February 12, 2012, Kendall Ridge mank
2/12/12
WA Snoqualmie Pass
2895
2
The subject sums it up nicely. Toured up Commonwealth Basin and then up through the forest to Kendall Ridge. Broke out into some nice sun just below the ridge.
The descent was brutal on skiers (one skier we encountered during our ascent characterized it as gruesome). Extremely heavy and grabby - we all felt like we needed to wax our boards and skis (it was the snow...) A snowboard definitely helped - I actually rather enjoyed it (I ride a 165 cm splitboard) , though I think Stevens would've been a better choice.
Stability was good, as was the coverage.
Jason
The descent was brutal on skiers (one skier we encountered during our ascent characterized it as gruesome). Extremely heavy and grabby - we all felt like we needed to wax our boards and skis (it was the snow...) A snowboard definitely helped - I actually rather enjoyed it (I ride a 165 cm splitboard) , though I think Stevens would've been a better choice.
Stability was good, as was the coverage.
Jason
Crack of noon start, after fine snow safety instruction at the WAC from guest Forest McBrian. Toured from Commonwealth to Hyak, with return on the lifts. Travel was fast; well-hammered uptrack and well packed road to Gold Creek made it easy. Rain/warming crust all elevations/aspects up to ~4+k, clearings too (not tree drips). Half inch of new in the higher reaches. Skiing was breakable on the S side, but not abysmal. Less breakable under drippy trees. Groomers skied better on the way back. ~3:15 round trip went faster than expected, even with an unnecessary lap on Wildside. Would be faster when refrozen and with shorter lift lines.
Humid, warm-ish, foggy. Heli rescue flight was impressive, skimming right at the base of the clouds.
Creeks were more open than expected. Bridges are seemingly either large or gone. It's another one of those years.
Humid, warm-ish, foggy. Heli rescue flight was impressive, skimming right at the base of the clouds.
Creeks were more open than expected. Bridges are seemingly either large or gone. It's another one of those years.
Was up on the standard Stump tour late afternoon the 12th. The snow that has exposure to the sun in the small trees and clearcuts of a typical Stump run, I would not have characterized as mank. At least not at that point of the day on Sunday. It was unexpectedly springlike snow: wettish, big grains. Judged by the measure of spring snow it was decent. Usually it wasn't particularly bottomless. In the best sections, there was enough of a partway down but dissolving crust to keep soft stuff on top and prevent sinking down either into trap crust or isothermic abyss. Best were areas that had support from previous but now softened wind crusts, in areas where there was a ridge convexity. Worse were areas down towards Kendall Lakes and upper Coal Ck with E facing, these were trappy (had originally intended a Stump/Lakes combotour but bailed and went back up Stump.)
Agree about humidity, day felt warm but also wet. Brushing by any little tree would result in a soaking as the trees had all harvested a healthy load of fogwater. Good sweat-it-out exercise, had nicely routed existing skintrack to follow which really helped for efficiency of travel.
Agree about humidity, day felt warm but also wet. Brushing by any little tree would result in a soaking as the trees had all harvested a healthy load of fogwater. Good sweat-it-out exercise, had nicely routed existing skintrack to follow which really helped for efficiency of travel.
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