June 10, 2007, Washington Pass

My quick take on skiing around Washington Pass:  looks like an average snow year has been followed by accelerated melt during the past few weeks.  Open valleys are developing bare spots below 6000 feet, with southerly slopes burning out fast above.  Sun-exposed ridges are largely bare.  Lots of drainage runnels low, but pretty good skiing above about 6500-7000 feet.  No pollen whatsoever.

I skied Spire Gully, Wall Street and one nameless run between Blue Lake Col and Copper Mountain (thoughts of the Birthday Tour were quickly abandoned after studying conditions).  Spire Gully is narrow and melting fast for the top couple of hundred feet and debris-choked at the bottom, but holds a good 1500 feet of wonderful fall line.  The Cornice of Death (so named) can be passed easily on skier's right but substantial broken chunks deposited 200 feet below recommend caution during warm or rainy weather.  Wall Street is in great shape for 500 feet, somewhat deteriorated for the next 500, and almost done for the bottom 500; a snow-covered line remains on far skier's right at the bottom, but I elected a bit of extreme heather skiing instead. The col leading back towards Kangaroo Pass is bare, so I went elsewhere. 

Other notes:  Determined to make a quick day of it, I managed to leave the car before noon....specifically, at 11:53 AM.  Blue skies with big, puffy clouds all day; rain and snow just to the west, as often seems to be the case in this area.  Just a few other skiers out and about, plus a nervous-looking team practicing their roped butt glissades off the Blue Lake Col.  Homeward bound, trailing a variety of agonizingly slow traffic, by 6:00.

Solo touring = no photos. Nope, not even one.

Enjoy,

Mark