February 15, 2005, Alpental
2/15/05
WA Snoqualmie Pass
2422
2
Just got back from my first visit to Alpental and my first dawn patrol.
Arrived at carpark about 7.00am, two other cars there.
Followed a skin track leading under lifts to skiers left. Skinned up to 1/3 way up highest lift heading up some cliff bands. No idea what it's called. Pressed for time so de-skinned there and skied back to car. Sweet powder up above. Thin below but fantastic start to the day. Not a cloud in the sky, a layer of fog below and freshies ;D :D.Now back at work, feeling energized and good to be alive. I'm now hooked on dawn patrols ;D
Arrived at carpark about 7.00am, two other cars there.
Followed a skin track leading under lifts to skiers left. Skinned up to 1/3 way up highest lift heading up some cliff bands. No idea what it's called. Pressed for time so de-skinned there and skied back to car. Sweet powder up above. Thin below but fantastic start to the day. Not a cloud in the sky, a layer of fog below and freshies ;D :D.Now back at work, feeling energized and good to be alive. I'm now hooked on dawn patrols ;D
It's called Edelweiss chair, or chair 2, both of which are made perfectly clear by the sign on the lift reading "Chair 17."
At the top, incidentally, is the state's runner up for the "icy death ramp" ski lift run-out award. Intermediate snowboarders pile up 3 deep at times.
At the top, incidentally, is the state's runner up for the "icy death ramp" ski lift run-out award. Intermediate snowboarders pile up 3 deep at times.
I'm presuming that you're giving the championship for 'icy death ramp' to Baker's Chair One. When I snowboarded there (and in most ways I'd consider myself intermediate at it) I would have at best 70% success rate at ramps on 1,4/5 and 6 but fortunately the latter 2 have been fixed up since. Then there's the old Thunderbird ramp at Summit - remember that? Whee!
More on topic, went up Alpental this morning 2/17. Sessel was pretty cut up and not that much fun. Lower I had some good spots but more than once I felt myself touch down (though not scrape) on something beneath. Upper I was actually quite windslabbed. But in spots where the slab relented it was nice heavy deep powder, worth the price of admission. The boulder field area was a little spooky, there were some big holes and several surprise 'reverse iceberg' boulders sticking thru. Despite all the tracks down, I still had to make my own uptrack on the Intl side. Good morning exercise I guess.
More on topic, went up Alpental this morning 2/17. Sessel was pretty cut up and not that much fun. Lower I had some good spots but more than once I felt myself touch down (though not scrape) on something beneath. Upper I was actually quite windslabbed. But in spots where the slab relented it was nice heavy deep powder, worth the price of admission. The boulder field area was a little spooky, there were some big holes and several surprise 'reverse iceberg' boulders sticking thru. Despite all the tracks down, I still had to make my own uptrack on the Intl side. Good morning exercise I guess.
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