July 2, 2011, Vesper Peak: still good
7/2/11
WA Cascades West Slopes Central
1050
1
Duncan and I got a ~7:30 start after driving up with Susan. Continuous snow started at the lower lip of Wirtz basin. We elected to boot up because the Wirtz basin snow was the usual popcorn avy debris plus it was firm. We turned the corner and kicked steps up to Headlee Pass as the first hikers of the day. There is a tiny tiny bit of melted out trail just past Headlee, but then it was smooth uphill to the upper basin/lake area and ditto to the top. The upper mountain was a little steep for me to skin but Duncan nailed it. Absolutely beautiful weather and gorgeous views from the top. The ski down Vesper itself and across to Headlee was fantastic: an inch or two of slurpee snow on a firm, consistent base. The tree stands halfway up Vesper were still quite buried such that we could just zip down between them. After booting back up to notch we met a group of 4 sliders and a dog. OK, the chute is mostly in the sun and looks soft. So we dropped in. This was my first down-ski of the approach chute and got my attention. After I realized I was going to be OK, the next challenge was all the avy snow. It was pleasant to be able to ski so low, regardless, and the creek crossing wasn't even that bad. A steep eroded gully now shoots down the ferny hillside and it is a little spicy to cross. A few pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/koelle short up-movie of chute at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ7F0bMjStw