TR- Washington Pass 5/18/07

[cascadianwarrior]

Since joining TGR I’ve been pretty lame about posting TR’s mostly due to the fact that there hasn’t been much stoke to contribute when you’re riding the lifts. But lately the ski/snowboard forum has been in need of some lovin’ so here is my feeble gesture:

Sally Portman’s Birthday Tour (attempt)



I had intentions of picking up my buddy Travis at 5:30 with a quick stop at the office to clear my schedule. Next thing you know it’s 6:30 and we’re still in Wenatchee. I also underestimated the time to would take to get to the top of Washington Pass.


Liberty Bell

So finally at 9:15 we pulled over to check out the Kangaroo Ridge lines which were looking pretty damn sweet. We then drove over to check out the Whistler couloirs but thought that the south facing slopes were catching too much sun. Both of these lines have haunted me since reading Squirrel99’s TR from last season: FKNA! http://tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54464

Knowing that we were getting a late start we figured that a quick B-day tour was our best bet. It was already in the mid 50’s and bluebird as we geared up and was promising to be a slop-fest if we didn’t get moving soon.


Our objective (as seen from '05)

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Travis & Travis

The slog through the trees from the TH is always a pain in the ass but it doesn’t take long before the views begin to open up.


Whistler & Cutthroat





Down lower we were a little concerned with the amount of running water under the snow, having to cross over and back, but it appears that there is still 4-6’ of snow covering most everything.


Sundog


God I hate snowshoes.....


Travis burning up in the mid-day sun


The point


Blue Lake col in the back


Obligatory shot of Kangaroo Ridge

Topping out at the col we were rewarded with huge views in all directions.


Liberty Bell


Madison Avenue


Sugar free Red Bull got Travis to the top


Photo op


Pano

As per the common theme for this day, we determined that we didn’t have time to complete the rest of the tour and opted to just drop back down the way we came up. We chilled out for a bit and met 3 other skiers out for the day. Two were from the Tahoe area and it turns out that I knew the third guy from growing up in the Methow valley. Small world.....

The snow was pretty firm right off the col but quickly became smooth-n-buttery corn. There was some sun cupping but nothing that hadn’t softened up over the morning.


Travis digging it





Lower down it got a little grabby but still was a blast. All in all about 2300 vf of turns to be had. We met 3 other parties on our descent; I’d hate to think what the conditions were by the time they topped out. Touring will still be possible with continuous snow for the next few of weeks but I’d get up there and get it done soon!


Camp robber

*This just in from NOAA*

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
215 PM PDT SUN MAY 20 2007

WAZ042-212115-
EAST SLOPES NORTHERN CASCADES-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...LEAVENWORTH...MAZAMA...TWISP...WINTHROP
215 PM PDT SUN MAY 20 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL
WASHINGTON.

THE FOLLOWING WATCHES WARNINGS OR ADVISORIES ARE CURRENTLY IN EFFECT
SNOW ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM PDT MONDAY ABOVE4000 FEET.

PLEASE SEE THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS FOR MORE INFORMATION.
SEAWSWOTX /WWUS46 KOTX/

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

A COLD AND UNUSUALLY STRONG LATE SPRING STORM WILL BRING MUCH
COOLER CONDITIONS TO THE INLAND NORTHWEST BEGINNING TONIGHT. SNOW
LEVELS WILL FALL AS LOW AS 3500 FEET IN THE CASCADES TONIGHT.
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE WITH LOCALLY
HEAVIER AMOUNTS.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THE STRONG SPRING STORM WILL SHIFT EASTWARD DURING THE DAY MONDAY.
BY TUESDAY...WARMING AND DRYING CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED.

$$



Before I get flamed for my photos, yeah, I know (now) that the image sensor is/was dirty. Pissed me off to see the polka dots.

[doughboyshredder]

Great TR! Looks like Tuesday would be a great day to skip work.

[Squirrel99]

Madison Avenue corn is sweet!

But I 'heart' the Kangaroo! Love that peak.

[3pin]

Madison Avenue corn is sweet!

But I 'heart' the Kangaroo! Love that peak.

I skied the prominent chute from the high point of Kangaroo Ridge on 5/6, and it was fantastic. Maybe back there next weekend?

Nice TR

[sledneckripper]

holy fucking cornice. I know a few guys who would cream their pants for the chance to drop that with a sled. Damn.

Nice stokeage.

[Mofro261]

Thanks for the highway 20 stoke. But -1 for not dropping down Early Winters to the hairpin and then hitching back to the trailhead. A much better run IMO. I'm bummed not to be able to get back up there this year. Funny thing, my hikes are also powered by sugar free red bull. Except that it's usually relabeled as Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.