Janu 17, 2016, Snoqualmie: Tilling the Potato Patch
1/17/16
WA Snoqualmie Pass
2531
1
Goal: stitch together some west facing trees and low angle glades from 4000 to 5500 feet.
We're not graceful skiers. Thus, we like to go where no one else does, to spare us any embarrassment. The problem with that is we're breaking lots of trail. It was deep, it was heavy, weird thin unsupportive crusts were found throughout the 10 to 14" ski penetration. It worked us. It got worse above 3750', warm air aloft at times the day before? We both wondered if we had left the easterly pass flow as we entered a side drainage. Skins started glopping (oh, right, we used to carry globstopper). Then at 4000 feet our oldgrowth was a drip and bomb nightmare.
We bailed.....
Anyone else have more positive experience skiing yesterday at Snoqualmie? Always seeking info to help learn and assess the whys of snowpack and condition creation.
We could have continued into some wet open terrain but were too concerned with wet slab propagation. Got to the new brewery mid way through the 3rd Quarter.
1st pic: Dramatization for educational purposes only...don't try at home!
2nd pic: tilling the fields
We're not graceful skiers. Thus, we like to go where no one else does, to spare us any embarrassment. The problem with that is we're breaking lots of trail. It was deep, it was heavy, weird thin unsupportive crusts were found throughout the 10 to 14" ski penetration. It worked us. It got worse above 3750', warm air aloft at times the day before? We both wondered if we had left the easterly pass flow as we entered a side drainage. Skins started glopping (oh, right, we used to carry globstopper). Then at 4000 feet our oldgrowth was a drip and bomb nightmare.
We bailed.....
Anyone else have more positive experience skiing yesterday at Snoqualmie? Always seeking info to help learn and assess the whys of snowpack and condition creation.
We could have continued into some wet open terrain but were too concerned with wet slab propagation. Got to the new brewery mid way through the 3rd Quarter.
1st pic: Dramatization for educational purposes only...don't try at home!
2nd pic: tilling the fields
Alpental resort proper was great yesterday. A thin rain crust down low early on but with the new snow this disappeared. Very sensitive layer 10" down though even in the sidecountry.
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