March 28-29, Snowgrass, the Plum Line
3/28/15
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A week ago during a daylong dash up Snowgrass Mountain, we had touched the summit and beat-feet out of there to beat nightfall. When we spied that 3,000-vertical-foot line dropping from the summit of Snowgrass Mountain into the South Fork of Chiwaukum Creek, we were full of regret. Why, oh why, hadnt we brought the camping gear so we could ski that beauty?
I was possessed and by the following Wednesday I had recruited Matt Dahlgreen to ski that plum line with me. The weather forecast, while fair at the start of the week, had pulled an about-face. But the wheels were in motion so in we went, hoping the forecast would be two-faced twice. Saturday's weather was soupy and every time the route pushed above treeline we stumbled around like drunks. Sometimes our skis would jam into the bottom of wind lips and we'd nearly take a nose dive. Other times we'd topple off the top of wind lips. Eventually we called off the approach to Ladies Pass and retreated into the trees below Lake Edna to keep from hurting ourselves. We could still harvest the plum on Sunday if the weather broke over the evening.
It didn't. It did improve, however, and we were able to ski a consolation prize from the pass north of Edna down toward the South Fork of Chiwaukum, through pleasant snow flanked by spectacular rock thorns. It wasn't what we came for, but the prune line was worth the blind stumbling and the two-day effort.
More about this trip.
If you want to know more about the snow conditions and the avalanche hazard (underlying snow was isothermal) here's what I reported at
I was possessed and by the following Wednesday I had recruited Matt Dahlgreen to ski that plum line with me. The weather forecast, while fair at the start of the week, had pulled an about-face. But the wheels were in motion so in we went, hoping the forecast would be two-faced twice. Saturday's weather was soupy and every time the route pushed above treeline we stumbled around like drunks. Sometimes our skis would jam into the bottom of wind lips and we'd nearly take a nose dive. Other times we'd topple off the top of wind lips. Eventually we called off the approach to Ladies Pass and retreated into the trees below Lake Edna to keep from hurting ourselves. We could still harvest the plum on Sunday if the weather broke over the evening.
It didn't. It did improve, however, and we were able to ski a consolation prize from the pass north of Edna down toward the South Fork of Chiwaukum, through pleasant snow flanked by spectacular rock thorns. It wasn't what we came for, but the prune line was worth the blind stumbling and the two-day effort.
More about this trip.
If you want to know more about the snow conditions and the avalanche hazard (underlying snow was isothermal) here's what I reported at
Lovely write up & pictures. Sorry you didn't get your plum, isn't that just the way, forward!
Beautiful looking country!!!
Even in monotone conditions it IS gorgeous country. A blue-sky day at the end of the first week in October would be pretty special.
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