Home > Trip Reports > Jan 16/17, Mt Larrabee

Jan 16/17, Mt Larrabee

1/16/13
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Posted by bramski on 1/18/13 8:06am
Matt and I spent Wednesday and Friday seeing and exploring an area of the Cascades I'd as of yet been to.  We spent two good days (man it is a long skin up that road!) and hit the top of Mt Larrabee about 1pm on the second day.  We'd hoped for some more corny conditions on the sun exposed south face, but alas most of the lines on the S face have slid, leaving the SW face the only item in condition at the moment.

Turns from the top of the mountain were firm and rimey but fun and steep as we descended into the nice SW Colouir and over the S shoulder and found a few buttery turns into the Larrabee basin.  Lots of wind blown powder all around the Winchester Lookout and full combat skiing from the Lookout all the way back to the car.  The lower basin is in pretty nasty shape with avalanche debris and tons of snowmobile tracks.  Still, a beautiful outing with a lovely night alone at the lookout with amazing weather to keep us company.


Enjoying great views in the Larrabee basin.


Steep lines dropping in between the rock buttress of the SW face.


Larrabee as seen from near the Winchester.


Preparing for the final descent into nasty skiing in the lower valley at sunset.
Sounds like a great trip! Good work. I'm not familiar with this area, where might it be, if you don't mind my asking?

Thanks for sharing!  Been eyeing this one for a while now.  Dreading the skin up the road.  Some things I've been curious about... Did you park at DoT?  Is there any arrangement to be made there?  Did you follow the summer trail route from Winchester to Larabee?

combat skiing :)

Well done, I've been waiting til spring to head out there. One of my favorite areas. Jealous

Nice Bram, your making a good go of your return to the NW!  hope i can make it next trip. 

Full pics, topo and elevation profiles here on picasa:

https://picasaweb.google.com/107061409601644756307/MtLarrabee

We parked just past twin lakes road on a small turnout before the switchback to the ski resort.  No arrangements necessary, just a forest pass and then a 5 minute walk up the road to the "shuksan" and a large plow in where all the snowmachines start from.

We tried the summer route to Larrabee and it doesn't go.  Ski fall line NW from the hut into the basin, and travers-a-late to "low point" and across the "high point" to the Larrabee basin.  Winchester down to twin lakes is a little nasty with the tree bombs and avalanche debris.

Skin up the road is a bit nasty, 7 miles to the winchester of mind-numbing flatness.  The enjoyableness of the lookout and the location make up for it though.  Didn't really ski out that well though as we skiied out at 5pm over frozen snowmobile chundry which has the friction coefficient of teenage acne.

Weird. I was up at Winchester tuesday, which was I think the first day it went from fluff to schmoo, and was surprised to find no signs of snowmobiles whatsoever.  All I had to grumble about was a couple of guys who had spent 4 nights at the lookout and tracked the place out :)
Nice work, I was eying Larabee myself but just had a day out!

We were up the weekend before during prime ski conditions, 12"+ of unconsolidated low density snow on top of increasing density base made for excellent turns.  The windslab and evidence of recent slide activity on steeps at higher elevations kept us from a Larrabee attempt. Two days and one brisk night (highs in the mid teens) gave us ample time to ski just about every line we could above the lakes  ;). Put the track in from 542 with no signs of snowmo activity all weekend-a big surprise considering how quality the conditions were. Evidence:


Fluff crushing:


Can't beat high pressure in the North Cascades:


I LIKE IT (all)!

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jan-16-17-mt-larrabee
bramski
2013-01-18 16:06:14