BAAAAAAAAA
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y19...m/ss0006-1.jpg
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skifishbum
Mill Creek Elk?
Definetly wet. Decent turns North facing mid-morning around 8.5K. Horrible slop and glop around noon on South exit. Minor wet release and pinwheeling on North aspect.
A couple more pics from Cascade
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-...06834_4359.jpg
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-...06840_6253.jpg
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-...06838_5620.jpg
I swear he has goggs :fm:
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-...06843_7191.jpg
Jebus H Christ. The Wasatch condition thread was on page 6 and it's still February!!!
Decided to head up north and went up Ben Lomand peak.
It was dust on a nice smooth crust, about like skiing a groomer top to bottom.
A great day to be out.
Saw the Ogden slope stability test team at it on the way up:
http://www.norcalathletics.com/image...s/dscn0122.jpg
They got 4 sleds at the same time down the slope in the center.
Green Light!!
http://www.norcalathletics.com/image...s/dscn0123.jpg
http://www.norcalathletics.com/image...s/dscn0127.jpg
So nice to be out of the canyons for a change..
http://www.norcalathletics.com/image...s/dscn0128.jpg
http://www.norcalathletics.com/image...s/dscn0129.jpg
http://www.norcalathletics.com/image...s/dscn0130.jpg
^Nice work, Mike.
We went south to avoid any crowding in the Canyons. We saw four people zip down the south face of Bighorn Peak... three red jackets, and one yellow jacket. I wondered if they were mags. We were in the south bowl of Lone Peak, thinking that we'd find corn in the sun. It was just crust with a little mush on top. We did see some wet slides coming off of the cliffs, but other than that, everything was concrete.
Had to deal with a lot of this on the way up.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ybW37vx0MgI/Sa...0/DSC07618.JPG
...until we got to some of this...
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ybW37vx0MgI/Sa...0/DSC07639.JPG
...then there was copious amounts of bushwhacking...
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ybW37vx0MgI/Sa...0/DSC07679.JPG
And the sojourn back to the car seems to never end.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ybW37vx0MgI/Sa...0/DSC07680.JPG
It REALLY felt like spring out there, today. Even early summer-ish. Ready for new snow.
Nice to see people getting out and about.
It was a sunny Saturday in Wasangeles which dictates skiing in the wilderness areas to avoid the hordes and the fucking helicopters in the central Wasatch. We saw six people all day: four flip-floppers and two skiers.
We wanted to ski this:
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/575...pkpano2ds7.jpg
Two of us skied the couloir that drops from the lookers right summit and two skied the couloir that drops from the left summit. Both lines involved negotiating some rocks and cliff bands.
When we pulled into the parking lot, Trackhead's car was there. I know he likes to pretend he drives a Porsche, but he actually drives a stretch PT Cruiser. We were hoping he wasn't going to poach our lines. Luckily we never ran into his crew.
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/9554/hackheadsrig.jpg
We knew we were on the right path to the goods when we spotted these sheep droppings:
http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/4...pdroppings.jpg
We walked on dirt and frozen snow to the First Hamongog. The Chuting Gallery says Hamongog is "a biblical word for 'meadow'; modern translation 'a good place to hunt sheep'."
Traversing to our line across the corniced summit ridge. No sheep scat up here:
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/1943/traverseig3.jpg
Looking down our line. The Chuting Gallery says it's 50 degrees:
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/673...feelingua0.jpg
Dropping in:
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/4680/jumpturnab2.jpg
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/2600/cooleraq8.jpg
Then we went over and skied the west-facing couloir that drops from the summit of South Thunder Mountain:
http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/9140/...thundernt4.jpg
We then went to the top of Bighorn Peak and skied down the SW face to the car.
The aspect we skied was actually really good and smooth. Lower down there was even some excellent corn on the west facing. For the most part, good skiing on all aspects. Nice, chalky conditions in both NE and W facing chutes. Most crusts we encountered were soft enough to bust through.Quote:
Originally Posted by ruletherock
We kicked off a couple of small wet slides on the warmest SW aspect. Other than that, stable snow.
Nice tour BG. And thanks for "pimping my ride":wink:
Motivation was near non-existent today. But DTM was still coerced into taking the sheep for a short walk up Red Baldy.
Skied the NE aspect. Sensitive wind loading on this aspect at the top. Then firm neve the rest of the way. Strong winds from the west and southwest.
http://fritzrips.com/Gallery1/albums...4636.sized.jpg
Mid canyon cut off a nice little suprise......on a steeper slope, with more consequences, bad things could happen.
http://fritzrips.com/Gallery1/albums...n/IMG_4641.jpg
50-75ft wide, sensitive little wind slab running about 100 or so feet down yonder.
http://fritzrips.com/Gallery1/albums...n/IMG_4642.jpg
Thought you might appreciate seeing another view of your handy-work:Quote:
Originally Posted by Bud Green
(Look closely, and you'll see a red-jacketed skier, and a yellow-jacketed on-looker)
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ybW37vx0MgI/Sa...0/DSC07646.JPG
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ybW37vx0MgI/Sa...0/DSC07648.JPG
I thought about yelling "Change for a nickel?" to you guys... but then figured that it would ruin everyone's sheep scat-evading wilderness experience.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ybW37vx0MgI/Sa...0/DSC07622.JPG
However, I find it ironic to have tried to avoid the crowds, yet there were Trackhead's PT and Bud Green's crew's cars in the parking lot south of Lone. We were in Dayna's 4Runner, who unfortunately pulled her hip flexor about half way up, and we were limited to baby steps on the skin track. No cars at the trailhead when we got back down at 7:00 p.m.
