Home > Trip Reports > March 6, 2016, Yodelin

March 6, 2016, Yodelin

3/6/16
WA Stevens Pass
4344
4
Posted by Charlie Hagedorn on 3/6/16 11:34am
Selected Yodelin for its low commitment, expecting dubious snow conditions.

The 30-50 cm of heavy/trappy snow was so good, we decided to pay full fare for lift tickets at Stevens to ski groomers and bumps in the sun, a superior plan.

In our only lap at Yodelin, our group of three competent skiers managed to create five crash-craters. Everyone contributed to the effort.

Wet slides easily visible across Hwy 2. Soft raincrust sat on the surface in the morning. Today's new snow began with a little graupel, but bonded well down low. Atop Yodelin, it was perhaps Q2.  A quick pit near the parking lot turned up nothing but soggy Fist/4F with a few 1F crusts in the top meter.
Actually there is useful information here though you don't give times, to get to yodelin from anywhere takes some time, and to decide it's not worth it takes some time, and driving back to the ski area takes some time. So the fact that you found a place to park at  around 1pm I'm guessing is a pretty useful bit of information for a lot of late comers.

There was plenty of parking in the Heather Ridge lot when we went by at 8:15, and plenty of parking when we parked there at around noon. I'm certain the lots never filled.

I don't think we waited longer than 3 minutes in any lift lines, and most were ski-on 12-5pm. The skiing was fun, but no different from groomer/bump skiing at any PNW resort.

We were wandering up Smith Brook rd mid morning Saturday enjoying the unexpected blue skies and bright Sun with no particular objective when the solar heating on the cliff bands on the S. Side of Union released some impressive tree snapping wet slides that sounded like a 747 taking off.  We immediately exited the area!

FYI, some POS was breaking into cars parked at Smith Brook. We were lucky and did not get hit . Watch out along 2.

I dig the black & white photography of late. Brooding would be an understatement, unless I was a girl chicken!

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march-6-2016-yodelin
Charlie Hagedorn
2016-03-06 19:34:31