May 1, 2005, Silver Peak, The Last Waltz
5/1/05
WA Snoqualmie Pass
2660
2
We thought about ambitions and drawing new colored lines on computer photos and maps. Then we thought about rare opportunities to re-create history. Boy - tough to choose between the inspiring options. Then we thought about sleeping in, having a leisurely breakfast, and driving about an hour from home nearly to the continuous snow line. Ahh - a no-brainer breaks the deadlock!
Ok, parking in the middle of a clearcut doesn't sound that glorious, but we and the folks having a picnic at the practical end of the 2WD portion of the logging spur enjoyed the panoramic views of the Snoqualmie area peaks that the short trees allowed. Though we were a bit late for skiing from the tailgate at Windy Pass, this was not bad. After a very short ways up the road, we found continuous snow - a 1-3 foot wide ribbon that seemed to go for well over a quarter mile before we headed across well-covered ground toward the usual route into Silver's western basin. With only a bit of ski-wood contact, we were in the basin, enjoying a very lazy climb up the basin, then to the crest of the NW ridge.
Ahh, the views. As others came and went, we practiced our best summit lizarding, despite being too slothful to frankenboot up the short track to the true summit. The views were just fine where we sat.
Finally, we each found a path through the rocks near the ridge crest down to the nicely filled in basin. We learned that the snow in the middle of the basin was nice and firm, compared to the deeper mush on either side. As the angle eased to figure-11 territory, we dropped packs and two of us left a third (more lizarding for her) to repeat the fun.
After slowly regathering our packs and comrade, we poked our way through the sticks and threaded the long 1-3 foot ribbon to a few feet of booting back to our bumper.
It looks like car bumper access to the snow is just about over on this route, but maybe there's a week left for anyone who doesn't mind a little walking to get into the base of the basin.
Ok, parking in the middle of a clearcut doesn't sound that glorious, but we and the folks having a picnic at the practical end of the 2WD portion of the logging spur enjoyed the panoramic views of the Snoqualmie area peaks that the short trees allowed. Though we were a bit late for skiing from the tailgate at Windy Pass, this was not bad. After a very short ways up the road, we found continuous snow - a 1-3 foot wide ribbon that seemed to go for well over a quarter mile before we headed across well-covered ground toward the usual route into Silver's western basin. With only a bit of ski-wood contact, we were in the basin, enjoying a very lazy climb up the basin, then to the crest of the NW ridge.
Ahh, the views. As others came and went, we practiced our best summit lizarding, despite being too slothful to frankenboot up the short track to the true summit. The views were just fine where we sat.
Finally, we each found a path through the rocks near the ridge crest down to the nicely filled in basin. We learned that the snow in the middle of the basin was nice and firm, compared to the deeper mush on either side. As the angle eased to figure-11 territory, we dropped packs and two of us left a third (more lizarding for her) to repeat the fun.
After slowly regathering our packs and comrade, we poked our way through the sticks and threaded the long 1-3 foot ribbon to a few feet of booting back to our bumper.
It looks like car bumper access to the snow is just about over on this route, but maybe there's a week left for anyone who doesn't mind a little walking to get into the base of the basin.
Once again we were same place, different shifts. I parked at what may have been your picnic spot, just before a point on road where someone else made abortive deep ruts in what would have otherwise been skiable snow on the road for about 100 yards. BTW I don't understand the purpose of the rubble heaps left on this road past Windy, they are just big enough to stop normal cars with conscientious drivers making an honest attempt to gain some elevation, and just small enough to encourage the jacked-up crowd to wreck the ditch and foliage on either side of the bump to get around it as they search for more terrain to put ruts in. Whatever.
After looking at it again I think the road isn't necessarily the way to go unless you can truly make it all the way up anyways, the skinning following the clearcut line looked more direct. I'm not particularly hip to where the good runs are here, having been here on skis for first time last Wednesday, so this time on the way up I decided to investigate the vague talk of 'gullies' on previous threads by following a different ascent route. Found down tracks that I followed up one such. As an ascent route this is an awful way to go, steeper and tighter than necessary as contrasted with the other way I'm familiar with, starting in the NNW glades, where you can nearly avoid any kickturns. Starting at 7AM, there was a frozen crust on top here and frozen in tracks, tough skinning, and then steep dicey mush where the sun had hit it. But now I know where to drop in at the top, for next time. And based on more investigation it looks like there are as many as three different points from the two facets of the basin that lead to gullies that funnel variously into the flat old growth above and lookers left from the big clearcut. Most of these still look to go with possible short rock gaps. Woo! But I knew from the way up that at 9 AM the Porridge there was either Too Hot or Too Cold, and so I just went down the NE basin main run, which was perfect right at the top and just starting to soften up thereafter if you deliberately angled it skiers left. Some wind here to help keep snow surface cool. Short yoyo made on best top piece. Views were as you say quite sublime. Met a fellow named 'Tim' (Crossbows, Alpental stickers liberally applied) on way down who said he'd made tracks here on something like 10 of last 14 days, he lives right on the Pass. Now that's stylin'!
Boy did the forecast have it wrong as far as weather or FL, otherwise I might have been planning for a more ambitious tour than Silver again but this was an excellent consolation prize for something that you can go ski in fine conditions and then be back in town by 11 to do family stuff.
After looking at it again I think the road isn't necessarily the way to go unless you can truly make it all the way up anyways, the skinning following the clearcut line looked more direct. I'm not particularly hip to where the good runs are here, having been here on skis for first time last Wednesday, so this time on the way up I decided to investigate the vague talk of 'gullies' on previous threads by following a different ascent route. Found down tracks that I followed up one such. As an ascent route this is an awful way to go, steeper and tighter than necessary as contrasted with the other way I'm familiar with, starting in the NNW glades, where you can nearly avoid any kickturns. Starting at 7AM, there was a frozen crust on top here and frozen in tracks, tough skinning, and then steep dicey mush where the sun had hit it. But now I know where to drop in at the top, for next time. And based on more investigation it looks like there are as many as three different points from the two facets of the basin that lead to gullies that funnel variously into the flat old growth above and lookers left from the big clearcut. Most of these still look to go with possible short rock gaps. Woo! But I knew from the way up that at 9 AM the Porridge there was either Too Hot or Too Cold, and so I just went down the NE basin main run, which was perfect right at the top and just starting to soften up thereafter if you deliberately angled it skiers left. Some wind here to help keep snow surface cool. Short yoyo made on best top piece. Views were as you say quite sublime. Met a fellow named 'Tim' (Crossbows, Alpental stickers liberally applied) on way down who said he'd made tracks here on something like 10 of last 14 days, he lives right on the Pass. Now that's stylin'!
Boy did the forecast have it wrong as far as weather or FL, otherwise I might have been planning for a more ambitious tour than Silver again but this was an excellent consolation prize for something that you can go ski in fine conditions and then be back in town by 11 to do family stuff.
Sounds about right. I saw your tracks out of the bowl down the logging spur. We got a late start and climbed silver via a bushwack from the PCT up the eastern col (hard but fun) and reached the summit around 2:30. We dropped from a point a little higher on the ridge than you guys and took the road back down to the pass. We noticed a sweet chute on the NE ridge, right below the summit that were going back for today. This looks like the good line up there. Hopefully the lack of sun today will make the snow faster. Silver is always fun in the spring.
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