem layer as we pile on new snow. Any Hood riders need to keep this in mind.
Anyway, after doing my pit, I hiked the rest of the way up and got some great wind blown powder from Superbowl down to Vista. The Badlands area was horrible with that 1 inch thick layer of freezing rain crust. The rockered tip and tail on the new Mojo did make a very noticeable difference and I only went ass over tea kettle a couple of time when I broke through the crust like falling through a window pane. This is a sweet, responsive board. I hit a small jump with it and found the pop to be very satisfactory. My stance was definitely too wide as I got some knee pain so I will be making a few fine tunes to this board, but I am stoked overall.
Today`s Pics:
I need education and have got questions for you. After several decades of three-pin touring and some scary brushes with small soft slab avalanches, I'm finally getting onto AT gear and starting to head onto steeper terrain, and thus am much more concerned about avalanche safety. I did avy 1 last year and read Tremper's "Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain" twice this summer. I know very little about this topic and, except for avy 1 class, have never dug pits and analyzed the snowpack, but I plan to do that a lot this year.
It sounds like the tests you did on the wind-loaded side of VR were pretty typical of what might be found up on Superbowl - same aspect except not as close to a ridge so probably not as wind-loaded? I guess I've learned just enough to be scared because if I had heard whoomphing and got a Rutschblock to fail when I first stepped on it without jumping, I would be scared to death of heading on up to Superbowl.
So my question is, what did you know that made you feel it was safe to head on up to SB? You said something about there not being enough volume of snow down low to produce a grave risk, but SB is quite a bit higher than VR. Wouldn't even a 10" slab on SB be troublesome? Can you elaborate please?
Also... as the year progresses does the snow down deep in the snowpack become more isothermal? And do those early season layers begin to meld together, snow crusts and all?
Thanks in advance for any knowledge you can share. And thanks for sharing what you found re. the current snowpack. I'm now much more interested (fascinated actually) in what's in that snowpack as it builds during the year.
It sounds like the tests you did on the wind-loaded side of VR were pretty typical of what might be found up on Superbowl - same aspect except not as close to a ridge so probably not as wind-loaded? I guess I've learned just enough to be scared because if I had heard whoomphing and got a Rutschblock to fail when I first stepped on it without jumping, I would be scared to death of heading on up to Superbowl.
So my question is, what did you know that made you feel it was safe to head on up to SB? You said something about there not being enough volume of snow down low to produce a grave risk, but SB is quite a bit higher than VR. Wouldn't even a 10" slab on SB be troublesome? Can you elaborate please?
Also... as the year progresses does the snow down deep in the snowpack become more isothermal? And do those early season layers begin to meld together, snow crusts and all?
Thanks in advance for any knowledge you can share. And thanks for sharing what you found re. the current snowpack. I'm now much more interested (fascinated actually) in what's in that snowpack as it builds during the year.
Sure thing and great question.
After digging this pit and seeing the results, I would not have actually gone up into Superbowl itself. I stayed on the Moraine that separates White River Canyon and Heather Canyon and hiked to the 8500 foot level where it plateaus above the top of Cascade.
There was little choice to be made here since my route down was back into Meadows along Vista Ridge, not the Heather Canyon area. This is also where the best snow was. Had I intended to go up Wy East or to drop into Heather from Superbowl, I would have made the no go decision without hesitation. You are quite right that a 10" crown on that kind of pitch and the vert involved would be a bad thing even this early in the season.
Down lower, most of the riding route was on terrain below the 35 degree pitch anyway and what pitches were greater than this, we not big nor did they sustain this pitch. Another consideration is that sometimes a hidden crust like this can also act as a bridge layer, dispersing the skier`s weight and actually reducing the chances of triggering a fracture.
On a typical mid winter day, getting these results, I would have avoided avalanche terrain altogether.
After digging this pit and seeing the results, I would not have actually gone up into Superbowl itself. I stayed on the Moraine that separates White River Canyon and Heather Canyon and hiked to the 8500 foot level where it plateaus above the top of Cascade.
There was little choice to be made here since my route down was back into Meadows along Vista Ridge, not the Heather Canyon area. This is also where the best snow was. Had I intended to go up Wy East or to drop into Heather from Superbowl, I would have made the no go decision without hesitation. You are quite right that a 10" crown on that kind of pitch and the vert involved would be a bad thing even this early in the season.
Down lower, most of the riding route was on terrain below the 35 degree pitch anyway and what pitches were greater than this, we not big nor did they sustain this pitch. Another consideration is that sometimes a hidden crust like this can also act as a bridge layer, dispersing the skier`s weight and actually reducing the chances of triggering a fracture.
On a typical mid winter day, getting these results, I would have avoided avalanche terrain altogether.
I thought Meadows didn't allow touring/hiking/skinning. Was the gate open or did you just get away with the poach. Thanks and nice images.
Thanks for the response Snowolf - very helpful.
Meadows posted this today...
Thanks to everyone who's been up enjoying the snow the last few weeks. As of Thursday morning [11/18], we will be enforcing our "no uphill traffic" policy within the ski area boundary...
You are welcome to use hiking paths outside of the boundary, but please, no skiing down inside the permit area. We will have cats and snowmobiles on the slopes, so this policy is for your safety as well as ours. Enjoy the backcountry!
Meadows posted this today...
Thanks to everyone who's been up enjoying the snow the last few weeks. As of Thursday morning [11/18], we will be enforcing our "no uphill traffic" policy within the ski area boundary...
