February 23, 2007
B'Day present to myself - Alpental 02/23/07
A few crappy pics here: Alpental 02/23/07
My birthday was actually earlier in the week but since I've been down with the frickin' flu for the last week or so, I decided to hold out for a long weekend. After a decidedly non-alpine start, I rolled into Alpental around 9:30AM. I was surprised by how good it looked. It must have snowed a bit more or maybe the wind cleaned things up but the lower mountain looked pretty good. It was fairly cold and the pow had stayed very light - people were getting face shots on turns coming down Sessel... Damn, if I'd have known, I'd have rousted out at the crack o' dawn!
Took a warmup run down Debbie's and felt awful - the leftovers from being sick were in full force; wheezing and hacking up phlegm-globs, legs burning with no power, ad infinitum. I almost rode back to the car and went home right then. But...
...I really wanted to get up to the Patrol shack and secure the coveted and mystically effective(works with no partner, avy gear or knowledge) key to the Alpental Backcountry - the famed Plaid Alpental BC Pass. So, I hacked up a nice one to clear my lungs and got back on Armstrong. Skated over to Chair 2, waited 1 chair and had a solo ride to the top. After interrupting the Patrol's tasting looking brunch, I received the key to the Kingdom from a slightly grumpy Patroller manning the stacks of unread yet signed waiver forms. Goal attained, I worked my way around the 4 year old skierette with the bunny ear helmet ripping the gut of Upper'Nash (Alpental is sooo flat) and made my way down to the car via Snake Dance. The BC was tempting but I was solo and rational thought won me over for once.
The snow was well tracked but the pow was very light, even the bumps were nice. Actually, I started aiming for the bumps because they were just big piles of fluff that exploded in white clouds when hit at speed. Skirted the edges of Snake Dance to find some clean(ish) lines and on to Sessel to get a few of those blue groomer face shots of my own. That's when I noticed that I wasn't coughing up green goo anymore and my head and even my legs felt OK. "Must be the high mountain air" thought I so I made a beeline for Armstrong and again up Chair 2. Dodging the Chair 2 exit ramp carnage, I did another down Snake Dance(ish) and back to base. Still feeling good, I decided to stay up high and did 4 more laps on Chair 2, Edleweiss, Schluct, Rollen and closed out with a run down the trees skiers left of the Fan, dunno what that's called, Breakover maybe? Whatever, it was good, well tracked but poofy pow all the way, face shots a plenty.
By this time, the fog had rolled in along with dumping snow, visibility went to schitt and my post-flu lack of fitness was starting to show. I hooked over to the traverse and down Sessel one last time on the way to the car.
It was a good way to celebrate my B'Day. Didn't get any pristine pow but it was mostly blower even where it was beat. It didn't even hurt with the inevitable schitt-eating event getting off Chair 2 (only once!).
In retrospect, Alpy suXor, everyone should go to Stevens Pass and not waste their time up at Snoqualmie...
February 18, 2007
Backcountry Trip Report - Kendall Ridge
Week two in a ski touring class I was silly enough to sign up for... Parked at Summit West about 7:30AM, hoofed it over the the Pac Crest Trail and skinned through Commonweath basin. Original plan was Mt Snoqualmie East Summit but ended up taking a shorter tour up toward Kendall Peak. After a couple hours of skinning, we took a break in the clearcut below the triple peak to eat and play with beacons. All beacons found and replaced, we headed up the steeper slopes toward the top of the ridge but my previously tweaked knee was bothering me from all the switchback kickturns(I suck at them) so I turned a couple hundred feet below and started putting my board together. A couple other guys went up a bit more but came down due to less than optimal conditions.
Skins off and splitboard now desplit, we bombed the heavy pow slope back down to the trees which was kind of fun(but not half a day of skinning fun). Tried to ride the traverse through forest and the iced over tree bombs which wasn't so fun. It was pretty ridiculous, only a last second grab at a tree kept me out of a creek at one point... Gave up and ended up booting the last half of the way out which wasn't fun either but was more efficient. Got back to West about 4:30PM.
Snow was 4" of heavy pow on top of consolidated mank. It was a little better up above 4,500 or so but it was still heavy. Dug a pit about half way. There was a soft layer about a foot down, probably facets underneath the old rain crust. Got a pretty clean shear on the first tap from the elbow, consistent results on a repeat test. Lots of point releases all over the place but nothing deep.
I forgot my digicam but did manage to have a little fun with my Holga:
Kendall Ridge
Learned a few things:
1) Long ski tours are not my thing. Too much up, not enough down
2) Riding a splitboard in AT boots and plate bindings is fantastic for the skin up
3) Riding a splitboard in AT boots and plates sucks for the ride down
4) Splitboards are cool, rock in pow, and good at going straight up due to the wide skins but skis are probably better for anything else. Good thing I only want to surf the pow.
dark forest 2
A small set from late Fall - just before the snow cames and I completely forgot about photography until the Spring.
Basic gallery here: Dark Forest 2