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Pretty close... http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=966443 Also I recollect that many years ago someone happened to be on the summit with skis when a couple fell off the Cooper Spur route and onto Elliot Glacier. This fellow immediately followed their route down on skis to offer assistance. Tragically they had expired. I'm not sure the route he skied, but DH would probably know.

April 7...

I have wide feet and can't wear Dynafit because of that. Right now I'm happy with BD Primes. Beware though, everyone I know that uses this boot thas had to spend extra $ for an aftermarket liner because the factory liner is too small. Maybe they've fixed that in 2012. I don't know. My boots are light (not as light as TLT5 but OK), comfortable, and warm, but it was more expensive than I had planned.

I would be a terrible salesman because my pitch would always be a disclaimer listing everything that was wrong! In this case I not only did that, but worse - I was incorrect when I said there is nothing to ride unless you want to practice slalom/GS. I am used to skiing higher up on the Palmer snowfield in the summer, where it is fun to poach gates after the ski teams are finished and before they tear down, so that is where my head is and I totally spaced out on the fact that snowboard camps run all summer lower down. In a good snow year (this year) there will be ample snow on the Magic Mile run below, which is groomed every night. The snowboard camps build big jumps on snow that has been consolidated by snowcats, but unfortunately these are not available to the public. They are accessed by private rope tows that are brought in for the summer. You can definitely have a fun day riding on the Magic Mile in June. A snowboard would also be nice to have for an early afternoon descent (when snow softens) from either Hood or Adams. Suncupping won't be bad that early in the year and it's not unusual to have fresh snow up high in June. Early in the day, however, the snow higher up can be rough and icy.

Not unless you want to practice slalom/GS. Resort skiing on Hood in June is limited to Palmer snowfield (Timerline ski area), which is divided up into about 15 private race lanes and one public lane, all on mellow terrain. The public lane has no gates, and is mush by 11 AM. There may be snow left on the amply wide, also mellow, Magic Mile run which is directly below Palmer snowfield, but it will be marginal in June. With a free wilderness permit you can boot or skin above Palmer snowfield and get into harder snow later in the day. This is ungroomed crud - i.e. sastrugi, chicken heads, suncupped corn, interspersed with the occasional patch of windblown fresh for variety. Much better June skiing is on N and E sides, but non-resort.

PM sent

PM sent on Mammut shock absorber

What kind (model) of bear proof container please?

Thanks! What airport did you depart from?

Not sure about sport, but these two for single-pitch trad in the Gorge: 45 min. to PDX: The Far Side is drier (and quieter!) than Rocky Butte. Has bolted anchors or convenient trees for TR. 2 hrs. from PDX: Horsethief Butte is often in the sun when PDX is wet. Can be windy though. Good TR area, but you will need trad gear to build anchors - no bolts allowed.

Can anyone comment on the repeater coverage for amateur radio 2m frequencies in the PNW. Not the I-5 corridor, of course, but in the more remote areas. How does it compare to cell coverage?

This is one tree per square meter - about as tight as can be managed and no fun. The first pic in the TAY link above looks like Private Reserve up above Yoda Bowl at Mt. Hood Meadows and is about as tight as can be skiied and still have fun. I'm guessing it's about 3,000 stems per hectare? I never thought it could slide, but I'll be rethinking that, especially in areas of similar density that are steeper.

How much are you willing to spend? I've had my eye on the Stephenson Warmlite 2R... http://warmlite.com/warmlite-two-person-tent The 2C is lighter but 2' shorter. I know a regular poster here has the 2C. Both are under 3 pounds.

Next step... Quiverkillers to help you amortize those expensive bindings! I'm really eager to try the Manaslus as the lightness is very appealing. I was surprised when I first mounted some Dynafits on alpine skis, how much more nimble and quick I felt. So, in addition to the obvious advantage that lighter skis and bindings hold for skinning uphill and on the flat, for a slightly-built guy like me, getting weight off my feet really helps my skiing ability.

I can see both sides. It's true you see a ridiculous number of huge fatties on days when they seem to make no sense. I can only assume that this is because the owners have a one-ski quiver and bought for the powder days they rarely see. I remember when fatties first showed up in the 70s. Until then everyone skiied powder fine on relatively skinny skis with little sidecut. The key was locking them together and mentally skiing like you were on one monoski if you will. Stein Eriksen - "ski like an eagle" was the mantra. Ski technology is constantly improving to make skiing more conditions easier. Why not take advantage of that? Re. the Shamans. They are fabulous in deep powder, but where they really excel, and why I bought them, is in deep heavy snow. For me, they are the ultimate cheater ski for skiing trees on those days when the snow is heavy - the kind of stuff that I consider somewhat dangerous to ski because you have to ski in a very deliberate manner to avoid catching an edge and you get tired fast - at least I do (did) because I am (was) in the back seat a lot in those conditions. In these conditions the Shamans are a game changer for me because I can get up on the tips and they won't dive. Also, the sidecut is so radical you can steer them by just edging, allowing high C turns in deep steep snow. In powder they are the most fun I've ever had. Surprisingly, they hook up and carve on hard pack as well. The only down side is that I am constantly banging the fat tips together as I still tend to ski powder with my skis locked together. Lots of clunking sounds when I am on those skis! In general, for light powder not deeper than 1 foot, I ski on 171 Head Monster 78s (78 mm underfoot). They are fairly soft and still carve well on hardpack. I have another shorter pair mounted with FT12s for summer volcano skiing and they are superb for that, but also work fine in powder as well. I think it boils down to how many skis you can afford to own (I buy used in the summer) and your ski technique. If you can only afford to own one pair, then fatties might make sense if you expect to be skiing powder because for most people, skiing powder is more challenging that skiing groomers (ice aside). When I see people sking powder nowadays most of them are skiing with skis well apart and the only way you can easily do that is with fatties. I guess most would rather have their only ski be a fattie as they prefer a fattie on groomers to a skinny ski in the powder. Fatties are cheaters. That's why I like them. They make skiing powder so much easier. If you can afford to own more than one ski why not take advantage of that. I have some old school ski buddies who refuse to ski on cheaters. IMO, their pride is preventing them from having a lot more fun.

Best review yet! Can I float across canyons from cornice to cornice?

Three questinos: 1) How long are the skis 2) How much do you weigh? 3) Can you carve turns (initiate by edging only) in powder or does the rocker force you to crank? Thanks in advance...

I didn't mean to infer that waiting 48 hours makes it safe, only that I use it as a first rule of thumb, meaning I don't even think about going skiing on steep terrain until 48 hours have past. Waiting 48 hours is never a green light for me. But not waiting 48 hours is an absolute red light. That doesn't mean I won't get out. I just may head for Zig Zag glacier or somewhere that I can avoid avy terrain.

I'm surprised at how many people head for steep bc slopes when avy conditions are considerable, let alone high. If you've taken Avy 1 you've learned that most avy deaths occur in moderate (level 2) conditions. What you can take away from this statistic is that most people stay away from level 3 (considerable) and up and that level 2 is plenty to kill you. As a first rule of thumb I simply do not head for steep slopes in winter within 48 hours of the end of the last storm. Sure I've missed a lot of great days.

Corn over ice, all crevasses open and obvious. What could go wrong? I was climbing and slipped on dull crampon points and self-arrested just above this one...

+1 Wearing the beacon under layers also keeps the batteries warm. Cold temps degrade performance of alkaline batteries.

Holy cow! This is truly awesome! Thank you!

SheWee I've been on climbs where there was no place to hide and they just squat. No one cares. When you gotta go...

Anyone have any numbers on how many tons of salt get dumped on Palmer snowfield every summer? Based on the number of fifty pound bags I see coaches dumping on the slalom lanes I'm sure some days approach a ton.