Matt Posted February 11, 2002 Share Posted February 11, 2002 Saturday February 9, 2002 I skied Heather Ridge. Heather Ridge is directly opposite of the Stevens Pass Ski Area on Hiway 2. Once on top, we dug a pit and conducted a R-block test which indicated a very stable snow pack. We found an undetectable weakness about a foot below the surface, but I had to jump up and down to get it to break and judged the conditions to be very good. We first skied up to Skyline Lake and descended a creekbed to the northeast. The snow was terrific and the slopes were very gentle. Maybe knee depp powder. My partner is new to backcountry telemark skiing and the tour was well suited to his first venture into the challenges of powder and "out of bounds" skiing. I recommend this tour to new or inexperienced skiers/snowboarders. I noticed many snowboarders on the inital approach or the ridge ruining the ski track by walking in it with their boots, but in the afternoon is was windy and the trail was blown hard. The south side of the ridge, that which faces the ski area, was crowded in the afternoon when we went back up for our second ski, but the back side (north side) was empty of people and very beautiful. Blue skies and untracked slopes kept our attention all day. Another skier I met told me, "These are Colorado conditions!" I couldn't agree more. [ 02-11-2002: Message edited by: Matt ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialed Posted February 11, 2002 Share Posted February 11, 2002 Matt, sorry we missed you on Saturday. We saw your tracks heading down the northside of Heather ridge from the "col" just past the frozen lake. We skied off the south side. It was extremely wind blown on top of the ridge but good once we dropped in. We set off a few slides about a foot deep, one of which was pretty big. The week layer looked to be a result of wind loading. We had about a 1000' run of untracked heavy and deap turns through steep glades, ridges, and gullies. I would advise anyone to stay away from open bowls and faces in the area. The weak layer isn't too deep but could become potentially dangerous if released along a long crown. Steven's Pass backcountry is way tits. [ 02-11-2002: Message edited by: specialed ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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