March 20, 2005, Crystal Peak
3/20/05
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
2612
4
Met up with Jimjar at the Sumner train station and headed for the closed slopes of Crystal. With average wind speeds in the 20s and max in the mid-high 40s, all that snow has gotta land somewhere. Pulled up to the lot around 9am with a trace of wet snow covering everything. It was blowing and snowing while Jim and I threw our gear together. We were right at the transition zone where the it was snowing but not sticking.
Soon another truck pulled up. Only recognized one them as the guy from Sturtevants. Then Joedabaker and Bill showed up. There was plenty of snow to skin 40ft from our cars. But would there be enough snow to ride back down?. Jim and I made our way to Green Valley while the others went to check out Silver Basin. Curious to see how it was out there. Skin was easy and the snow started off wet but eventually turned into powder with endless amounts of windblown. Lots of wind effect and wind lips scattered about. Wind really picked up on the exposed sections and ridge line up to the summit house. Pretty much the whole front side of Rex was in the wind blast phase, leaving only snow that the anchors were desperately clinging on to. The trees along the way provided much needed shelter. We arrived at the summit, just under 6900ft, at 11:20am. After a break at the top we strapped up and dropped in a 30 degree n-nw facing slope. After a few board cuts we decided it was safe enough to ride. Ankle deep soon turned to boot deep about 15ft down. Some sections were knee deep, thanks to the wind. Visibility was 400ft plus so not really an issue. Lighting was a bit flat so knees were on alert. We rode back down to the saddle on top of Iceberg and made the trek back up to the summit for our run out. On the way up I heard a snowmobile, which worried me. I wondered if the slopes that I wanted to ride had been chewed out? Ummm....
Jim and I took Lucky Shot down. Wind changed directions on us and blew straight up the cat track. Made some fun wind lips to jib and banks to carve. As we made our approach to Pow Pass we came across the craziest of all formations. A 4ft tall wind lip that had divided the cat track into 2 gullies. We both rode over the apex but it killed the speed we soon realized we needed. When I stopped I was too lazy to boot. There would eventually be a reason for this. So I took this ugly stink bug stance while thrusting my body forward. Ah screw it! I popped out and disappeared tit deep in snow. All Jim could do was laugh until he took the plunge. Only waist deep for him. Instead of going any further I just cut a door out of the slope and made the traverse to a suitable drop in. I noticed a single snowmobile track going up the middle but it only went up the first rise.
The wind smoothed out the upper slopes while the lower ones had some gnarly lips to thrash. I watched as Jim dropped in boarders left and shouted as he tore thru knee deep and accepted face shots with arms wide open. I stuck right and found the white room on two sections about 30 degrees. It has been at least a year since I've been able to carve fresh on this side of slope. Normally its a mogul field. Below these sections it was all crusiers as we passed Rex and carried speed thru the cat track. Thanks to snowmobiler for carving out our skin track. Jim and I dropped in and turned, or should I say carefully shifted our boards, when we could on the upper slope and straighted the rest. Snow below the cat track was soft butta. We were able to ride within a hop, skip, and jump away from the car. And no chunks missing from my base this time. Only scraps. I can live with that.
Jim and I had braved the storm and our reward for putting up with high winds, snow, cold, and nearly 3000ft of climbing, a teaser in the valley followed by phat line that I can dry my gear on. ;D
Soon another truck pulled up. Only recognized one them as the guy from Sturtevants. Then Joedabaker and Bill showed up. There was plenty of snow to skin 40ft from our cars. But would there be enough snow to ride back down?. Jim and I made our way to Green Valley while the others went to check out Silver Basin. Curious to see how it was out there. Skin was easy and the snow started off wet but eventually turned into powder with endless amounts of windblown. Lots of wind effect and wind lips scattered about. Wind really picked up on the exposed sections and ridge line up to the summit house. Pretty much the whole front side of Rex was in the wind blast phase, leaving only snow that the anchors were desperately clinging on to. The trees along the way provided much needed shelter. We arrived at the summit, just under 6900ft, at 11:20am. After a break at the top we strapped up and dropped in a 30 degree n-nw facing slope. After a few board cuts we decided it was safe enough to ride. Ankle deep soon turned to boot deep about 15ft down. Some sections were knee deep, thanks to the wind. Visibility was 400ft plus so not really an issue. Lighting was a bit flat so knees were on alert. We rode back down to the saddle on top of Iceberg and made the trek back up to the summit for our run out. On the way up I heard a snowmobile, which worried me. I wondered if the slopes that I wanted to ride had been chewed out? Ummm....
