layton Posted March 20, 2004 Posted March 20, 2004 so am i being a fool thinking that doing a steep snow/ice glacier route w/inversion and 11k freezing levels (10k at night) is a really stupid idea? i can't imagine conditions being anything but suck, but i'd hate to be wrong and miss out. my experience tells me no, but let's hear if it you've had good luck w/similiar conditions. i was thinkin hood n.f. Quote
Dave_Schuldt Posted March 21, 2004 Posted March 21, 2004 Was invited on a B/C ski trip...didn't go, thought it would be too scary/ shitty....maybe i was wrong. Oh well, had a nice MT bike ride. Quote
skykilo Posted March 21, 2004 Posted March 21, 2004 I'd say go check it out. If conditions seem sketchy, or debris is raining, do the Sunshine Route or something. That's just me though, and I can be an idiot. Quote
layton Posted March 21, 2004 Author Posted March 21, 2004 good point. too bad the guy i was gonna do it with car died. going rock climbin' Quote
Tod Posted March 21, 2004 Posted March 21, 2004 Yeah, watched everything coming down in the Mt. Baker Ski Area backcountry. People were heading up through the gates in droves and getting some sweet tracks in very nice snow. 15" of snow from the last 48 hours and springtime temps and sun. By 11am small surface sluffs were coming down. By Noon three large 18" slabs had let loose across the ridge to the left and across from chair 8. We watched one of them sweep some guy down about 200 yards and then he dug himself out. The last one got the whole ski area to stop and watch. It broke at the first high point on the ridge closest to the chair right above the prominent cliff. It took the guy who set it off right with him over the cliff. I'm guessing the cliff is 100'+. He lucked out and was fine from I can tell. Â Not a good weekend to be hitting the backcountry where there was any fresh snow... Quote
texplorer Posted March 21, 2004 Posted March 21, 2004 I decided not to head up either. Seems like a gumbie weekend. Quote
Chad_A Posted March 21, 2004 Posted March 21, 2004 I soloed Leuthold this morning. Some wind-created icefall, but other than that, stellar snow conditions. Nice and clear; snow froze up nice and solid. Good cramponing. Quote
layton Posted March 22, 2004 Author Posted March 22, 2004 sweet. i was thinking of soling hood last night, but went aid practicing at broughtons with IVAN instead. i think the NF would be a lot more fun in late fall when its a sheet of ice. Quote
Chad_A Posted March 22, 2004 Posted March 22, 2004 Cool; aiding is something that I'd like to get some experience with, for sure. Hey, I'd like to try both the NF and the Sunshine; if you ever need a partner, PM me. I'd like to give 'em both a shot. Quote
layton Posted March 22, 2004 Author Posted March 22, 2004 right on. i live pretty close to broughton and rocky butte so i'd like to get a few pitches in a week during the weekdays after skoul since the days are longer now. Quote
catbirdseat Posted March 22, 2004 Posted March 22, 2004 Coming back from Castle Rock we noticed a new snow slide up on Windy Mountain that went right down to ground. It was relatively small in area, but was right in the middle of a bowl at the top of a big avy gully. Quote
jja Posted March 22, 2004 Posted March 22, 2004 I saw that one - it slid right down to the dirt up by the crown. Â btw, was castle completely dry? Quote
Dru Posted March 22, 2004 Posted March 22, 2004 i saw a pretty huge avalanche in the fraser canyon come off the top of some rock bluffs and take out trees underneath this afternoon! Quote
catbirdseat Posted March 22, 2004 Posted March 22, 2004 I saw that one - it slid right down to the dirt up by the crown. btw, was castle completely dry? Castle Rock was completely dry. It was great climbing conditions. Ran into mattp and his friends Chris, Mark and ------. Quote
JoshK Posted March 22, 2004 Posted March 22, 2004 FWIW, I did a backcountry tour north of the baker ski area (in the tomyhoi area) both sat and sun and conditions were beyond perfect. The only real slide hazard was slow wet snow slides on very steep stuff below rocks and that was all very avoidable. Quote
Ade Posted March 22, 2004 Posted March 22, 2004 So the skiing was great and the climbing would have sucked. You and I can breath a big sigh of relief Layton... No alpine mayhem was missed. Hope everyone has a good time cragging or carving... or even bouldering (Distel). Quote
JoshK Posted March 22, 2004 Posted March 22, 2004 Also, of all the things I didn't think I'd see...I saw a pretty "in" looking ice line (maybe 1 pitch) up on a cliff on the side of yellow aster butte. That kind of surprised me considering the rather warm temps. Quote
Dru Posted March 22, 2004 Posted March 22, 2004 there's a lot of melt-freeze alpine ice that forms up once the isothermal snow starts feeding the drips, and lasts into late april or early may. Quote
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