BACK COUNTRY SKI PARTY

[Beck]

not to mention you can drive 30k over the limit in Can and get away with it! All those wackos are going 140 easy.

[Billygoat]

Hey MattP, did you traverse from the ski area, under Shuksan Arm to the ridge or another route?

[Dave_Schuldt]

There is lots of tree sking off the Smith Brook road. The place I am thinking of camping is far enough away from the road that we won't be able to hear it. We will be close enough to the creek to get water.

[Cpt.Caveman]

Is that road plowed in the winter or what?

[Billygoat]

How Far of a drive from Mt. Vernon is that?

[Dave_Schuldt]

The road isn't plowed. Once the avi debies get too deep at the switchback snowmobiles don't use it.

[Dave_Schuldt]

quote:

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Originally posted by Billygoat:

How Far of a drive from Mt. Vernon is that?

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About the same as Seattle- 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Go east of Stevens pass about 5 miles to the Nordic Center, turn left to get into the west bound lanes, drive about a mile to a large plow out.

[mattp]

Before they built the new White Salmon day lodge I used to go up White Salmon Creek, but the approach from the ski area is much easier. It has been described on this board at least twice, and you can probably find it in the North Cascades forum, but basically you just head uphill from the lodge about 100 yards, follow the cat track leftward - all the way to the end - and continue straight ahead, traverssing into the basin near the head of White Salmon Creek. The avalanche danger can be EXTREME in there and in addition to frequent smaller slides, the whole north slope of Shuksan Arm seems to go all at once at least a couple times a year, but there is good skiing on a variety of aspects.

[pete_a]

I vote for Smith Brook Rd. its a great spot, easy access to Jove, Union, Lichtenberg, etc, plus its not a wilderness area so you can have camping groups of more than 12 and no gov't folks will piss and moan about it. Just a thought.

A kegger up in the Tatoosh would be pretty damn fun though.

Just tell me when/where to show up and I'll have a sled full of beer in tow.

[Billygoat]

Thanks MattP I vote for: Smithbrook this fall after the next good snow settles, Pemberton in Jan/Feb and Hwy 20/Mazama April/May when the pass first opens

[pete_a]

...And don't forget the annual springtime ritual of the Mothers Day ski in a dress fest on Mt.St.Helens...always a big party, seems like there were more than 100 backcountry skiers drinking and camping in the Marble Mountain snopark the saturday night before the annual climb/ski on St.Helens sunday.

[Billygoat]

BTW MattP, if I wanted to go up the White Salmon Creek drainage, what, do you think, is the best way to access this? From the old contouring skid road off the hairpin just below the day lodge? If yes, where do I go when I come around the point overlooking the drainage? Or, is there some better access lower down? Thanks.

[mattp]

quote:

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Originally posted by Billygoat:

BTW MattP, if I wanted to go up the White Salmon Creek drainage, what, do you think, is the best way to access this?

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Are you talking about coming in from down valley? I used to take that "skid road" which is not immediately below the day lodge but a mile or two down the road, I think. Park on the Mount Baker highway and just follow the old road around the ridge and stay on it to the end, where you drop into the bush and start crawling through the jungle. I would not recommend this approach.