Home > Trip Reports > March 18, 2012, Mt Snoqualmie, Crooked - Circus

March 18, 2012, Mt Snoqualmie, Crooked - Circus

3/18/12
WA Snoqualmie Pass
3216
4
Posted by c.horton on 3/19/12 10:46am
After skiing the Crooked many times and reading this trip report,
http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboarding/trip_reports/index.php?topic=23126.0
we where pysched to ski the circus couloir, if that is it's name.

Started out as a nice morning with sunshine and cold temps. We ran into another party who said they were trying to ski the same run. Weather turned as we reached the top and the clouds and snow set in. Conditions were excellent with powder on top of solid layer a foot down or so. It was clear enough to view the lower part of the crooked as we scoped where to go. after an aborted attempt at bootpacking we skinned up, crossed the top of another chute and we found the circus. conditions were a little softer than higher up and we had great powder all the way down.
We ended up in a lower clearing and had to skin up to the basin below the slot before we found a nice track to follow out. The trees right of the phantom were nice on the upper half. lost the basket on my pole near the bottom, funky conditions and one pole makes for some pretty tough skiing.

no pics, i need a new camera
Thanks for the skintrack up phantom trees, went solo in the afternoon. Chickened out at about 5,000. That was my goal though.

Christian and Mike?

I was the solo skier doing a couple of laps on the phantom side. Kind of funky with the S facing crust but not a bad morning's workout. Quite a bit of snow on the waterfall finish which looks like it will be in shape for quite a while. Glad you got fun turns on the N-side.

Jan

Nice to meet you Jan. The snow was very consistent on the north side, as you said it would be. On the front side we took a line in the trees way skiers right of the uptrack. it was nice up top but turned into thick trees and a few little cliffy bits at the bottom.

my buddy's name is Jeff.

Christian

Me and "solar-X" were the other group of 2 with the same plans. The upper crooked was prefect, but we decided not to explore over the ridge and took the usual hour-glass exit from the crooked. It is well filled in but kind of icyish.  As mentioned the upper phantom was excellent but the lower half was like skiing on wet grout. Also, the waterfall is plenty fat, even if the snow was garbage.
I didn't have my camera so hopefully solar-X will post some photos.
Thanks, you all, for the excellent skin track up!

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c.horton
2012-03-19 17:46:28