AlpineK Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Trip: Snoqualmie Pass - Chair Peak Circumnavigation and Slot Couloir Date: 2/18/2011 Trip Report: Circumnavigating Chair Peak has been on my to do list for awhile. A friend suggested we ski the loop, and the weather looked good. On Friday the 18th we skied the loop with new snow and sunshine. Our group consisted of Tansaafl, two friends, and I. The tour starts with an ascent to the col between Bryant and Chair Peak. Snow on south facing slopes was thick due to sunshine, but north facing slopes had killer powder. Hemlock Descent to Melakwa Lake View northwards from Melakwa Lake Traverse to the col above Chair Peak Lake Looking towards Chair Peak Lake and Mt. Roosevelt After the ski to the lake we hiked to a high point over Snow Lake Looking East towards Snow Lake and Mt. Snoqualmie A good tour and a fun time! For a follow up, the next day David Parker, Tanstaafl, and I skied up Mt. Snoqualmie. The waterfall below the Phantom Slide is falling apart. Our original thought was to ski the Crooked Couloir, but on ascent we decided to ski the Slot Couloir. View of the big R Looking back towards our tour the day before The top of the Slot is in pre-mogul condition, but nice there's nice powder down lower. Here are two compare and contrast photos David Parker looking bad then feeling bad Tanstaafl maintaining her composure through the day We skied snow in the trees while descending towards Alpental. The snow was great up high, bud down lower quite icy underfoot. At the parking lot Dave saw climbers packing up in the parking lot. He decided to talk to them and maybe give them a hard time about walking in the skin track up the Phantom As it turns out it was Wayne and Tom just back from Pineapple Express. Two back to back days of fun skiing! Approach Notes: A hard icy snow layer ascending the Phantom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Here are a few more pics. Thanks Feck and Dave for a great day out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtveld Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Nice to see someone else still rocking the Dachstein mitts! Looks like tons-o-fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I just got 'em for Christmas and I love them. My hands are always cold and they are so warm -- and for all of $25. oh, and I forgot to post the best pic from the Chair Peak circumnavigation: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Great running into you guys. Nice that I only received 1 kick from Dave. Kurt, I hope you got that booger out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friedrich Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Wow nice trip Feck. What do you think about all this new snow we're getting right now? I'm not a skier, but it always seems like it would be exciting and frustrating at the same time, due to the avvy danger. How do you guys deal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlpineK Posted February 24, 2011 Author Share Posted February 24, 2011 Start by looking here: NW Avalanche Center There are some moderate risk places east of the Cascade crest and at a low altitude right now. On the west side everything is considerable or high risk. Getting out and seeing snow conditions first hand over the winter helps. The mountain snow pack had lots of Spring-like conditions; lots of hard or icy crust. Now there's a bunch of new snow siting on top of the layer. That's a good slab avalanche condition. The snow will gain stability eventually, but that will take time. For now tree skiing or going to a ski area would be a good choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friedrich Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Thanks for the tips. For me, I think this coming weekend is going to be a hike below snowline, then watch and wait... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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