Stefan Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/northcascades/pass/spring04.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshK Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 Does anybody know why the SR20 snowpack would be so low? It's at average or above most other places... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 Does anybody know why the SR20 snowpack would be so low? It's at average or above most other places... Â ELEVATION all "snowpack" depths are elevation-relative. This year there is lots of snow high and not much low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshK Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 Washington pass is at 5500 feet, so that doesn't really explain it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jshamster Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 5500' is pretty low IMHO. 8K & above is where it's at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blake Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 elevations are all relative. People talk about climbing @ 11 and 12 thousand and higher all the time in Colorado, but Denver (out on a flat plain) is 5,300 feet, and Seattle, Vancouver, and PDX are @ 0 feet elev. All I'm saying is that a "Washington Pass" in colorado would be roughly @ 11,000 feet or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpine_Tom Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 All I'm saying is that a "Washington Pass" in colorado would be roughly @ 11,000 feet or so. Â Ah. That explains it. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshK Posted March 14, 2004 Share Posted March 14, 2004 Still not quite a fair comparison. Denver is 5k yeah, but the rockies really rise out a higher plateau than that. The cascades are about a 7k range, relief wise, the rockies are more like 3k to 4k, and the relief is over much longer distances. Â Anyway, 5500 for washington is high, there should be more snow than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leejams Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 My guess, it is further to the east then say stevens pass. It has Jack,logan,goode, and glacier peak all sucking the precip out before it gets to the WA pass area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattp Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 I do think it is true that Washington Pass never receives the snowpack of, say, Stevens Pass or Cascade Pass, but I think Josh is suggesting that there is less snow there than an average year. Although the DOT guy reported that it was an unusually low snow year, he went on to talk primarily about the snow deapth in the avalanche deposition zones as opposed to the total snowpack on Washington Pass. It may in fact be the case that the unusual thing is that we never really had huge midwinter avalanche cycles this year. Â It looks to me as if we may be on target for an "average" or slightly early opening date, but nothing extraordinary. The historical closure section of the WSDOT page shows openings as early a late march, and as late as May, but mid April appears most common. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefan Posted March 18, 2004 Author Share Posted March 18, 2004 They changed the website: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/northcascades/pass/default.htm  In addition. The road is NOW OPEN FROM NEWHALEM TO THE NORMAL CLOSURE AT ROSS LAKE TO ALL DRIVERS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabertooth Posted March 19, 2004 Share Posted March 19, 2004 Saweeeet! Looks like you can drive all the way to the hairpin from the east. Hmmmm, maybe I'll have to give that Early Winters Couloir a try a bit earlier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_a Posted March 19, 2004 Share Posted March 19, 2004 Sabretooth- just because the road is plowed up to the hairpin does not mean you can drive up there. The gate on the highway is still locked at Silver Star until the whole highway is cleared. If you're desperate to get up there before everyone else, you can park at the Silver Star gate and bike up to the hairpin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabertooth Posted March 19, 2004 Share Posted March 19, 2004 Didn't know that. Thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken4ord Posted March 24, 2004 Share Posted March 24, 2004 Dood if you make up there take photos, love to see what type of that area is in. Didn't even think of the bike option while we are waiting for the road to be opened. Hmmm maybe the following weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefan Posted April 3, 2004 Author Share Posted April 3, 2004 Bump. Â They are talking of opening the road on April 8th....but it could be later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CascadeClimber Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 I just heard it's opening today: Thursday, April 8. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minus Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 On the web site it seems open, but that may well mean dick all... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 I heard on the news this am that DOT says 10am opening, today. Â Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle_Tricky Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 As of yesterday, the road is open and in good condition (at least for now). Some construction was going on in places, but no delays. Lots of signs of the big fall rains--logs stuck strangely high in trees and evidence of other large rockfall (away from the road) between Newhalem and Ross Lake. Big white scars and clean new talus. Only 5 feet of snow along the road in the deepest places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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