Jim and I took Lucky Shot down. Wind changed directions on us and blew straight up the cat track. Made some fun wind lips to jib and banks to carve. As we made our approach to Pow Pass we came across the craziest of all formations. A 4ft tall wind lip that had divided the cat track into 2 gullies. We both rode over the apex but it killed the speed we soon realized we needed. When I stopped I was too lazy to boot. There would eventually be a reason for this. So I took this ugly stink bug stance while thrusting my body forward. Ah screw it! I popped out and disappeared tit deep in snow. All Jim could do was laugh until he took the plunge. Only waist deep for him. Instead of going any further I just cut a door out of the slope and made the traverse to a suitable drop in. I noticed a single snowmobile track going up the middle but it only went up the first rise.
The wind smoothed out the upper slopes while the lower ones had some gnarly lips to thrash. I watched as Jim dropped in boarders left and shouted as he tore thru knee deep and accepted face shots with arms wide open. I stuck right and found the white room on two sections about 30 degrees. It has been at least a year since I've been able to carve fresh on this side of slope. Normally its a mogul field. Below these sections it was all crusiers as we passed Rex and carried speed thru the cat track. Thanks to snowmobiler for carving out our skin track. Jim and I dropped in and turned, or should I say carefully shifted our boards, when we could on the upper slope and straighted the rest. Snow below the cat track was soft butta. We were able to ride within a hop, skip, and jump away from the car. And no chunks missing from my base this time. Only scraps. I can live with that.
Jim and I had braved the storm and our reward for putting up with high winds, snow, cold, and nearly 3000ft of climbing, a teaser in the valley followed by phat line that I can dry my gear on. ;D
Great report Eric and once again good call on heading to Crystal.
Nice report Snoslut-Good to see you and the Jarman at the base.
Bill and I broke away from the Sturtevants group-they went North Three way and we went up to the base of Silver.
The new snow was really deep-2 to 3ft in some areas. Since I had been skiing here the last several days and the weather was wild our tour decision was based on multiple aspect Hasty pits dug to the ice layer the last several days. The bond to the ice is good, but I don't think it would hold a large load of snow until it settles a day or two. I assessed depth of new snow on the bond created on the old ice layer. My gut feeling was-any new snow over 10 inches could release the weaker bond on slopes over 25 to 30 degrees. Therefore we would avoid the steeper slopes. Since there was 2 to 3 feet of new that really busted the plan for Silver Basin.
My Report-
We ended up making a tour out of the day and skinned thru trees to the North edge of the Lizards Back and back into the Fine Forest down Queens to the car. When we were at Lizards Back heard a very audible sound of boom or snow settling. We discussed if the Highway Dept had been doing any work at Chinook and walked a little further and Bill heard the sound again. At this point the new snow was Three feet deep and dense. We promptly took the skins off and safe skied down to Lake Elizabeth. The skiing was THICK and slow and thankfully uneventful. We skied on the top 8 inches, but knew that if the slope off the Lizard Back would break it would be a big slide. The ski down Queens was slow, but fun. I can't remember the last time I had first tracks on Queens Run. I ran into Bob from the lift maintainence crew (on Sno Mow) at the base of Forest Queen. He was taking snow measurements and he mentioned that Crystal is still in hopes of opening again if there is enough snow. The ski from the base of Forest Queen to the Truck was the best of the day. Good tour for exercise-my mind developed several exercise machines that could be built to emulate the exercise in breaking trail in 2 ft of high density snow -Where was this big white glue snowstorm earlier in the season??
