Home > Trip Reports > 03.03.13 Snoqualmie Pass

03.03.13 Snoqualmie Pass

3/3/13
WA Snoqualmie Pass
5496
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Posted by cumulus on 3/4/13 5:27am
As has been mentioned, Sunday was quite nice (I imagine today will be too with the added bonus of sun!). 
We skied S, N, and W aspects and they all skied great. Snow quality and stability wasn't so much about aspect as it was about micro-terrain and wind channeling. Lots of wind in the higher regions, coming from the west, north, or backwash from whatever wall or ridge it happened to hit... snow was extremely variable ranging from 3' of powder to wind scoured refrozen snow (ice).
Given the weather extremes from Sat. to Sun. (snow level jumping from 5500' down to 2000')--with at least a foot of new snow overnight--made for a weird mix but a good bond. Still, given the wind with its potential for slab, we proceeded with caution but could not get anything to propagate. Nothing but wonderfully long rivers of sluff...  and super fun skiing!
We tried booting too, it sucked. Trying to find extended sections of Saturdays snowpack that had refrozen sufficiently beneath the new to support one's weight was a challenge.
Great day to be out, skied some fairly steep lines in powder conditions.


first run







getting into the bottom half of the second run on a small steep strip of snow -
rock wall on the left, wind scoured and icy on the right




lower half skied great!


Great to see everyone we ran into!

edit: whoops, wrong day: 03 not 04
Fun to meet you and follow your out track.  It got exciting but skied well!  :)

Gotta go to know! Didn't go, glad for the know! :).

author=S-turns link=topic=27776.msg116775#msg116775 date=1362435310]
Fun to meet you and follow your out track.  It got exciting but skied well!  :)


alright! good to meet you too S (not C...I presume) - that was a fun line. Eyed it from the opposite end of the Commonwealth a while back, first time down for us too
...welcome to TAY!



author=Charlie Hagedorn link=topic=27776.msg116784#msg116784 date=1362440125]
Gotta go to know!


truly! sometimes forecasts can fall flat but this Sunday the Pass delivered much like your coin flipping strategy...

Good meeting you out there cumulus!  Also good to see you got some good turns as well.  Unexpected blower is my favorite type I think.

Looks like some great terrain and conditions!

Hey that looks familar! I was wondering whos tracks those were that i saw today. I was booting up your second run today and was wishing for crampons. No go on the other side of your first run?


author=TBill link=topic=27776.msg116903#msg116903 date=1362545185]
Hey...


when we were heading up I almost expected to run into you since it was my first time there not breaking trail, was wondering who was up ahead, turned out to be Tyler, Brian, Ben who went left while we went right - - -
yep, no go: wind blasted and holding fog. sounds like things have hardened some...

That last picture is great... defines my description of a good time.

Stefan top of first run


Stefan's in there somewhere


Looking back on first run


Second lap


Bottom of second lap

that first shot is moneyy

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03-03-13-snoqualmie-pass
cumulus
2013-03-04 13:27:42