3/7/15: Alpental summit via Int'l.

Started the day again pre-dawn like last week. But, broke my right harscheisen after first hundred yards up-slope from the parking lot, so hiked to top of Sessel chair. From there, snow was just grippy enough to hold skins w/o ski cramps. Lower portions were firm-to-softening in the falling dawn sun. Once into Upper, and the shadows, a crust-on-sugar base made the skinning a bit more precision-based. Made it to the top in 2 hours, and spent 10 minutes in conversation with a hardy brethren who'd stayed the previous evening at the top. The ski down was softly crusted mankiness over slippery sugar, but not unnecessarily so. The rock tips hiding on Lower nearly caught me a few times, and the run below Sessel was a true test of downhill route finding. March in the books, and looking at Chair Peak next weekend.