Home > Trip Reports > December 10, 2006, Chair Peak vicinity

December 10, 2006, Chair Peak vicinity

12/10/06
WA Snoqualmie Pass
4256
5
Posted by Pete A on 12/10/06 8:38am
Toured up around Chair Peak this morning.  Expected the worst...wet weather and breakable crust, but were pleasantly surprised by the occational pocket of blue sky and enough new snow to making the skiing quite reasonable.

Theres still a lot of light, loose snow under the 1" thick melt crust, and depending on wind loading and elevation we saw from 2" to 8" of new, relatively light snow on top of the crust.  Tap tests didn't instill a whole lot of confidence with the snowpack below the crust, so we stuck to mellow stuff.  As the new snow piles up on the crust...it will be interesting to see how things bond, right now the new snow is sluffing rather harmlessly.

How do you get in there?  Do you take the Snow Lake trail, or can you skin/hike up the other side out of the upper Alpental parking lot?

Nice pics. 

We were up there on Sat. and the little bit of new snow made a big difference, although, like you said it didn't seem to be bonding very well.  We got some sluff to run in a steep-ish gulley.  Wonder if that little bit of new snow will be a weak layer above the crust with the storm on Monday??


skinned up the alpental side of the valley to source lake....packed ski path very well established on that side of the valley. 

I really like that second picture, nice...

That was a good day.  Like watching a movie everyone's panned and expecting it to suck, but finding you actually enjoyed it.  That bowl up there was a pleasant surprise -- I'd like to push higher up under better avy conditions and get some of those steeper, longer lines. 

Here are more pics

Pete

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december-10-2006-chair-peak-vicinity
Pete A
2006-12-10 16:38:42