Feb 23, Skyline Ridge

Circumnavigated Skyline Ridge today, with a mix of conditions. 

It was sunny and warm (34 degrees) when we left the Stevens Pass parking lot and conditions on the front side looked pretty grim.  Lots of old ski and snow shoe tracks, tree bombs, and holes from postholers that had firmed up in the past few days.  There was a fresh 1" or so of snow, but it looked like a scary descent was to await us.  Areas in full sun were softening though. 

When we made it near the top of Skyline Ridge, the shady north facing slopes had a few inches of powder.  However, old tracks, tree bombs, and sluffs made for very uneven terrain.  Untracked, low angle, open slopes skied REALLY well, but navigating through the debris on steeper lines was a challenge.  Near the bottom of the valley the conditions were so nice that we decided to keep skiing out of the valley towards Lichtenburg and US 2. 

As expected, the powder decreased as we descended, until it was just dust on crust.  Skied around under the power lines in full sun, back to the pass.