Home > Trip Reports > Jan 3, 2016, Red Mtn (Cle Elum Valley)

Jan 3, 2016, Red Mtn (Cle Elum Valley)

1/3/16
WA Cascades East Slopes Central
4764
6
Posted by John Morrow on 1/3/16 9:56pm
(addendum) Location:  This tour is north of Roslyn up the Salmon La Sac Road.  Plowing is completed to a final Snowpark at Salmon La Sac.  Parallel Parking locations exist along the road for various tours like this one which starts at FS Road 46 one mile south of Sac.  Park where signs say "This side only".  Snowpark Permits now required at all locations.  In a search here on TAY: type in my username, keyword "skiing", and in "Trip Reports" and scroll for many old reports with maps for tours along this road.

Chose Point 5703' (third southeast from highest summit).  Solitude and cold temps throughout all altitudes (low start) really make this trip worthy as a Snoq pass alternative.
Boot top recycled powder (8" near surface facets, over stiffer and harder older powder, over not sure what) from 2400 feet to summit. 
Ridgetop winds forced us to find open tree protection.  Skied SE to NE slopes for two runs.
Great day Margy, Pico, Jim and Don!!!  Thanks!
Awesome, I love that tour! Seems to be holding up well despite the winds.

Went up there today. The snow is still great. We found some instability about 25-30 cm down. Storm snow on a density change. We found what seemed like some buried surface hoar at this interface in the clear cuts. It wasn't very sensitive I think due to the uncohesive nature of the storm snow. We got a small slab to release on a steep slope that ran for a ways, so we skied down the ridge near our up track rather than try the steeper slopes.


However, don't forget your sno-park pass. We got ticketed. I feel like last time I was up there, 2 years ago, it was free.

Thanks for sharing, John. And yeah, when I've been there in the past (last time a few years ago), it was definitely a sno-park...

author=Jim Oker link=topic=35322.msg144823#msg144823 date=1452042004]
And yeah, when I've been there in the past (last time a few years ago), it was definitely a sno-park...


Was remembering this post: http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboarding/trip_reports/index.php?topic=30664.msg128291#msg128291 but I think last time we must have just got away with it

author=kamtron link=topic=35322.msg144825#msg144825 date=1452044591]
Was remembering this post: http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboarding/trip_reports/index.php?topic=30664.msg128291#msg128291 but I think last time we must have just got away with it


Thanks for the old link...I'll edit that.  Officially, prior to Jan 1 2015 the parallel parking along the county road was always free and no snowpark permit required.  Only the Salmon La Sac lot and French Cabin Lots were actual Snowparks requiring permits and signed as such.  Kittitas County just entered a funding agreement to receive State Snowpark funds for plowing the Sac Road.  So now all those prior free areas ("Begin parking here...parking this side only...End parking here") are snowpark permit required as well.  Never saw that day coming, and last year there was zilch need for plowing.
Bottom Line going forward:  Snowpark Permit Required north of Last Resort anywhere up along the Salmon La Sac road where parking areas are designated.  Don't park outside those signed areas.

Thanks for the detail John. It's been a long time since I've frequented that road - before trying Red a few years ago, before that it had been over a decade and we mostly did Hex on lighter gear. My memory may be off, but back then I thought we needed the sno-park pass even for the Newport Creek pullout which was always a bit plowed out. Perhaps the latest is a bit of "back to the future?"

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jan-3-2016-red-mtn-cle-elum-valley
John Morrow
2016-01-04 05:56:02