Dec 20, 2006, Morse Creek, Crystal

Yeehaw! and Happy Solstice!!!!

Headed out north of the north back boundary today (12/21). Pretty good stuff with 3" new on top of a soft base as long as you avoid the avy debris that came down during last weeks warming period. It was sunny but stayed cold so the snow should be good for the weekend warriors out there. South back wasn't open but they were blasting all day. Not really sure what the hold up was because a slide seemed pretty improbable.

Went out to Morse again today (12/22). Snow was super fast and velvety smooth. Very stable, no signs of any thing beyond sluff. One of the better days I've had touring this year.





Anyone know of an easy way to get to the top of this prominent couloir?


a few more pics here:
http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1052345#post1052345

Last spring, while lunching at or quite close to where this picture was taken, a couple guys skinned up to us and said the tracks we were admiring in this coulour were theirs.  I think they were snow pack surveyors for WSDOT.  Either they have a great job or were getting a few turns on their day off.  I think they said they went up just on the back side of the lefthand skyline ridge in the photo.  I have been half way up that ridge to ski a nearby bowl.  Though I'm not entirely sure its the same spot, my recollection is that it seemed quite reasoanble to continue up the ridge to the top.  It should be a good adventure.

Headed out from the quicksilver lift into three-way basin. We lapped a moderately angled face all day. My friend triggered a slide on the first run (faintly visible in the middle of the pic below). It was isolated, slow moving, and didn't propagate, but was still enough to keep us from getting too adventurous. The resort was blasting South Back all day, which unleashed some pretty substantial slides, but they did open it up in the afternoon.

The way that he described is rather steep and quite dangerous the only way I know out to that shoot is steep and in rather a long trek to get out there but good luck and so you know alot of us call it the smoka chute