Two Good, Too Bad

Thursday we had a very good tour. First, we went up Snoqualmie Mountain, where trail-breaking duties were shared by the H Bomb, SS, and our new friend Christophe. Christophe taught me how the French say "break trail," while also helping with the duties. Merci pour faire la trace, mon ami.

We carefully skied an avalanche-wary route into Commonwealth Basin. Thence we skinned and booted up Red Mountain. The turns down Red Mountain were amazing.

SS nears nirvana on the first clear day in a month.

Thursday we had two good summits. It was almost too good. Time for a little suffering.

Here is Jason at 2:30 am on Friday, ready for a sadistic sortie.

It's dumping.

In honor of the weather, which has been non-stop shitting, TB took a picture of me in this sweet take-a-dump pose.

Secret Stash #1969

Resorts are too crowded on Mondays.

With that in mind, we headed to the secret steep glade. Any guesses where?







LOOKING AT THE NAMES OF THE PICTURES IS CHEATING!!!

Testing New Dynafits

Had the pleasure of testing a freshly-mounted rig this morning. New Garmont Megarides clicked into TLT Classics mounted on a mint pair of Atomix TMXs. Conditions were good, with 4-6" of pow over a softish crust. I found a little sluff pile at the bottom of the waterfall to give the bindings a real test. They held, I stuck it, and a good morning was had by all.





Oh yeah, for the record, TB made some beautiful telemark turns today.

Ski Descent 3: Mt Johannesburg, CJ Couloir

Ski touring is a very healthy activity, most certainly a powerful preventative for obesity. Even amongst the most avid enthusiasts, however, a few remain overweight by some unfavorable combination of nature and too much nurture. The third installation in the Ski Sickness Descent Series comes from a friend lovingly known as FatBoy, who was quick to catch the Sickness, with his sedentary ways and accompanying depressed immune system. Given his cognomen, it should come as no surprise that his prose is more opulent than anything that precedes it. Appropriately, FatBoy's descent is right next to a road.





Mt Johannesburg, CJ Couloir

There's something about the north side of Johannesburg, as you lumber beneath, that fills your heart with lead. A vertical mile of craggy ridges and bluffs, clinging shrub trees, hanging glaciers and showering seracs raise your heart rate so that it pumps lead into your limbs. It is an angry mountain and like a school yard bully, you can't wait until school is over, so you can return to the refuge of home.

As it sits, Johannesburg stands watch on the border of the North Cascades National Park where a road winds right by its base. Originally the road was imagined as a path through the center of the range, but with lack of funds, continual slides, and washouts, it was never finished.

Nevertheless, from that effort, part of the road remains. In the summer, you can drive past Johannesburg. Most of the mountain's icy armor has melted by then. Only the Sill Glacier and a few bulging tongues of ice still cling to the mountain. These pocket glaciers scare most climbers. Serac fall and avalanche danger pose the most lethal threats from the Cascade-Johannesburg Couloir (CJ Couloir), yet it remains one of the easiest ways up the mountain. During most seasons this captivating frozen beanstalk, leading to the land of giants, begs to be skied.

Line:
Parking is at either of two gates on Cascade River Road. There is one at mile 17 and one at mile 21. It is unlikely to drive farther and still have good conditions in the couloir, but if you do count yourself a very lucky chap.

Leave the road at mile 23. A few hundred feet across Cascade River and you are at the base of the 3400ft couloir. Once you have climbed the couloir's ample apron, begin up moderate slopes of 30-35 degrees for 1000ft. Once the couloir narrows, it steepens to 40 degrees. Another 1000ft gets even steeper and takes you past the Sill Glacier and its sinister seracs. You can take a break on the upper portion. The slope may reach 50 degrees in places, but isn't exposed to icefall. Your biggest threat is whether or not the snow will be good (or stable!) enough to ski this section.

Climbing a runnel near the top of the couloir

Ready for the first turn: Feel the Sickness?

Now that you are on top, you see the rest of Johannesburg, yet to be skied. Shake your head, stow your dreams, snap those skis on your feet and prepare for flight. Be sure to start those first turns gingerly as they are on the steepest terrain. Each turn gets less committing although a fall anywhere would be a bad idea unless you have stellar conditions - good luck climbing it with that much powder! More power to you. Otherwise be sure, as you get lower, to not dilly-dally. You are once again under the watchful eye of the Sill Glacier.

With all else behind you, as you escape the snowy debris pile at the bottom, feel fortunate that it isn't your final resting place. Also, be sure to cap that joy with a thunderous yell. Of course, count yourself a lucky bastard. You just skied a Cascade jewel! Your body is light after sweating bullets until the lead loads your limbs no longer, only to feel heavy again as you review.

Ahh, The Unbearable Lightness of Skiing! (Aplogies to Milan Kundera.) Thanks for the gripping account, FatBoy. Now we know how it feels.

Season:
The best season is December-June. Too early in the season and there may not be enough snow to fill the couloir, too late and the surface is likely to be fearsome firm firn.

Weak End

The outlook was grim, if you heard it from RP. While the skiing wasn't anywhere near the perfection of two weeks ago, it wasn't bad.

Saturday, TB and SS met fellow enthusiasts at (Where else?) Snoqualmie Pass. Expectations included warm weather and maybe even some of that four-letter word beggining with "r" and rhyming with pain. What actually occurred was cold weather and snow showers.

True to form, SS and TB separated from the group and found themselves lost. No matter, they also found powder.