2 inches of snow at my house in Greenwater Monday morning.
Joe
Bill and I broke away from the Sturtevants group-they went North Three way and we went up to the base of Silver.
The new snow was really deep-2 to 3ft in some areas. Since I had been skiing here the last several days and the weather was wild our tour decision was based on multiple aspect Hasty pits dug to the ice layer the last several days. The bond to the ice is good, but I don't think it would hold a large load of snow until it settles a day or two. I assessed depth of new snow on the bond created on the old ice layer. My gut feeling was-any new snow over 10 inches could release the weaker bond on slopes over 25 to 30 degrees. Therefore we would avoid the steeper slopes. Since there was 2 to 3 feet of new that really busted the plan for Silver Basin.
My Report-
We ended up making a tour out of the day and skinned thru trees to the North edge of the Lizards Back and back into the Fine Forest down Queens to the car. When we were at Lizards Back heard a very audible sound of boom or snow settling. We discussed if the Highway Dept had been doing any work at Chinook and walked a little further and Bill heard the sound again. At this point the new snow was Three feet deep and dense. We promptly took the skins off and safe skied down to Lake Elizabeth. The skiing was THICK and slow and thankfully uneventful. We skied on the top 8 inches, but knew that if the slope off the Lizard Back would break it would be a big slide. The ski down Queens was slow, but fun. I can't remember the last time I had first tracks on Queens Run. I ran into Bob from the lift maintainence crew (on Sno Mow) at the base of Forest Queen. He was taking snow measurements and he mentioned that Crystal is still in hopes of opening again if there is enough snow. The ski from the base of Forest Queen to the Truck was the best of the day. Good tour for exercise-my mind developed several exercise machines that could be built to emulate the exercise in breaking trail in 2 ft of high density snow -Where was this big white glue snowstorm earlier in the season??
2 inches of snow at my house in Greenwater Monday morning.
Joe
Yep Joe the snow was sure deep in some places. Glad nothing became of the whoomfs Bill and you heard. We kept our radars on all day in the valley. Since we stayed primarly on cat tracks the danger was low. I'd say the steepiest slope we tackled yesterday was no greater than 30 degrees and if it was greater it wasn't for long before it petered out. Jim and I did manage to board cut the slope. No signs of instablity but with more snow and wind/cross loading I'm in agreement with your assesment.
Thanks for the scout on Silver Basin. I was planning on taking a day off this week to dust the webs off some of those lines. Maybe I'll wait for the sound of settling. Sounds like anything steep and deep is going to be extremely sketch.
BTW did you ever bump into that snowmobiler?
Thanks for the scout on Silver Basin. I was planning on taking a day off this week to dust the webs off some of those lines. Maybe I'll wait for the sound of settling. Sounds like anything steep and deep is going to be extremely sketch.
BTW did you ever bump into that snowmobiler?
Yep Joe the snow was sure deep in some places. Glad nothing became of the whoomfs Bill and you heard. BTW did you ever bump into that snowmobiler?
The possible sounds could have been the thin suncrust layer from Fridays direct sun settling since there was no hoar layer ???
There were at least 3 snowmobilers buzzing around-2 lift maintainence and one running skiers up the hill >:(. The machines gotta take a beating on the dirt at the base area.
While hiking my mind kept thinking that we should have gone your way to the Summit House.
1)Because the Avalanche danger was minimal on the hike up since you were skinning on new snow over dirt.
2) Sets you into the Green Valley bowl from the Top where you can assess the danger. IE..Ski Cut
3) Less of a crowd.
Ohhh-Well-I'm glad you had a great time!!
I did not notice anything sliding even with ski cuts either, but I still was uncomfortable with the extremes that the quick storm presented.
Good to see you and Jim!
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