Home > Trip Reports > May 12, 2012, Pollen @ Alpental

May 12, 2012, Pollen @ Alpental

5/12/12
WA Snoqualmie Pass
4563
9
Posted by wolfs on 5/13/12 3:28am
Quick note for any before and after work tourers next week: there's definitely some obnoxius pollen on the lower slopes of Alpental. Corn was quite good until perhaps 100 vert above the guntower and rock middle of Debbies. But then, telltale sudden stickiness. Upon reaching bottom, ski bases were sticky and practically hairy with black goo. It was like I had just skied the Black Lagoon. Time to wax on, wax off.

Only went to midstation; the bumps on the first pitch up C2 didn't look inviting, but probably there's smoother slopes above that. I'll probably find out for myself sometime this week if there's decent weather.

I started late; 3:30 PM. Not many out at that hour, or perhaps most had more ambitious plans for such a nice weekend day. My excuse was it was dual sport day, was roped by my buddies into playing a round of golf (not my best or favorite sport). Since course was in Snoqualmie Valley, figured hell I am half way there, I'll pack the clubs AND a light tour kit. Not as impressive a dual sport endeavor as surfing/skiing, or Jason H's monumental Ptarmigan Ptriangle by skis bike and kayak. All I can say is that my two sports did use different muscles, and we did walk the course rather than cart it ... so i don't have to post under lift accessed golf section.
Pollen or grease?

After our Mother's Day ski this morning we all had an unhealthy coating of slime on our bases.  I figured it was grease, but I could be wrong.

I have a theory that ski area slopes in spring have a film of grease from months of grooming machine traffic. I think it concentrates on the surface as the snow melts. It seems like I always end up with gummed up bases (and skins) after skinning up ski areas this time of year, regardless of whether the pollen season has arrived anywhere else. My skis were clean after a day along the North Cascades highway yesterday, including a pretty long section of forest.

Somebody needs do a tour in Commonweath Basin right now to test the theory.  ;)

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p.s. Rollen and other slopes beneath Chair 2 were mushy when we descended around noon today. Not nearly as much fun as the previously groomed stuff on Debbie's Gold.

Never mind. I just cleaned up my skis and it's definitely pollen.

I do think there's something about ski areas that results in more greasy/dirty snow. But pollen is the main culprit at Alpental right now.

We were some of Gib's disobedient culprits Monday skiing at Alpental.  Same thing then - very sticky bases that needed to be cleaned.

Skied Crystal today for Mother's Day - sticky snow there from warm temps, but also dirty and sticky down low from pollen.  On the plus side - lots of bikini action on all slopes. 


After one lap at Alpental on Saturday morning my skis had a coating of gunk like I'd never seen. My sinus's and lungs had that same gunk that I thought was a cold or virus, I guess it's better to know it's just super strength 'Pass pollen'. This warrants a mid week twilight lap to recheck the pollen content.

Ditto on the pollen mess. Off chair 2 yesterday the pollen was not so bad except the heavy wet snow was unworthy of repeating today. Lapped chair one twice today (much more fun having been groomed last weekend) although I cleaned my bases this morning before leaving it didn't help.

I suggest Rain X wipes if you make laps. Clean them good once on top then wax them up for the descent.

Good thing about Alpental is it's proximity to home when one has family obligations two nights in a row and safe for a solo tour with the said avy warnings.
Today however I had a partner which kept me amused with his humor.

Nice to see you and the family today Lowell and nice to meet Greg!

In addition I did hear Nash was worthy with a descent into Fellsen yesterday. Some avy debris mid upper Nash can be skirted on the right side.

The goo at Snoqualmie pass is thicker than anywhere, my theory is diesel soot from I-90.

Environmental controls on those groomers is likely pretty strict.  I could imagine a cumulative ski wax affect though where all the skiers all winter long lay down a lot of wax which then falls to the "water table" in the spring snow (the saturated portion) and then that smear zone eventually surfaces when it melts out enough.  I'm guessing the volumes wouldn't work out right, but it's food for though.  Obviously this mystery has already been solved as pollen though.

The pollen and dirt seem especially bad on the lowest ~300vert. 

Upper Nash skied well on Saturday, with Felsen skiing much better than the lap down Lower I.  Sunday was definitely warmer and the mush factor was higher much earlier in the day. Overall better consolidation on the lower mountain with the remnants of the groomers still rippable.  High convenience factor kept me close to home as well.

I think Lowell is on the right "cat track" except the biggest problem on Sessel is it being a race zone, so I think your pollen is actually old wax along with grime, fuzz, hair, beer, etc (kind of like skiing the trees in the bc where later in the season the debris gets thicker and thicker as the snow melts out until you are skiing a carpet of leaves, moss, and bark)... I can ski off the Alpental area one day with totally clean bases then hit a lap down Alpental the next day and have to break out the Swix base cleaner. I have been listening to this type of thread for many years now and have done my on controlled tests since then(usually 5 days a week through the month of June). Yes, there is pollen out there, some years being worse than others, but I haven't had any issues in the bc so far this spring.

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may-12-2012-pollen-alpental
wolfs
2012-05-13 10:28:20