PT is actually Xover's. This is my car.Quote:
Originally Posted by ruletherock
http://fritzrips.com/Gallery1/albums...n/IMG_4698.jpg
very noice BG; very noice!! that very same tour is one i thought'd be fun to link up after dtm and i's outing last weekend. how'd that thing below treat you guys??
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bud Green
Wow, good job on getting out there guys. I went climbing today, it was really fun but I felt guilty all day looking at the peaks.
Saturday 2/29/09 went to where you pass tantalizing shots like this on the approach:
http://www.biglines.com/photosv2/200...ines_87975.jpg
Get to top, turn head one way, see this:
http://www.biglines.com/photosv2/200...ines_87976.jpg
Turn head the other way w/out moving your feet and see this:
http://www.biglines.com/photosv2/200...ines_87977.jpg
Obs: warm, but not to warm to cause a natural wet cylce where we were at. the 3" of snow that lcc & bcc got only translated to 1/2" at the most which made for some excellent corn skiing on a supportable base if that was what you were after. saw some signs (rollers, pin wheels, etc.) of minor wet activity from day before, but did not encounter any on what we were skiing. also saw signs of now buried soft slabs; most likely from wind during previous week or 10 days. again, kicked off none of these while skiing. ne open face(s) from 11 to 10k had slots of soft, turnable pow; approx 10k to 8k in shade or trees had the same; below that switched aspects to se and found superb corn to the parking lot. the nw winds late last week pounded the upper faces of this region pretty hard and have to put your thinking cap on and turn on your "snow eyes" to find good, rideable, settle pow that didn't get a skin on it .... but it is out there .... just got to hunt a little. p.s. south facing corn down here would've been off the charts; keep an eye out for that in the very near future.
That's Bud in the red jacket.Quote:
Originally Posted by ruletherock
Couloir consisted of nice chalk (about 40 degrees) and the apron was fast, carveable foam. Fun line. By the way, that photo was taken last Saturday when we were poaching lines in Big Willow. Surprisingly, it's almost exactly the same as the one you took.Quote:
Originally Posted by Xover
This is some fine stuff! I love the pics.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bud Green
Any SLC locals game to show a CA boy around the Wasatch or just meet up for beers? Headed to SLC w/ mrs MT wed-sunday this week. We'll probly hit the resort wed afternoon after getting off the plane.
S'posed to catch up w/ Tri-U over the weekend if his knee is better by then. But really like to get out for a couple good tours during the week or w/e if any mags would be willing to show us around it'd be mucho appreciated. We're down to ski whatever conditions warrant, it'd be great to bag a descent size peak if the weather clears later in the week. I'll buy drinks afterwards and can certainly show you around tahoe or the eastern sierra better than most if you ever head out this way. thanks.
Corn cycle seemed to last about 15 minutes today and then it turned to a wierd stop and go slidey mess. But at least the wind was blowing 60+ mph on the ridges.
ugh.
this has got to end sometime, one more winter storm cycle please? On the other hand I've had great skiing this past week, but we could use some freshening up...
Come on Gramps.... You should be pumping out on Bong Eater or something.Quote:
Originally Posted by gramps
Wasatch-home of THE most spoiled skiers on the planet.:wink:
Heading out to visit the University of Utah tomorrow morning and going to get some skiing in this weekend. Conditions out there look way better than whats left of the snow here in Western NY.
Too early still, I'm finally getting into skiing. I think I may be a sledneck in the next little bit here, I'll be calling for beta... :smile:Quote:
Originally Posted by Trackhead
Got up early, but temps were already in the high fifties on the east bench at 6:00 AM… went up here anyway:
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/w...TheMillJPG.jpg
To give the dogs some exercise:
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/w...er/DogDown.jpg
Not much fun because, well, the snow was a mess. Got some work done and then rode up (lots of roadies out despite the wind) East Canyon via emigration looking for sheep of a different sort:
http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/w.../bike-elk2.jpg
At this time last year, even East Canyon was deeeep and good for fast dawn patrols, or even a short drive for good skiing on Bald Mountain… now it’s mostly barren and nearly rideable on a Mtn bike.
Waaaah… what do mean spoiled? Aren’t we entitled to good skiing within a fifteen minute drive of our house?
I can vouch for madturtle, having toured with him in the Eastern Sierras. He's good people and a safe, competent skier. My workweek sucks and I tweaked my knee at the Big LePowski doing something stupid and ending up shorting a tabletop, so I'm out until Saturday at the earliest. Somebody oughta take him up since I can't - c'mon Wasnatchers, show him some hospitality.Quote:
Originally Posted by madturtle
I dragged my butt up Cardiff Pass, this morning... abjectly slipping up a very steep skin track. Had to turn around and head down before actually getting to the "top," in order to make it to a meeting at work. There was virtually no bonding of the new snow (maybe 8-10") in highly sun-baked aspects. Be careful out there. Even the skinning was problematic, at points. No activity seen or heard.
The sleepy town of Alta.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ybW37vx0MgI/Sa...2/DSC07705.JPG
Not a bad way to start the morning.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ybW37vx0MgI/Sa...2/DSC07710.JPG