No issues at the bottom whatsoever. Just point 'em and go flyin' over a little 4 foot gap. NFNWR has better coverage now than when I did it in early June of 2003. Oddly enough, other routes on the north and east sides of the mountain have less snow for this time of year.
TAY has a few excellent recent photos of the route on the cover page...
Nice effort getting out there with such a crappy forecast.
So from what I can gather, the road was gated at the Paul Peak TH and snow free for a mile or two? How much snow at the lake? Could you have made a shortcut on snow to the pass above the lake then down into Spray Park? Just curious.
I was on the Sulphide last weekend and it was good all the way to the car. All up on the way in, and all down on the way out! No Mickey Mouse crap in between...
We were the other group who stole your solitude
A group of 5 of us skied from 7,000ft. Got a much later start than you at just after 8am. The skiing was fantastic though, I must say...I have posted some pics in my cc.com gallery.
Hey Scott, sounds like a sweet time. I bet you tightened your bindings down for this trip, eh?
Man, I have to check out La Grave before I check out for good.
I think Sky and some other folks I don't recall have had his eye on this coulior for a while - if I remember correctly.
Here you go...
If anyone wants to go in there and drop the line, drop me a line.
Hard for me to say because I haven't actually been in the couloir, but....Probably right about now would be too late. I'd say it's probably good into mid July. Keep in mind, snowpack generally didn't end up too bad above 7000ft. this year because of the wetness we've had the last few months.
I think this is also called the Yoder Couloir...
Ross Peritore and Jason Cassarino climbed it and the NF in March of '04. We took a quick peek at it when we did the NF and it was too melted out to ski but still looked like a decent climb.