ilookeddown Posted March 13, 2006 Posted March 13, 2006 (edited) Climb: Snoqualmie-slot Date of Climb: 3/12/2006 Trip Report: Adam and I decided to do the slot today. We started out at 6am and skinned up from lot 1 @ Alpental. A ski/boot track was established most of the way. I had never done this line before but it seemed very tame. I guess the conditions were very good. We rappelled the first 10M to check the stability and found it very stable. We got back to the car at around 9:45. We found no ice on the ski and I do recommend it if you haven’t done it before. ] Edited March 13, 2006 by ilookeddown Quote
Doug_Hutchinson Posted March 13, 2006 Posted March 13, 2006 Congrats on getting it early, because we skied it around 1:00 PM and (besides your party) there were seven others that skied it before it us and four more after. Super nice snow (deep powder) and a great line. The Phatom Slide with the waterfall direct variation was super nice too, heavy but fun with pretty good coverage over the waterfall. For anyone that has not skied this before, I suggest not climbing the Slot (like described in the Volken book) but dropping in from the top. Wallowing up the Slot in knee deep powder was work! Quote
colt45 Posted March 13, 2006 Posted March 13, 2006 I think we were the second group down the run today; it was nice to have the slope pre-tested! (although obviously we checked out the stability before committing to it). Crooked Couloir also had plenty of fresh powder, good stuff. Unfortunately we skiied Phantom late in the day after it crusted up, so we didn't even look at the waterfall option. Quote
ilookeddown Posted March 13, 2006 Author Posted March 13, 2006 Were you the guys we met in @ the parking lot? The phantom was crusty. We stayed in the trees. I fell about 20Ft at the waterfall (being stupid) before I could catch an edge. I won’t try that again. Quote
RocNoggin Posted March 13, 2006 Posted March 13, 2006 great job guys! umm, I was sledding below the falls, the bottom was crusty all afternoon. watched everyone ski by with envy, even on that crusty snow at the bottom! LOL Quote
JoshK Posted March 13, 2006 Posted March 13, 2006 How steep is this coulior? I don't buy guidebook hyperbola... I only have an pair of floppy lace up boots that lack control and didn't want to get into anything too steep. Looks like a great line. thanks, -josh Quote
kurthicks Posted March 13, 2006 Posted March 13, 2006 We started out at 6am..." I'm assuming that I talked to you in the lot when we were waiting for your partners. Nice to meet you, we were the ones headed into Das Toof. looks like fun! Quote
colt45 Posted March 13, 2006 Posted March 13, 2006 How steep is this coulior? I don't buy guidebook hyperbola... Maybe 45 degrees at the very top and 40 the rest of the way? The weekend's deep powder made the run very forgiving, but in firmer conditions it would be a different experience altogether. Quote
Tony_Bentley Posted March 13, 2006 Posted March 13, 2006 I counted 12 skiers (3 teleskiers, 3 snowboarders, 2 AT skiers, plus our partyof 4 )doing the slot and 6 (including our party agiain) skiing the crooked yesterday. You guys make 14 for the slot. Quote
ashw_justin Posted March 13, 2006 Posted March 13, 2006 You'll be fine Josh, but it would be more fun with real AT boots. Oh and it's soft moguls now. Quote
alpenski Posted March 13, 2006 Posted March 13, 2006 My wife and I got first tracks on the Crooked on saturday. Looked like a solo skier put in the skin track on friday, then skied straight down the phantom. Sometime saturday before us 3 people skied the slot and exited via the ridge in the Snow Lake direction. The upper part of the Crooked had some wind effect which made the snow seem less deep, but was still nice. I was surprised how moderate the upper 2/3rds of the Crooked is. The last section which connects with the Slot was steeper, deeper, and sweet. We skinned and boot-packed out the normal exit, then skied off towards Source Lake. The lower slopes were classic potatoes. Quote
JoshK Posted March 14, 2006 Posted March 14, 2006 Cool, thanks. I figured about that. You can definitely survival ski in these boots but if the need really arises for that it can be rather frightening. I'll save the slot for when i get back in May. Quote
ashw_justin Posted March 14, 2006 Posted March 14, 2006 Could be spotty by May due to the low elevation but I honestly don't know and I guess it's a good snow year. But it's best NOW. (except for the moguls.) Quote
JoshK Posted March 15, 2006 Posted March 15, 2006 Yeah, I don't think the Slot is any sort of hidden run. Quote
philfort Posted March 15, 2006 Posted March 15, 2006 I'd say it was a hidden run before the guidebook. I bet it sees 50 times as many people now. (based on nothing but the fact that people are competing for fresh tracks down it these days, whereas I never saw any tracks in it in 3 times there prior to the guidebook). Quote
tobytortorelli Posted March 15, 2006 Posted March 15, 2006 Guidebooks and websites can put a damper on a gem. I think I saw it documented first on www.mtphil.com as Enigma Gullly? Quote
philfort Posted March 15, 2006 Posted March 15, 2006 I think I saw it documented first on www.mtphil.com as Enigma Gullly? yeah, what a loser! Quote
ashw_justin Posted March 15, 2006 Posted March 15, 2006 If all those hardcore extreme skiers do it, and publish such favorable descriptions, then it must be worthwhile. I know that I when I am finally good enough for it, I'm gonna be all like "wow, flykilo, skilfort, and EatALLYouCan skied this! I hope I don't die!" Quote
ashw_justin Posted March 15, 2006 Posted March 15, 2006 Alright people, let's get serious. See the google summary of the second hit for an example of how best to present this ski: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=slot+couloir&btnG=Google+Search "Slot Couloir The Slot Couloir is dangerous, has consistently poor skiing conditions, and getting up Mt Snoqualmie from the Alpental parking lot takes lots of ..." I know that at least three of the other top ten hits can be fixed accordingly by current cc.com members... Get on it! Quote
chris Posted March 16, 2006 Posted March 16, 2006 If you weren't going to approach the Slot from Phantom, how would you get to the summit? From Commonwealth Basin, up and over? Quote
ashw_justin Posted March 16, 2006 Posted March 16, 2006 You know they call it the Phantom because people disappear in there every few years. I heard a rumor that there are some pits which get hidden under the snow in the winter, so the approach is something analogous to a crevasse-field... Also heard that Alpental/Summit at Snoqualmie and the W.D.O.T. just agreed on a new plan to reduce traffic delays resulting from avalanche activity and rockslides in the future. The two decommisioned 105 mm howitzers will be aimed at suspect slopes and unfortunately all of the normal approaches to the Slot Couloir will be vulnerable and subject to control fire... Quote
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