Sunday, DC, GM, SS, and Lefty took a look at a couloir above Twin Lakes on the other side of that same irresistible, low pass. They found slightly more powder in an enjoyable couloir.






Errata: DC took the camera at the top, so SS took a little air for the camera. It wasn't much air, but it was enough to penetrate the rain crust left from Monday's warm storm. SS kept moving, his ski did not, and the ski released from the heel just in time for his falling kick to send it careening down the couloir. Luckily, Lefty was in the right place and caught the ski before it could get far. Next, SS decided to impress everyone with his smooth one-ski skillz. He made a turn, but a frozen chunk of ice below the snow surface disturbed his delicate single-edged schuss and sent him tumbling, nearly hitting Lefty - how gauche! SS caught an edge to stop himself after one head-over-heels iteration, SideStepped to Lefty to get his ski, and skied the rest of the couloir in fine style.




The group safely returned to Hyak via an exhilirating groomer under fat, wet flakes after circumnavigating Mt Catherine and astutely observing that cross-country skiing sucks. Not that there's anything wrong with that. We love and accept you too, all you nordic heads. Nordickheads, heh heh.

Ski Descent 2: Mt Hardy, Open Fly Couloir

The Ski Sickness Descent Series continues. A worthy pathogen should be highly contagious - the Ski Sickness disease should spread - so it seemed appropriate to post Lefty's suggestion as quickly as possible. Here it is: Tight slot, loose trousers, and all...

Mt Hardy, Open Fly Couloir

Leave your long skis at home.

The impressive northeast side of Mt Hardy, safely tucked away from highway gawkers, is riddled with couloirs. Most of them terminate in 500ft cliffs, but a few breach their way down the entire 2000ft. This line near the "Nancy Drew" sub-summit is probably the best of those.



Line:
Park just south of the Easy Pass trailhead, and work your way up 3700ft from the highway to the 7480ft notch (not the lowest - which also goes, but isn't as classic). Peer over the edge, and if you see a couloir that looks like it pinches off as it steepens out of view, you're in the right place. Pinch one off, then dig through - or huck - the cornice (after assessing the snowpack of course) and try not to get claustrophobia as you will remain walled in for the next 1800ft. The narrowest bit is also the steepest (45-50 degrees), but lower down it mellows to 40 degrees. Enjoy the orange walls and the echoes.

At the bottom, ski another few hundred feet to the west fork of the Methow River. Congratulations, you're in the middle of nowhere. To return, climb back to the ridge-top by reversing your route or ascending a broader gentler basin further to the west. Or for a more scenic alternative, climb to Methow Pass, circle around the east side of Mt Hardy, and enjoy the great southwest slope back to the highway.

Looking down the narrows

Lefty lets loose.

Season:
Best in March-April, right as highway 20 opens. The longer you wait, the less your chances of powder, and the higher your chances of chunky spring avy debris getting in the way.

Thanks, Lefty!

Kaleetan Peak

Yesterday: AA, SS, BB, and the alliteration-breaking DC went for a tour near Snoqualmie Pass.

AA spent much of the day needing to call AAA to help him with his skins. He and DC completed the Chair Peak circumnavigation, but missed the spectacular summit descent from Kaleetan.


A view of the mighty Mt Snoqualmie from the Alpental BC. How was the Slot, Lefty?

BB approaches Kaleetan. The ski descent is the left-leading diagonal finger of snow from the summit.

The lower part of some idiot's ski descent from Chair Peak, which he called the Eclectic Chair.

A beautiful day for a tour

BB summits.

Making a jump turn in the not-quite-ready gully off the summit

That's what I call the High Life.

Ski Descent 1: Mt Rainier, Fuhrer Finger

Let's play another game. How about it? Highlights of favorite Northwest ski descents. What shall we use as the criteria?

In his 1987 chef d'oeuvre, The Best Ski Touring in America, Steve Barnett enumerated the following criteria in his first chapter:

Maximum Scenic Value

Maximum Skiing Value

Safety

It's all too easy while ski touring in the mountainous west to put yourself in mortal danger while you are having the time of your life. ... Ski touring is not like climbing, where fear is part of the experience and where there's never any doubt where the danger lies.

Access

For the most part, we like Steve's criteria. However, while we agree that it is quite easy to find mortal danger, we continue to search for it in special circumstances. This is Ski Sickness, not Ski Touring. We are also more than willing to make sacrifices on the Access front for the sake of Adventure. So here's a summary of the Ski Sickness syllabus, in similar spirit:

Maximum Scenic Value

Maximum Skiing Value

Satisfactory Safety Vs. Sickness

All-Around Adventure

Mt Rainier, Fuhrer Finger

We'll start with an obvious choice. Fuhrer Finger is the sweetest moderate line on Mt Rainier, which is one of the most skyline-dominating mountains near a major metropolitan center in the whole world.


Fuhrer Finger options: The line on the left allows for safer, albeit steeper, ascent by avoiding the crevasse-ridden upper Nisqually Glacier in favor of Wapowety Cleaver.

Line:
Access is direct as one could hope from Paradise, at 5,400'. Skiing from Columbia Crest to Paradise offers a 9,000' continuous descent, while continuing down the Nisqually Glacier to Nisqually Bridge allows 10,400'. Incredible views, quality sustained fall-line skiing, never requiring the skier to negotiate anything steeper than 40 degrees. Yes!

Season:
December-July, depending on conditions


SS enjoys the descent near the fork drawn in the route photo, late June, 2006. Photo by PB