February 3, 2006, Hyak
2/3/06
WA Snoqualmie Pass
2660
1
Day 33
2-3-06
Hyak
4" new, with wet snow/rain crust, 109" base
Vertical skied: 1,000'
Skiing today was better and worse than I expected. Driving over the Pass at 6:15 am the road was wet and the stars starting to poke out.
Cool, a good visibility day, but bad, as the new snow (4" reported on Telemetry) was very warm and wet. It was 33 degrees at 2,800.
I pulled into the very wet Hyak parking lot and made sure to keep clear of the front loader that was clearing the lot. The amount of snow at Pass level is getting monumental, and the 20' snow backs in spots are beginning to emit a gravitational force, a mass to be reckoned with. You almost have to see it to believe it.
UGGGH!
My snowshoes broke through the rain crust at the bottom of the ski area and I laughed to myself - 10 feet of wonderful snow covering the ground, and 1/8 of an inch of ice messes it all up! I hoped the rain/snow line was near, or the ski was going to be a survival fest more than a lop in the pow.
Climbing into the trees, I found the warmth of the boughs maintained the snow above 32 degrees and that kept the surface soft. Where ever it opened up in the trees, the rain crust dominated. I stayed in the woods up to the top.
At about 3,000 feet the rain crust turned to breakable crust. Near the top a hint of graupel and rain/snow change foretold of better snow higher, but also warned of slab conditions.
I was very glad to have my fatty 168. I danced on top of the crust and cruised the trees, enjoying the soft snow and new terrain. At the bottom, I turned up the speed and had better than expected turns up on the crust. Back at the car at 7:45 am and on the road.
2-3-06
Hyak
4" new, with wet snow/rain crust, 109" base
Vertical skied: 1,000'
Skiing today was better and worse than I expected. Driving over the Pass at 6:15 am the road was wet and the stars starting to poke out.
Cool, a good visibility day, but bad, as the new snow (4" reported on Telemetry) was very warm and wet. It was 33 degrees at 2,800.
I pulled into the very wet Hyak parking lot and made sure to keep clear of the front loader that was clearing the lot. The amount of snow at Pass level is getting monumental, and the 20' snow backs in spots are beginning to emit a gravitational force, a mass to be reckoned with. You almost have to see it to believe it.
UGGGH!
My snowshoes broke through the rain crust at the bottom of the ski area and I laughed to myself - 10 feet of wonderful snow covering the ground, and 1/8 of an inch of ice messes it all up! I hoped the rain/snow line was near, or the ski was going to be a survival fest more than a lop in the pow.
Climbing into the trees, I found the warmth of the boughs maintained the snow above 32 degrees and that kept the surface soft. Where ever it opened up in the trees, the rain crust dominated. I stayed in the woods up to the top.
At about 3,000 feet the rain crust turned to breakable crust. Near the top a hint of graupel and rain/snow change foretold of better snow higher, but also warned of slab conditions.
I was very glad to have my fatty 168. I danced on top of the crust and cruised the trees, enjoying the soft snow and new terrain. At the bottom, I turned up the speed and had better than expected turns up on the crust. Back at the car at 7:45 am and on the road.
I went to Hyak today hoping to use the chair to get me to
Mt Catherine area the lazy man's way. But the top chair was
closed so skinned up the groomed chairline. Conditions off the groomer track matched your crust description. Meandered up Mt Catherine through the lowest angled trees possible. The crust got less pronounced around 3500 in the trees, and was noexistent above 4200ish. The top 800 feet was fairly good powder. Not as windy as we were led to believe. Even at 5000 feet the winds were not sustained, just gusty.
Mt Catherine area the lazy man's way. But the top chair was
closed so skinned up the groomed chairline. Conditions off the groomer track matched your crust description. Meandered up Mt Catherine through the lowest angled trees possible. The crust got less pronounced around 3500 in the trees, and was noexistent above 4200ish. The top 800 feet was fairly good powder. Not as windy as we were led to believe. Even at 5000 feet the winds were not sustained, just gusty.
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