February 9, 2014, Snoqualmie Pass
2/9/14
WA Snoqualmie Pass
2845
2
A brushy trip up the Stump as a part of the WAC Backcountry Ski course. In short, it's still rather brushy. Another 2' of base would bring it into good condition.
Atop the stump, the overnight ~6" of new neatly buried all the curiosities the wind had created, leaving only pole tests to find the windslabs, scour, and pow. Precip came down as freezing mist in addition to snow for much of the day, adding a zipper crust to the surface. Above ~3.5k, the zipper crust was a double crust, with the two layers easily separable, like mica. It may make a novel weak layer for a little while.
No serious instabilities observed. Couldn't make any test slopes move, but not for lack of trying.
Skiing through the old growth beside the clearcut was good, if a little heavy. The crust wasn't crusty enough to be hooky. On the short steep slope below the uppermost rock outcropping, the top 6" ran easily as sluffs. Great students and co-instructor made the best of tricky brush on the way back to the PCT. Dare I say that we even had fun?
Give it time, but skiing is good.
Atop the stump, the overnight ~6" of new neatly buried all the curiosities the wind had created, leaving only pole tests to find the windslabs, scour, and pow. Precip came down as freezing mist in addition to snow for much of the day, adding a zipper crust to the surface. Above ~3.5k, the zipper crust was a double crust, with the two layers easily separable, like mica. It may make a novel weak layer for a little while.
No serious instabilities observed. Couldn't make any test slopes move, but not for lack of trying.
Skiing through the old growth beside the clearcut was good, if a little heavy. The crust wasn't crusty enough to be hooky. On the short steep slope below the uppermost rock outcropping, the top 6" ran easily as sluffs. Great students and co-instructor made the best of tricky brush on the way back to the PCT. Dare I say that we even had fun?
Give it time, but skiing is good.
I was up there later in day, was wondering what army had left all those tracks at the top, and how they got there, when I hadn't seen a continuous skin track until I was 90% to the top on the wraparound road. I went up via the Yellowstone Road way. I believe that the clock (calendar?) is ticking on how much longer going that way is viable. The lower half once reaching the clearcut line, especially nearer Coal Creek, keeps getting more and more filled in with medium size trees that are choking off both ski shots and reasonable skinning lines. Shenanigans in trying to get up this (utilizing a less than optimal snowshoe route as basis) caused the ascent to take 40 minutes longer than I am used to. Very brushy still with hooped alder.
Managed to avoid freezing mist, and got a bit of clearing above 5K so could see Kendall and nearby peaks. Was pretty disappointed in how heavy the snow was. Why? The day before at Hyak (lower) the snow wasn't like that, it was much silkier. And temps had barely gone above 20, with no real direct sun happening. So what weather effect gummed the snow up like that? Particularly when people at Alpy were reporting nice light snow in the BC?
Managed to avoid freezing mist, and got a bit of clearing above 5K so could see Kendall and nearby peaks. Was pretty disappointed in how heavy the snow was. Why? The day before at Hyak (lower) the snow wasn't like that, it was much silkier. And temps had barely gone above 20, with no real direct sun happening. So what weather effect gummed the snow up like that? Particularly when people at Alpy were reporting nice light snow in the BC?
We were xc skiing nearby, along Gold Creek yesterday afternoon. It appeared that there had been some freezing rain earlier yesterday.
Yeah, those wide open clearcut slopes that you used to be able to ski at will on the Stump and in some other nearby hillsides have become challenging mazes even when we have >100% normal snowpack. Trees grow!
Yeah, those wide open clearcut slopes that you used to be able to ski at will on the Stump and in some other nearby hillsides have become challenging mazes even when we have >100% normal snowpack. Trees grow!
Reply to this TR
Please login first: