April 11, 2007, Alpental
4/11/07
WA Snoqualmie Pass
3443
7
After reading the report from the 10th, Jill and I decided to head for Alpental versus the south backcountry of Crystal. We arrived around 9am and there was one vehicle in the middle lot and the sun was out and starting to cook the slopes. What a difference a day can make especially with our spring storms. From the base of the Sessel chair to the top of the chair, the snow was beginning to become heavy and we were getting some snow sticking on the skins. From the top of the Sessel chair to the cat track from the quad, the snow was powdery and the wind created a nice deposition trough along climbers left. At the cat track we could see one ski descent line along the skiers left edge of the mogul field on Lower International.
In the sun, you could feel the temperature rising. Lower International was untracked but snowballs started falling from the cliffs around 10:30 and the sun exposed slopes were beginning to slough. We skinned up Lower International along climbers left which was still in the shade and protected by the trees. The snow was at least a foot deep along this section and stable. Once atop the bench at 4300', we pulled the skins and descended our clibing route in the shade with boot deep powder. As we approached the top of the Sessel chair the sun affected snow became heavy. Yesterday was THE DAY.
The first photo is of Jill with Snoqualmie Mt. in the background. There was still snow in the trees as we ascended but it began dropping within an hour. Still good coverage in the ski resort and on Snoqualmie. The second photo is looking towards the entrance to Lower International from our turn around point. Returned to the car and it was in the 40's.
In the sun, you could feel the temperature rising. Lower International was untracked but snowballs started falling from the cliffs around 10:30 and the sun exposed slopes were beginning to slough. We skinned up Lower International along climbers left which was still in the shade and protected by the trees. The snow was at least a foot deep along this section and stable. Once atop the bench at 4300', we pulled the skins and descended our clibing route in the shade with boot deep powder. As we approached the top of the Sessel chair the sun affected snow became heavy. Yesterday was THE DAY.
The first photo is of Jill with Snoqualmie Mt. in the background. There was still snow in the trees as we ascended but it began dropping within an hour. Still good coverage in the ski resort and on Snoqualmie. The second photo is looking towards the entrance to Lower International from our turn around point. Returned to the car and it was in the 40's.
Hi Zap & Jill,
I too was lured by yesterday's report, but I got a later start today, leaving the parking lot solo at 11:30. Sounds like you needed to go just a tad higher. The snow way down low was bad, but by going higher I found the good snow, not the powder party from yesterday but more like the chowder party. There was a skin track (thanks) to the top of Chair 2 and quite a few tracks in Nash, which I skied down to the Snake Dance entrance. Nash was good but full of snow snakes. Skins on, I wandered out to Piss Pass. Yes. This was good. One run down to the cliffs, then back up to Pineapple Pass, which I skied twice. This was the best snow of the day. Maybe you can tell from the picture but it was fantastic--still powder. Out the Big Trees area which surprised me with more incredible steep turns--all totally untracked except for 2 snowshoe tracks straight down the hill. I encountered a couple on the way up by Chair 1 early on, but besides them, never saw a soul.
-Aaron
I too was lured by yesterday's report, but I got a later start today, leaving the parking lot solo at 11:30. Sounds like you needed to go just a tad higher. The snow way down low was bad, but by going higher I found the good snow, not the powder party from yesterday but more like the chowder party. There was a skin track (thanks) to the top of Chair 2 and quite a few tracks in Nash, which I skied down to the Snake Dance entrance. Nash was good but full of snow snakes. Skins on, I wandered out to Piss Pass. Yes. This was good. One run down to the cliffs, then back up to Pineapple Pass, which I skied twice. This was the best snow of the day. Maybe you can tell from the picture but it was fantastic--still powder. Out the Big Trees area which surprised me with more incredible steep turns--all totally untracked except for 2 snowshoe tracks straight down the hill. I encountered a couple on the way up by Chair 1 early on, but besides them, never saw a soul.
-Aaron
author=Aaron_Riggs link=topic=6838.msg27487#msg27487 date=1176335502]
There was a skin track (thanks) to the top of Chair 2 and quite a few tracks in Nash...Nash was good but full of snow snakes
8)
Pretty lines on Pineapple ;) It was bright out today, hope you all wore sunscreen, my face looks like this: :-[
Timing, dear folks, timing! Today was fine, as long as you beat the sun!
I summited at 6:33 am this morning and enjoyed powder down a completely untracked Edelweiss. Very, very nice. Then found boot deep down Debbies, and finally, soft snow over a firmewr crust down Sessel. Good stuff. Think Snow!
I summited at 6:33 am this morning and enjoyed powder down a completely untracked Edelweiss. Very, very nice. Then found boot deep down Debbies, and finally, soft snow over a firmewr crust down Sessel. Good stuff. Think Snow!
author=MW88888888 link=topic=6838.msg27491#msg27491 date=1176343477]
...enjoyed powder down a completely untracked Edelweiss.
I admired your tracks on the way up and considered heading over that way for a run, but by then it was just baiking in sunlight.
Come to think of it now, I'm sure I saw Zap & Jill skiing down as I was just starting up. If Zap was wearing a bright yellow shirt or coat--bingo!
Hi Aaron, Yes, that was me in the yellow jacket. I find that wearing a bright jacket allows folks to identify senior citizens and help us break trail. ;)
You had a nice tour and snow. Jill and I talked about going "up top and out" but she's still nursing a hip injury. Plus, I was concerned the temperatures and freezing level would rise by the time we got there. I noticed the telemetry temperatures up top remained below freezing yesterday and just started rising this morning.
Hope we can share a few turns this spring.
You had a nice tour and snow. Jill and I talked about going "up top and out" but she's still nursing a hip injury. Plus, I was concerned the temperatures and freezing level would rise by the time we got there. I noticed the telemetry temperatures up top remained below freezing yesterday and just started rising this morning.
Hope we can share a few turns this spring.
Enjoying a fine April dawn patrol in the sun, Skip, Allyson, and I utilized the well-traveled skin track set over the past couple days (thanks Plinko and others!) to arrive at the top of Alpental around 8:45 this morning. Ski conditions didn’t look very promising on the way up with a semi-breakable surface crust on all solar aspects. Optimism returned as we dropped into the partially shaded northern slopes of International in consolidated powder (a bit funky with hidden hard chunks in a few spots, but overall quite enjoyable). Traversing over to far skiers right in Lower International we enjoyed more powder in the shade followed by corn-on-crust down Sessel (the crust was suprisingly mostly skier supportable rather than the ‘trap-crust’ I was expecting).
Photos from this morning are posted here.
Photos from this morning are posted here.
Sweet pics Chris! All that sunshine, mmmmm. 8)
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