You are welcome to use hiking paths outside of the boundary, but please, no skiing down inside the permit area. We will have cats and snowmobiles on the slopes, so this policy is for your safety as well as ours. Enjoy the backcountry!
author=Boot link=topic=17965.msg76032#msg76032 date=1289974111]
I thought Meadows didn't allow touring/hiking/skinning. Was the gate open or did you just get away with the poach. Thanks and nice images.
As PCG posted, they no longer allow uphill traffic due to opening prep. Prior to this and at the end of the season, Meadows is fair game as it is National Forest and therefore public land. Only during normal season operation are there restrictions.
Additionally, I asked Mel, the manager of ski patrol about their attitude regarding re entry into Meadows. What I was told is that so long as you hike their designated uphill routes as posted on their web page, they really have no problem with skiers and riders entering the permit area from above and riding down.
The one MAJOR exception to this is DO NOT enter an inbound closed area. For example, say you climber up Wy East and wanted to ride down into Clark Canyon. If Clark is open that is fine but if they have Clark closed, they would not be happy and could have Hood River County Sheriff greet you.
Same applies to Wy East and coming into Cascade. If they have the cat track up to Super Bowl open you are okay, but don`t try to come down from above if that or Cascade were closed.
author=Snowolf link=topic=17965.msg76219#msg76219 date=1290192397]
The one MAJOR exception to this is DO NOT enter an inbound closed area. For example, say you climber up Wy East and wanted to ride down into Clark Canyon. If Clark is open that is fine but if they have Clark closed, they would not be happy and could have Hood River County Sheriff greet you.
great reply Snowolf, it's too bad Meadows does not post your response on their website. It's very clear about their closed boundary and uphill traffic policy, but leaving out all the details is a disservice to the back-country ski community.
I think the big reason for this is due to avalanche control. If a back country skier/rider enters a closed are from above or outside the permit area in the Heather / Clark Canyon system, they could be in the line of fire from the Howitzer.
The one thing I have never understood is the policy of no hiking outside permit area if you rode the chairlift. A prime example of this would be the White River Canyon. It is an incredible ride to drop into White River from the moraine that separates it from Superbowl. Timberline allows you to leave the control area so long as you have the free back country permit filled out, even if you use the lift. In fact, they even offer a special one time "climbers ticket" to ride Mile and Palmer for something like $15.00.
I did get yelled at by a grooming cat operator one evening coming down from the Hogsback for riding on their freshly laid corduroy. The want you to ride off piste all the way down so as not to carve up their grooming before it sets up for the next day. I wish Meadows had a better access policy like Timberline.
The one thing I have never understood is the policy of no hiking outside permit area if you rode the chairlift. A prime example of this would be the White River Canyon. It is an incredible ride to drop into White River from the moraine that separates it from Superbowl. Timberline allows you to leave the control area so long as you have the free back country permit filled out, even if you use the lift. In fact, they even offer a special one time "climbers ticket" to ride Mile and Palmer for something like $15.00.
I did get yelled at by a grooming cat operator one evening coming down from the Hogsback for riding on their freshly laid corduroy. The want you to ride off piste all the way down so as not to carve up their grooming before it sets up for the next day. I wish Meadows had a better access policy like Timberline.
author=Snowolf link=topic=17965.msg76219#msg76219 date=1290192397]
Prior to this and at the end of the season, Meadows is fair game as it is National Forest and therefore public land. Only during normal season operation are there restrictions.
I have no problems following the rules... if I knew what they were.
Since Meadows operates on "public Land" I believe they should be required to publicly post ALL the restrictions regarding accessing said land during normal season operation. I agree their rules are for safety reasons, especially concerning avalanche conditions but the details of when you can access their boundaries are lacking. I still see many back-country skiers with the "it's our public land" attitude regarding re-entry into Meadows terrain. A prime example of this is after doing yo-yo's all day in Newton Canyon and at days end many skiers just drop into Clark Canyon for an easy exit out to the car... even if the canyon is closed.
I didn't know Timberline had a more liberal policy. It was to my understanding that the "climbers ticket" to ride the chairlift was only for climbers. If you were wearing ski's... then you paid the full skiers price... with all the regulations attached (regarding skiing out of bounds, etc.) I also didn't know that Timberline had a free backcountry permit.
Well, for me it is a bit easier since I get the Spring pass at T-line. What I usually do is spend a few hours riding the lifts. At the end of the day, I grab my pack and fill out a back country permit..(these are at the climbers register at the Wy East day lodge) and fill it out. I then ride up Palmer and start hiking. Normally the patrollers never even question you. Once I had one ask to see my permit. and when I showed it to him all he said was "enjoy your trip be safe"
To be honest, I din`t know the particulars of the climbing lift ticket. I think it is valid, even with a pair of skis on. If not, just pack them I would think.
But yes, Timberline is much better for allowing access to the back country than Meadows is. Prime example is dropping into White River Canyon. You can do it from Timberline no problem (with permit) but cannot from Meadows if you rode a chairlift.
To be honest, I din`t know the particulars of the climbing lift ticket. I think it is valid, even with a pair of skis on. If not, just pack them I would think.
But yes, Timberline is much better for allowing access to the back country than Meadows is. Prime example is dropping into White River Canyon. You can do it from Timberline no problem (with permit) but cannot from Meadows if you rode a chairlift.
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