December 5, 2004, Jim Hill Mountain
12/5/04
6992
18
what the Jim Hell....where's the snow? ???
there was about 3-inches of nice fluff when we arrived. the thought of fresh pow got me excited. we (Allyson, Corinne, Michael and i) donned skis at ~2900 ft. and proceeded to climb up the logging road. when the coverage is good, it's usually a straightforward approach from the logging road up the east side of Henry Creek (modulo the minor bush whacking) . but the coverage was slim in the woods and we decided to continue skinning up the road to gain some vertical in hopes of finding more favorable conditions. when the road ended at ~3700 ft., we shouldered our skis and entered the woods. we fought our way through thick alder, large patches of devils club (ouch, my eye!) and fallen trees. 1.5 hours later, my altimeter reads 3900 ft! what the Jim Hell!? only 200 vf.!? it was pointless to continue, so we all sat on a log, ate our lunch and picked the thorns out of our Gore-tex gear. well at least the ski down on the road was fun. the snow was nice and fluffy, a mix of new crystals with some groupel. Michael got enough speed to make one turn and i made a beautiful set of long powder "11"s back to HWY 2.
-kam
there was about 3-inches of nice fluff when we arrived. the thought of fresh pow got me excited. we (Allyson, Corinne, Michael and i) donned skis at ~2900 ft. and proceeded to climb up the logging road. when the coverage is good, it's usually a straightforward approach from the logging road up the east side of Henry Creek (modulo the minor bush whacking) . but the coverage was slim in the woods and we decided to continue skinning up the road to gain some vertical in hopes of finding more favorable conditions. when the road ended at ~3700 ft., we shouldered our skis and entered the woods. we fought our way through thick alder, large patches of devils club (ouch, my eye!) and fallen trees. 1.5 hours later, my altimeter reads 3900 ft! what the Jim Hell!? only 200 vf.!? it was pointless to continue, so we all sat on a log, ate our lunch and picked the thorns out of our Gore-tex gear. well at least the ski down on the road was fun. the snow was nice and fluffy, a mix of new crystals with some groupel. Michael got enough speed to make one turn and i made a beautiful set of long powder "11"s back to HWY 2.
-kam
Looks like a great outing ??? I know you enjoy bush-whacking and all, but what the Jim Hell were you thinking!? ;)
You didn't miss much at Rainy Pass; just soft and fluffy knee-deep powder and no brush ;D
--Cass(hole)
You didn't miss much at Rainy Pass; just soft and fluffy knee-deep powder and no brush ;D
--Cass(hole)
I actually asked Elisa if we should join you guys (not knowing who it was but seeing the car parked at the
pull-out). I thought the road might be fun.
We managed to make some decent turns at the ski area.
Just a quicky on the way home from Wenatchee.
pull-out). I thought the road might be fun.
We managed to make some decent turns at the ski area.
Just a quicky on the way home from Wenatchee.
that was Michael and Corinne's white VW. you two were smart to ski the resort. the same idea crossed our minds on our drive back to Seattle. oh well, it was still fun to "walk" in the woods and get some fresh air.
how was the snow at Stevens? i bet it was fluffy. lucky.
-kam
how was the snow at Stevens? i bet it was fluffy. lucky.
-kam
Snow at Steven's was fluffy. There was 20" at the measuring station on top of Daisy Chair. I think last week there was 10". Snow was fluff. Real powder.
Just a bit unnerving with the low coverage.
Pretty much the path of least resistance is to skin up to Tye/Mill pass. Lots of folks with the same idea but still fresh tracks were found.
Just a bit unnerving with the low coverage.
Pretty much the path of least resistance is to skin up to Tye/Mill pass. Lots of folks with the same idea but still fresh tracks were found.
We hit the ski area too... the snow was awesome - fluffy powder, first faceshots of the season, no wind affect. Just had to pick the right lines to avoid rocks/stumps.
the snow was awesome - fluffy powder, first faceshots of the season, no wind affect...
lucky.
the four of us were dying to get up high to take advantage of the fluff, especially considering the low freezing level. we suspected that there was minimal wind effect too. boy, those new crystals were pretty under a magnifying glass... ;D
I don't know who the would-be skier is in the photo, but the choices of skis (Trab) and bindings (Dynafit) are good ones ;) And the photo explains the name of Jim Hell.
that picture reminds me of the time I tried to go to Yodelin too early in the season
it seems I didn't miss much after all...
Good.
Good.
that picture reminds me of the time I tried to go to Yodelin too early in the season
I did the same early season Jim Hill trip a few years ago - alder maddness. Of course I didn't learn since I went with Bud on his Yodelin trip as well. I'd like to think I know better now, but I'd only be fooling myself. ;)
I don't know who the would-be skier is in the photo, but the choices of skis (Trab) and bindings (Dynafit) are good ones ;)
the skier is Michael T. Trab skis are more common in Europe (Michael's home land). i'm sure he'll chime in soon about how much he likes his super-light AT setup.
Russ: there's plenty of alder up there, but it wasn't the problem. the most annoying is the devils club. because of the lack of snow, it was everywhere (ouch, my eye).
Don't think you're the only winner, Kam.
With over 30 inches at Paridise last Sunday we still managed to do nearly as well as you, in finding the least covered areas with the most bushwhacking points available for the area.
With over 30 inches at Paridise last Sunday we still managed to do nearly as well as you, in finding the least covered areas with the most bushwhacking points available for the area.
Lovin that bushwackin, oh well at least we all were out there doing something! 8)
Lovin that bushwackin, oh well at least we all were out there doing something! 8)
Yep, a little bushwackin is always good for the soul, but I had a great time trying out some new gear. 8) Was able to get a short sweet dance in though, and it was a goodie, (guess who didn't fall down) ;D
I don't know who the would-be skier is in the photo, but the choices of skis (Trab) and bindings (Dynafit) are good ones ;)
Sorry - only reading this now. This work thing has kept me pretty busy this week... >:(
Wow, BrentH, I am impressed: you must be a detective to see these details on this picture!!!
Yeah, this is indeed a great setup. The Trabs are super light but still really good to ski. An amazing ski...and no - I am not sponsored by Trab :) (Their models from 4-5 years ago had some serious structural problems, but they seem to be fixed now).
I'm not a detective, Michael. That's the exact set-up I ski, and I like it! If you look hard at http://www.turns-all-year.com/indexyrsimages/hostetlerb/pho.html you'll recognize my Trab Piuma Sintesis. My technical skiing is intermediate level. The skis do everything I ask and are delightfully light on the uphill. The newest model Dynafit binding is a good one. Happy skiing!
Nice. Yes I do recognize the Trab Sintesi. Did you buy them in Europe?
European (French) Internet retailer. http://www.telemark-pyrenees.com/
Reply to this TR
Please login first: