[TR] Slate Peak - Clean Slate Couloir 02/21/2022

[geosean]

Trip: Slate Peak - Clean Slate Couloir

Trip Date: 02/21/2022

Trip Report:

@thedylan and Dave Duyee and I skied the Clean Slate Couloir off of the N ridge of the N Peak of Slate Peak. Dylan wanted it to be a climb also, but it was just a point on the ridge... I wanted a peak too Dylan, but it wasn't to be. We parked ... wait, first I called in sick... then we parked at the White Salmon Snow Park and skinned briefly up Anderson Creek Road. Dylan had graciously scouted the trip the day before and even put in some skin track.

There was some of this:

 

Ans this:

 

And this:

 

But finally there was this:

 

And then even some of all this:

 

The snow was amazing and the fresh went down to about 2500' where we entered the woods. Thanks to Dylan for scouting it! If you don't know this one, it looks something like this:

 

 

Gear Notes:
skis, booze

Approach Notes:
Short, but Cascadian.

[genepires]

nice.  thanks for the TR.

what are the dotted blue lines in that map representing?  ski routes or creeks?

[JasonG]

Weren't you, along with @dberdinka, the first to ski that @genepires?

A fun run when the bottom isn't too bony!

[genepires]

11 hours ago, JasonG said:

Weren't you, along with @dberdinka, the first to ski that @genepires?

A fun run when the bottom isn't too bony!

I do  not know if we were first on anything.  the usual mode is that Darin has a great idea for an adventure and I get to enjoy his hard work.  we did do some tour from mt herman down chain lakes and over and around and somehow got back down to the baker highway, maybe near the XC parking lot.   great day but to be honest, i had no idea where I was.  luckilly Darin waited for me to make sure I did not get lost.  I was on a old voille splitboard and he was on skiis, so if it was a first, it was a double first!

Edited February 24, 2022 by genepires

[geosean]

On 2/23/2022 at 6:01 AM, genepires said:

nice.  thanks for the TR.

what are the dotted blue lines in that map representing?  ski routes or creeks?

The blue lines are from the topo, all I added is the red line. Dotted usually represents seasonal, or ephemeral, streams and solid are perennial streams. 

[AJScott]

Hard to know when those slate chutes got skied first. I know glacier kooks (myself included) have been skiing them before my time in the early 2000s.

Tree couloirs are pretty awesome!

[JasonG]

13 hours ago, AJScott said:

Hard to know when those slate chutes got skied first.

Very true.  Maybe @dberdinka was just the first to spray about it 20ish years ago.

[AJScott]

Hard to ignore those lines on drive down from the hill!

 

[JasonG]

A very good point.   Do you know of other names for those other than the couple (Clean Slate, Sweet Sweet Death)  @dberdinka came up with?  It seems like everything up there has a least a few names depending on which generation you are talking to.

[genepires]

12 hours ago, JasonG said:

A very good point.   Do you know of other names for those other than the couple (Clean Slate, Sweet Sweet Death)  @dberdinka came up with?  It seems like everything up there has a least a few names depending on which generation you are talking to.

i don't have this book infront of me, but wouldn't that info be in here?

https://beaconguidebooks.com/product/backcountry-skiing-mount-baker-washington/

 

Edited March 1, 2022 by genepires

[genepires]

or this map?  https://beaconguidebooks.com/product/backcountry-ski-map-mount-baker/

 

[JasonG]

That would mean going over to the dark side @genepires.

I have been trying to hold onto the mystery of the 90's for as long as I can. 

[genepires]

not too dark as it is a Book!  and written by the man himself, Matt Schonenwald.  I think I have that book at home if I can remember to look.............

 

[genepires]

On 2/28/2022 at 5:07 PM, JasonG said:

A very good point.   Do you know of other names for those other than the couple (Clean Slate, Sweet Sweet Death)  @dberdinka came up with?  It seems like everything up there has a least a few names depending on which generation you are talking to.

 

[dberdinka]

We skied those BITD when no one ventured beyond Herman Saddle, Bagely Basin held untracked powder for days, the low elevation snowpack was consistent and deep, Anderson Creek was routinely groomed and we had to slog around on telebindings that didn’t have tour modes.

once met a group of three Canadian guys in Anderson Creek on downhill gear.  They would routinely end their day of lift skiing by postholing to Herman saddle then ski/skate out Anderson Creek.  Don’t see that anymore!

[JasonG]

52 minutes ago, dberdinka said:

They would routinely end their day of lift skiing by postholing to Herman saddle then ski/skate out Anderson Creek.

[Kameron]

Sweet report! Heck of a lot of work getting up that thing compared to touring over from Herman area. I had a nice run in there in January. 

Cool to hear some history. I wish those nordic trails had more consistent snow & grooming.