February 14, 2005, Alpental
2/14/05
WA Snoqualmie Pass
2568
3
Wanna-be dawn patrol earlier this morning. Went up to the base of Edelweiss and turned around due to lack of time and partner. Thought for sure I'd have some company, but I didn't see a soul. It was snowing on and off with about 4-5" of new on the ground up around the traverse and above - very fluffy stuff too. Around 8 am it started to dump, I mean dump! It tappered off by the time I was down, but wow it was coming down hard for a short time. Skiied back to the top of the quad, then traversed to Dom (?). Fast, soft, knee deep fluff. Wanted a couple more but had to go. If it stays cold Stokes Bowl, the Tooth and up around Chair should be good - about time? Stability? Obviously not a big concern where I was, but the new stuff seems cold and unconsolidated where it fell without wind. Bit of a melt freeze crust between last storm's snow and new - not sure of the bond.
Thanks for breaking trail! We left the lot ~8:45 and it was still puking. Things cleared up about 2/3 of the way up Chair 1 and it was plainly obvious that we were in the right place at the right time. Saw your voluptuous tracks in Edelweiss, and resisted the urge to de-skin right there and gobble up what was left (and there was a LOT left). Dug a pit at the top of UI, just under the cliffs, and confirmed the obvious ... yess, indeed, it was time to ski. And ski we did, 2000+ vert of blower fluff, with a few rocks thrown in for good measure. I think that counts as my best run of the season... I've got that after-pow glow, and I think my coworkers are suspicious.
I'll third that, a group of 3 that end up being 7 toured up the I-5 size of skin track to the top of chair two via Gunmount. Looked into Upper Nash and was clean(except for two other boarder tracks) and well covered with 16" of new. Alpental Cory dug a pit before we dropped in ( we wanted to ski it real bad.) We found a 16" fresh on top of a 1 " sun layer and then the 10" from last weekend. All in all the bonding look O.K. But I dropped in on the steeper entrance and got a little sluff to go but only ran about 50'. After sking it, we all said it was one of the best run down Nash we had ever had. Descent coverage but skiable all the way back to the parking lot. Sking powder, with friends, and turning 30 yrs old today is all a guy can ask for. Well got to go or I'll be late for V-Day date. B-rad
I must confess first tracks this morning, Tony. I, too, was surprised at my solitude.
It was snowing lightly at my house in Snoqualmie at 4:45 am when I left. I slide it into 4 wheel drive after negotiating the driveway, in anticipation of a light convergence, and the radar didn't lie, it was white all the way up the hill. Despite the grass still showing at Exit 42, it looks to be a good day. The croon of "I am The Matador" throbs through the system and livens a very cold night, this is good, I think, and lends well to the falling snow.
The drive to Exit 52 is uneventful, just the way I like it. My snowboard is already packed on the pack and I listen to "You'll Suffer" as an aperitif through rolled down windows as I put on my shoes for the climb. I leave the lot at 5:45 with my Mag light in my pocket, just following the lights from the conveniently placed spot lights on the Alpental maintenance shacks.
The new snow from Sunday lends a very fine base to the light and dry stuff now falling and the up-track directly to the Quad run is now barely discernable. Ironically the flashlight lends perfect shadows, I find so my footsteps from Sunday are soon leaping out of the snow like letters written in invisible ink. I cruise the lower section and am at the funnel in no time, down to polypro by the plateau.
Breaking trail was cake as the light and dry calved apart in front of me in a pleasurable slough. At the midway point it was almost light enough to see, but still dark enough that a light was needed. I put my light away and squandered the light provided by man, sailing past the top of the Quad. Once past the Quad, night rallied one last time and I inked out the path with my Maglight, thoroughly enjoying daylight as 7 am neared.
Above the midway, the crux was filling in nicely, the new 5" was very light and mixed well with the cold, dry pow from yesterday. The snow just screamed to ski International, but alas, I was alone, and bird-in-the-hand seems to be the name of the game this season.
I summited at 7:25 am. Not blistering fast, but respectable, for a working stiff and breaking trail solo, in the dark, I might remind you.
By some freak of Nature a pocket of the sunrise poked through the random showers and the top of Denny peak, Snoqualmie Mountain across the way, and even Red were splashed in orange and red. And my descent was lit up like Christmas morning in cold powder crystal reflections, beckoning.
I ripped into the upper snowfields in quick, thoughtful bursts, spraying powder down the Chute to see if I could get anything to go. I dropped another turn and splashed the center - still nothing, so I fell into the fall line and skied from edge to edge like the Bruce rolling with the terrain yet turn, turn, turning in fast, playful snippets.
Lower down I used my up-track to glide past the streambed and lickety-split I was on Debbie's Gold. Superb powder from here and still no-one. I made the traverse to Sessal and enjoyed big, fast turns right down to the bridge. Where I saw one up-track - a skier - and knew from the Pick up that Tony and I passed like ships in the night.
Or morning.
It was snowing lightly at my house in Snoqualmie at 4:45 am when I left. I slide it into 4 wheel drive after negotiating the driveway, in anticipation of a light convergence, and the radar didn't lie, it was white all the way up the hill. Despite the grass still showing at Exit 42, it looks to be a good day. The croon of "I am The Matador" throbs through the system and livens a very cold night, this is good, I think, and lends well to the falling snow.
The drive to Exit 52 is uneventful, just the way I like it. My snowboard is already packed on the pack and I listen to "You'll Suffer" as an aperitif through rolled down windows as I put on my shoes for the climb. I leave the lot at 5:45 with my Mag light in my pocket, just following the lights from the conveniently placed spot lights on the Alpental maintenance shacks.
The new snow from Sunday lends a very fine base to the light and dry stuff now falling and the up-track directly to the Quad run is now barely discernable. Ironically the flashlight lends perfect shadows, I find so my footsteps from Sunday are soon leaping out of the snow like letters written in invisible ink. I cruise the lower section and am at the funnel in no time, down to polypro by the plateau.
Breaking trail was cake as the light and dry calved apart in front of me in a pleasurable slough. At the midway point it was almost light enough to see, but still dark enough that a light was needed. I put my light away and squandered the light provided by man, sailing past the top of the Quad. Once past the Quad, night rallied one last time and I inked out the path with my Maglight, thoroughly enjoying daylight as 7 am neared.
Above the midway, the crux was filling in nicely, the new 5" was very light and mixed well with the cold, dry pow from yesterday. The snow just screamed to ski International, but alas, I was alone, and bird-in-the-hand seems to be the name of the game this season.
I summited at 7:25 am. Not blistering fast, but respectable, for a working stiff and breaking trail solo, in the dark, I might remind you.
By some freak of Nature a pocket of the sunrise poked through the random showers and the top of Denny peak, Snoqualmie Mountain across the way, and even Red were splashed in orange and red. And my descent was lit up like Christmas morning in cold powder crystal reflections, beckoning.
I ripped into the upper snowfields in quick, thoughtful bursts, spraying powder down the Chute to see if I could get anything to go. I dropped another turn and splashed the center - still nothing, so I fell into the fall line and skied from edge to edge like the Bruce rolling with the terrain yet turn, turn, turning in fast, playful snippets.
Lower down I used my up-track to glide past the streambed and lickety-split I was on Debbie's Gold. Superb powder from here and still no-one. I made the traverse to Sessal and enjoyed big, fast turns right down to the bridge. Where I saw one up-track - a skier - and knew from the Pick up that Tony and I passed like ships in the night.
Or morning.
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