joker

Heck, I even had a full day of suprisingly good skiing from the bumper up at Snoqualmie Pass this past weekend. As Sky notes, the snowpack gets at least fairly predictable around now. The days are long (though you do risk the super slushy by fully exploiting their length). The weather is often nicer than in winter. So higher, longer tours become more inviting (not that my lazy-butt venture from the bumer on Saturday qualified as such).

when I lived back east there were times when this was the best we could hope for - it would soften the "frozen granular" (what just gets called pure ice out here) into something more like early corn. good gortex test too. but the lifties kinda look at you funny and tell you to go home...

Uhh, I'm betting it takes more than 15 minutes to make it up to snow via Annette Lake trail right now, even for superhumans. FR 9070 is actually in pretty good shape except for about 10 feet of nasty erosion at the switchback by the rock cut. If you have normal ground clearance and go slow, just about any car that's safe on the highway could make it. Still, even this way up takes more than 15 minutes round trip, so if you enjoy 15 turns per run, rock on for the next day until the patch melts...

It's very tempting to get suckered too far left in the woods, and in fact can feel like you're on the ridge until suddenly it seems steeper below you than you remember... I've had this happen twice, the first time a quick compass check to see which way our slope was pointing proved we needed to traverse right. The second time I just trusted experience and traversed right. In both cases, we got to the trail on the ridge quite quickly. However, I can easily imagine turning left sooner than I did and getting WAY off course into the creek drainage...

Climb: Silver Peak-Northwest basin Date of Climb: 5/16/2004 Trip Report: The blue sucker holes that were growing over snoqualmie as we drove toward our intended destination of Ingalls suckered us to check out whether FR 9070 is clear up to WIndy Pass, and indeed it is! We drive right up to snow just shy of the pass, and were able to ski from the tailgate right up to the top of the NW ridge a little below the summit (the typical high point for skiing the north side) Sweet! We were feeling a little lazy and pressed for time anyhow, so it was nice to find a close-in, no-ski-carry-required tour. Two of us hoofed it most of the way to the summit, stopping at the last cool notch before the top where I noted that a week or two earlier would have potentially made for a nice ski from said notch, with perhaps a short rappel at the outset. We did two laps in the basin, enjoying firm and only somewhat grabby snow on the eastern edges by the trees (where all the short but steeper drops are). The thin ribbon of snow along the forested edge of the Ollalie clearcut is a bit of a christmas tree and fallen log maze, but it was still a fast ski back to the rear bumper. This one is about to be too melted out for a continuous ski, though. Gear Notes: Skis, skins, poles, boots. There was some debate on beacons, shovels, probes, but I won and we brought them. Approach Notes: Road clear to just a few hundred yards shy of Windy Pass, a few eroded stretches but I think the family sedan could still make it.

It sucks in powder too, particularly on steep sidehill traverses where the nice bench you've packed out gets broken and slides down the hill, leaving you with a sliding ankle-breaker in place of that nice highway you worked for.

Were they snowboarders (at least when the ride the lifts)?

Anyone driven up the Teanaway road as far as Beverly Creek yet this season? If so, did you need super high clearance? The rangers are typically unsure, saying today that they think that there's still snow 1.5 miles from there but that they think some people have managed to drive up anyhow. Should be open any moment ...

Intriguing. So where's the profit to REI, Coleman, and Polaris in the fees? You lost me there. The closest link I can imagine is that they want to ensure that we don't start losing recreational access opportunities (and they may see the fees as a way to ensure $ to maintain access, a dynamic others have noted on this thread) as that would indeed cut into their business.

For spring turns, it's actually nice to have the bottom melted out so you can speedily truck climbers trail on the east side of the creek for a ways before getting on snow - then there's just a bit of farting around before you're up in the huge open valley enjoying the glory part of the tour.

I'm OK with buying a pass, but agree with those saying they want to see accountability for where the pass $ go. Parts of this thread remind me of the "let's cut taxes, and who are they to close state parks and cut back bus routes!? why can't they just cut all that pork I know must be there!?" level of public discourse. I agree there's a real issue with inhibiting the casual new user but don't agree with folks saying "I'm paying twice for the same thing!!" Look carefully into the money flow, as folks like the WTA have done, before taking such a stand. Speaking of the WTA, if taxes get you roiled then check out http://www.wta.org/~wta/cgi-bin/wtaweb.pl?2+av+issue+NOVA_FAQ to see why you should put some of this energy into calling your state rep and senator to redirect some of your gas tax $ away from dirt bike trails and into stuff you actually use.

Too bad - they looked like they'd be sweet to rent out for a few nights.

Hey snoboy - what's up with the cabins I saw off a few trails up high on the slopes at Red (one on Red Mountain proper, another near the top of Long Squaw, I forget if there are any others)? Privately owned and used?

Mess with the bilers at your own (auto's) risk! Some of them are great folks who just like coolers (but who would slow down when passing you, and might even save your sorry but if you were injured), and some are serious dickheads who are just looking for a reason to vandalize your car while you're off for the day. I for one would gladly walk a few extra feet in order to not be sucking two stroke fumes while getting my pack ready. This seems like a case where being practical makes more sense than being righteous. But hey, maybe bilers aren't the only user group with some participants who are itching for battle...

You can sometimes get the best of both in clearcuts if the buried stumps are spaced right...