March 23, 2008, Red Mountain, Salmon La Sac
3/23/08
WA Snoqualmie Pass
4579
0
Pico picked me up at 10:00AM this morning as I wanted to catch at least the 1st half of the Villanova-Sienna game.
We wanted something a bit different today, and north facing. So we opted for a new approach into the southernmost basin (1st basin) via some really beautiful old growth. This route left the Cooper road at the first logging spur less than 1/2 mile from the parking. From here it is up the smaller clearcut to the impassable stream gulch draining the 1st basin. Then along the south side of the gulch through the beautiful open forest. We were happy to meet Alpine Rose and Piro on their way up and we continued breaking trail from there. First objective was the NE glades off Pt. 5085 for 800 vertical back to our skin track. We never met up again with Alpine Rose but hope the ski back through the old growth was nice. With more new snow it would be excellent. Up again to the saddle between Pt. 5085 and Pt 5360+ (1/4 mile SW) and westward onto Pt. 5360+. Another great north facing run off it back into the basin bottom for about 1100 vertical feet. The snow was awesome, up to a foot of powder. Then last climb up to the north to the other Pt. 5360+ that rims 1st Basin (1/2 mile NW of Pt. 5085). We love the ski down NE ridge of this Point back to the big clearcut. In good conditions it is 2700 vertical feet long! Then through 3 to 5 inches of new wet snow in the clearcut until it got saturated with rain at 3500 feet (us too).
A firm crust underlied all the new snow regardless of snow depth and elevation. But that bottom 1000 ft. will be interesting skiing for a while! The infamous Salmon la Sac Crud Zone! It snowed hard all day, plenty of wind up top, very wet snow.
We did set off two small slabs of 12 to 15 inches deep that ran on the crust on slopes 35 degrees or more. One was off the top of the second Point on a wind loaded north slope we kind of ski cut right off the top. It stayed narrow but went a few hundred feet. The second fractured 40 feet wide on a steep short 150 foot pitch, in otherwise undulating terrain, on the NE ridge of our third run. A good reason to have stayed off any big steep slopes. Looks like someone skied the northern areas yesterday as we ran into their partially snow covered tracks in the clearcut. Probably an excellent day!
First picture is the wind on top and second is Pico on the second run.
We wanted something a bit different today, and north facing. So we opted for a new approach into the southernmost basin (1st basin) via some really beautiful old growth. This route left the Cooper road at the first logging spur less than 1/2 mile from the parking. From here it is up the smaller clearcut to the impassable stream gulch draining the 1st basin. Then along the south side of the gulch through the beautiful open forest. We were happy to meet Alpine Rose and Piro on their way up and we continued breaking trail from there. First objective was the NE glades off Pt. 5085 for 800 vertical back to our skin track. We never met up again with Alpine Rose but hope the ski back through the old growth was nice. With more new snow it would be excellent. Up again to the saddle between Pt. 5085 and Pt 5360+ (1/4 mile SW) and westward onto Pt. 5360+. Another great north facing run off it back into the basin bottom for about 1100 vertical feet. The snow was awesome, up to a foot of powder. Then last climb up to the north to the other Pt. 5360+ that rims 1st Basin (1/2 mile NW of Pt. 5085). We love the ski down NE ridge of this Point back to the big clearcut. In good conditions it is 2700 vertical feet long! Then through 3 to 5 inches of new wet snow in the clearcut until it got saturated with rain at 3500 feet (us too).
A firm crust underlied all the new snow regardless of snow depth and elevation. But that bottom 1000 ft. will be interesting skiing for a while! The infamous Salmon la Sac Crud Zone! It snowed hard all day, plenty of wind up top, very wet snow.
We did set off two small slabs of 12 to 15 inches deep that ran on the crust on slopes 35 degrees or more. One was off the top of the second Point on a wind loaded north slope we kind of ski cut right off the top. It stayed narrow but went a few hundred feet. The second fractured 40 feet wide on a steep short 150 foot pitch, in otherwise undulating terrain, on the NE ridge of our third run. A good reason to have stayed off any big steep slopes. Looks like someone skied the northern areas yesterday as we ran into their partially snow covered tracks in the clearcut. Probably an excellent day!
First picture is the wind on top and second is Pico on the second run.
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