Febuary 18, 2011, Crystal Lakes Powder

The Beach....really you guys ski the beach.The beach.......................I don't think that's the beach....but just in case.....really ,the beach!!!!

author=FreeBird link=topic=19683.msg83631#msg83631 date=1298137270]
Thanks for the skin track up Crystal Peak whoever put it in...Great day with great people :)

Your welcome!!
Sorry we put 1st tracks in the chute you filmed, we did our best to stabilize it for you guys.  ;)
The day before was the best tour I've had in a long time, not a soul around, the lighting was wonderful, moderate snow and blue sky at the same time.
We paid the price because we had to break trail in pretty deep pow. Glad the trail worked for you.
I have that main chute on vid too need figure out how to post it. That was the deepest and steepest line I think we ever skied without it sliding.

author=Joedabaker link=topic=19683.msg83666#msg83666 date=1298221016]
Sorry we put 1st tracks in the chute you filmed, we did our best to stabilize it for you guys.  ;)

The wind did a good job of filling in the tracks ;)  Couldn't tell any one had skied it until the choke...
I thought, why would they skin all the way up here and not ski it...Maybe the large cornice scared them?
It was the seconded deepest I've skied it...Here is some video from 2 seasons ago of Tara skiing it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qIbbhuQSZQ

Joe is there a sun crust out there now?
What are you up to on Monday? 

author=eskinmo link=topic=19683.msg83664#msg83664 date=1298220644]
The Beach....really you guys ski the beach.The beach.......................I don't think that's the beach....but just in case.....really ,the beach!!!!

There's no powder on the beach ;)

author=FreeBird link=topic=19683.msg83668#msg83668 date=1298223059]
Joe is there a sun crust out there now?
What are you up to on Monday? 

I'm open on Monday.
The sun just blasted Crystal Lakes basin yesterday, maybe some proto corn out there today when it melts, but we need another cycle and hope for a good bond. The peak proper would still be a great ski, there were a couple lines I wanted to hit on the left, but I only have the legs for one cycle. We skied it pretty systematically, discussing the slide potential as we went down, rather than a one shot run, we were concerned more for our safety than just having one sweet fall line run. Been in to many slides now to not justify a safe ski verses just going for it.  ;)

author=Joedabaker link=topic=19683.msg83672#msg83672 date=1298223999]
We skied it pretty systematically, discussing the slide potential as we went down, rather than a one shot run, we were concerned more for our safety than just having one sweet fall line run. Been in to many slides now to not justify a safe ski verses just going for it.  ;)

Are you saying I just went for it? ::)  Your probably right...I did look over my shoulder before committing to the choke ;D

author=FreeBird link=topic=19683.msg83673#msg83673 date=1298224835]
Are you saying I just went for it? ::)  Your probably right...I did look over my shoulder before committing to the choke ;D

Uhmm...Maybe, but it may have settled even more in one day and what we skied was more or less deep with surface movement. But you never know that is, just haunting memories coming back. Either way IT WAS AMAAAZZZING!!!!!

Mary and I skied the same line yesterday for the first time following some faint tracks into the main chute.  However, there had been a fairly large slide that ran all the way to the bottom and appeared to have been triggered by a skier whose tracks went off to the side into the trees.   We had already committed to the run and skied the debris  >:(, at least knowing it was safe.

We had crossed the upper basin from the ridge on the other side, not wanting to drop off the cornice.  That whole upper basin seemed sketchy the way it rolls off into the avy chutes.  From the Throne traverse, it looks like there are two main chutes, and we must have skied the one to the skiers right.  Is the one to the left the main run called "Shoestring"?  Not having been up there before, the entrance wasn't obvious and we followed the tracks we spotted.

On Sat, we skied a N facing chute off the unnamed peak above Sheep lake, great line and conditions.  Great weekend to be out!

PS:  by yesterday, the slopes down to Crystal Lake from the King were getting sun affected and developing a crust.