wolfs

I have an Enchantments zone permit I can't use for the Sat and Sun of July 4 weekend. Waaa. Ideally I'd like to trade with someone that has some other date further out. Failing that, and with that date approaching, I'd just give it to someone that would like it rather than just have it go to waste. PM or mail bizweasel@yahoo.com.

What was snow like on vesper? We had considered it as last weekends tour but decided we should go e of crest after i had a couple days of totally unconsolidated snow at Snoqualmie (I was thinkin Vesper would be same). Is Headlee Pass gully skiable? How much of talus slopes below skiable? Any?

Like a doof left my poles lying in the parking lot. See this post for details on missing poles, or email bizweasel@yahoo.com The TR part. Summary: pretty nice but still glad I had my rock skis (I've skied nothing but rock skis for this whole damn year ....) just tidying up your urls...

Major brain malfunction in the Crystal lot as leaving apparently caused me to leave my Leki Extreme poles just lying there on the ground as we drove away. If you happened to have been therein the lot and grabbed em pm me or mail bizweasel@yahoo.com. Otherwise o well. Had em a long time, old friends. They're the kind that are always coming loose but I still liked em.

As far as Baker, my brother and I hiked onto the Arm for years in the late 70s and 80s. At the time we didn't know squat about snowpack, had no transceivers, and our basis for determining avy conditions was that we could or couldn't see naturally triggered slides. Pretty sketch, thinking about it now. This was well before their BC policy. But, more importantly, it was also well before that big slide. I'd wager that anyone that saw the size of that crown hanging on the hill for the months after the slide is pretty well convinced now that the Baker BC policy, and taking that level of precaution, is a good thing, given that the alternative really is outright closure (they can't control any of it, it's wilderness). What I like about the Baker BC policy is that it is somewhat self policing too. If you see someone on the hike that is solo, isn't beeping, no shovel, etc., there seems to be a general community vibe that it is your right/duty to call them on it. I'd agree w EternalX that there are just as many yabos out by Herman Saddle, beyond Artist Point on the snowshoe trench, etc etc.

Don't forget to look further South too, if you consider that "Cascades" (it IS, it's just not that full on jumble of awesome peaks like north of Stevens is.) For instance, Adams SW Chutes. Shasta by any route. A goodly number of Oregon volcanos, South Sister to give one example. Not sure I'd call Baker/Coleman a 'starting point' - might be worth trying some milder less crevassed glaciers on other mountains first. Some years it's fine but some years it is nervy skiing.

More fishing for beta: would you say those three extra miles of road past washout would be worth bringing a mtn bike for? Or is it too brushy and otherwise messed up?

Yeah by this time of year the trail is very obvious at least at the point where you're likely to find it below the Chutes. But I have heard that in June or so the trail is not so obvious, seen a couple of reports from folks that tried to hit the trail but never found it under the snow. Not many people bootmark it any time before the majority of trail-level snow melts; the only people that might would be climbers on the way to White Salmon Gl.

Road typically open at or around 4 July. If you walk/bike the road it is said to be a great tour BEFORE the road opens. (Next time I want to do the skibike thing to there sometime in June, touring through Spray Park in snow rather than trail, with no one else around, would greatly add to the enjoyment factor.) During most years there is some skiable snow there up to/into September due to Flett Glaciers, which don't really crevasse and hold snow well, so it is a reliable August+ ski-fix locale with much better aesthetics than jostling amidst the suncups and bootpack of the Muir 'Snow'Field. I've never been onto the actual Russell but it looks good as long as you watch out for some occasionally big crevasses. Both times I was there I was too tired from the approach to bother going much higher than Observation Rock or the next high point on Ptarmigan Ridge and then skiing the Flett. If you time it right the headwall at Flett top is a great short steep. Also: consider taking Knapsack Pass approach variation if you don't like crowds on trails.

The best info is the elevation. Start looking when your altimeter reads 6200, and start worrying that you've missed it if your altimeter reads 6000. Once reaching snow's end at 6800 or so, I made a point of angling left rather than trying to just fall-line, mainly because I had caught a glimpse of the trail over there on the part where it goes up the mentioned 200'. Angling increases the chances of obstacles (minor cliffs, rock slides) so I think next time I'd just make it a point to boot-bomb the fall line til I hit 6100. Re: exiting up rather than finding the RTMT. As a skier, I might have imagined that the other means of exit to return to LC might have been OK even tho snow was far from continuous. But I was boarding that day, so I wanted no part of any on-snow traverse.

Maybe old news but, FYI, it is not hard to fine one's way through the forest at Brewer before the snow melts, at least when I did it w trailhead no more than 1.5 mile away. Just take a reverse sighting of where two prominent buttes on the horizon are (or better yet a compass read) as you cut the switchbacks on the way up and then do the equivalent on the way out. As of now, that trailhead is melted out. Probably TOO melted out, still skiable but wouldn't be nearly as much bang for the buck. Here's some recent TRs for out of Brewer one mine one from Amar: http://www.turns-all-year.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=tr0406;action=display;num=1088623455 http://www.turns-all-year.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=tr0406;action=display;num=1087109828