May 21, 2007, Mt. Pilchuck
5/21/07
WA Cascades West Slopes Central
2659
2
Found an empty trailhead lot at 8am with light drizzle falling and warmer than expected temps. I booted up through the woods and switched to skis and skins when the going got sloppy. At 4,000 feet, I found 3-4 inches of heavy new over a very wet, slushy base. The steeper sections were very sloppy and unstable...released several slabs of decent size. I pressed on hoping for better conditions at the top. The summit ridge had 5-7 inches of cement. Temps felt a few degrees warmer and the clouds limited visibility to a few hundred feet. Snow conditions didn't agree with a run down the SE gully but I decided to drop in to "test the waters". A quick turn on skiers right triggered a 15' wide slab that descended into the clouds below. Traversing to the left side and another turn with the same results. That made it an easy decision to pop the skis off and climb back to the summit ridge. Turns back to the car were strenuous but fun. I kept the skis on pretty far into the woods and didn't pick up any pollen like I did last week.
Hope to read about some more successful outings than mine. Be safe out there.
Hope to read about some more successful outings than mine. Be safe out there.
Gulp! Glad you made it out safe- that looks mighty spooky.
Wow - Still getting pounded with snow! Who wants to Sherpa my gear to the top?
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