January 16, 2014, Hyuk
1/16/14
6239
5
Yeah you read that right. Hyuk, as in, yuk. Evidently there are reasons there are no reports from post storm touring in Snoq pass area.
With other areas in use this is the last place to go skin, but the conditions now are just not worth it. Brush and creeks prior to Oly can and then steep ice thereafter. The main run is messed up with trenches from when it was muck. I couldn't skin it, much too slippery so had to boot. Better would have been to go around on roads or Creek Run. Not being able to skin kinda ruined the just-for-the-exercise aspect of the trip, and it's not like it got made up for by a stellar downhill.
Once on top, Hidden Valley side had smoother snow, and turns here were at least decent. If you were there during heart of day it might be corn or Cornish and it was not yet refrozen at 4 PM. Descended front via Creek Run. There was 'grooming' which mostly had made things worse. Somehow making the slope ice rink slippery yet foot-jarring lumpy and clinkery at same time. Better off thrashing the crusts alongside. Started off as OK and tolerable skiing but got more and more survival and what-a-pain-in-the-ass lower down, especially the part past the crossover.
Did this tour 3-4:45 PM and the air temps were warm 40ish, but whatever happened during the day only managed to accomplish any softening over there on the HV side. Also stopped at West just to see what those slopes were like (only viewed not skied). They did surprisingly well to smooth them, but seems like same problem there - it's really mainly ice now and didn't seem like it would be much fun to set edges in. Yeah they tilled and grooved but at the heart of it, that's ice not snow.
With other areas in use this is the last place to go skin, but the conditions now are just not worth it. Brush and creeks prior to Oly can and then steep ice thereafter. The main run is messed up with trenches from when it was muck. I couldn't skin it, much too slippery so had to boot. Better would have been to go around on roads or Creek Run. Not being able to skin kinda ruined the just-for-the-exercise aspect of the trip, and it's not like it got made up for by a stellar downhill.
Once on top, Hidden Valley side had smoother snow, and turns here were at least decent. If you were there during heart of day it might be corn or Cornish and it was not yet refrozen at 4 PM. Descended front via Creek Run. There was 'grooming' which mostly had made things worse. Somehow making the slope ice rink slippery yet foot-jarring lumpy and clinkery at same time. Better off thrashing the crusts alongside. Started off as OK and tolerable skiing but got more and more survival and what-a-pain-in-the-ass lower down, especially the part past the crossover.
Did this tour 3-4:45 PM and the air temps were warm 40ish, but whatever happened during the day only managed to accomplish any softening over there on the HV side. Also stopped at West just to see what those slopes were like (only viewed not skied). They did surprisingly well to smooth them, but seems like same problem there - it's really mainly ice now and didn't seem like it would be much fun to set edges in. Yeah they tilled and grooved but at the heart of it, that's ice not snow.
Someone had to do it. Thanks for reporting back on the outing.
I can personally attest conditions did not improve after the sunset. A very pleasant evening to be out nonetheless though.
I did a dawn patrol on Hyak on Thursday between 6:30 am and 8 am. Opted for the cross country trail to climber's right of the Oly can, which had been plowed, but even there it was shallow and refrozen with open streams. Saw a lone coyote, heard a larger pack close by the trail.
I made half-a-go at Pineapple pass across the way, similar results. Very little is not worth skiing, but this chewed-up, concrete rain-crust is in that category.
I took a little adventure ski starting from Silver Fir to check things out. I started from the nordic trails Silver Streak to Grand Junction to White Rabbit, and then I tried to ski the upper cross over. Things were nicely groomed on the nordic trails, but once I got to the cross over it was all crusty lumpy. It was warm enough that the snow softened a bit. Wasn't too hard to make careful turns, but it was tedious to get back to Hyak including two creek crossings. Should have stayed on the FS from Grand Junction.
The open nordic trails are nicely groomed. Even the road up Hyak face was groomed for nordic so that might be the route to take for a more enjoyable tour and ski. Creek Run looks sad. So many open holes and thin snow.
The open nordic trails are nicely groomed. Even the road up Hyak face was groomed for nordic so that might be the route to take for a more enjoyable tour and ski. Creek Run looks sad. So many open holes and thin snow.
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