Feb 23 and 24, 2011, Cascade East Slopes
2/15/11
4503
8
With all the new snow on the crest most likely laying atop various weaker layers, Pico and I decided a couple half days close to home were in order. To the east vastly less new snow has fallen over the past two weeks. Some of the less strong storms did not reach eastern slopes at all. Thus we found varying depths of very light and fine powder, depending on wind transport from between 8" and 14". The new laid over one of the firm January crusts. Skiing was great when hitting the deep pockets, with periodic scraping of the crust elsewhere. We had to be a bit cautious looking for both wind scour, and also obstructions that still exist close to the surface. The east slopes need more snow!
Yesterday we had west winds, today fairly strong east winds, so finding the deposited pockets was like putting the pieces of a puzzle together. We really never got on anything steeper than 35 degrees.
Today it got COLD! But it was great to be back in a very familiar area especially when the Cascade Crest puts the fear of death in me!
Yesterday we had west winds, today fairly strong east winds, so finding the deposited pockets was like putting the pieces of a puzzle together. We really never got on anything steeper than 35 degrees.
Today it got COLD! But it was great to be back in a very familiar area especially when the Cascade Crest puts the fear of death in me!
oh cryptic one, the mountains near Blewett Pass need not be referred to as East Slopes.
author=savegondor link=topic=19849.msg84021#msg84021 date=1298583997]
oh cryptic one, the mountains near Blewett Pass need not be referred to as East Slopes.
OK, OK, Savegondor, I know. But certain ones would have my head if I gave too much detail. Just having posted at all is bad enough, mostly it is for family back home and "the guys at work"!
I have to say, being called "oh cryptic one" does have a certain mysterious ring to it....
Oh yeah, I did want to thank you for the recon of the big Chiwaukum cirque by the way. Like everyone else has said, "gotta get in there!"
John
Nice to see it's filling in over there. And thanks for the vagueness, John ;)
Mission Ridge had way more snow than that. I was probing in protected trees today and it was 22-24". In the open, wind deposits were 3' or more in spots. No crust was touched except on steeper convexities exposed to the brutal wind.
Nice spooning in picture #3 -- Nice work Pico and John
Those larches in that zone are always so lonely.
Well I guess I can appreciate some areas with great access being kept on the DL. but my prevailing theory is that there is plenty of terrain...and aside from the slot couloir, i think there isn't any danger of BC moguls anytime soon. if there was every anything people should have been secretive about it would have to be mt. snoqualmie which is in easy striking distance of a million or so untrained skiers with new AT bindings.
I believe he was trying to keep area on the DL to avoid the blocking of access, caused by "untrained" individuals that get their vehicles stuck... ;D
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