Thread: SNOW IN THE PNW 2011/2012!

If only I would have known you were heading to town I would have loved to show you around my local stomping grounds. It was great today, tomorrow is going to be sick!!!

I'm heading to Cali in the A.M.

Originally Posted by Kyle Miller

If only I would have known you were heading to town I would have loved to show you around my local stomping grounds. It was great today, tomorrow is going to be sick!!!

I'm heading to Cali in the A.M.

Likewise, mang. Travel safe.

This can't be allowed to fall off the first page. It is my preferred place to go for first hand beta. Will be at Alpy tomorrow (Friday). Looking forward to finding some remaining goods off the high traverse.

Here's a little teaser of what it's been like recently in the PNW.

March came in like a Lion at Willamette Pass.
Once the lifts started.

Stevens was dynamite today, backside didnt open so get it tomorrow if you can.

^^Yup! I'm heading up again tomorrow for that exact reason. Boss won't be too happy, but I'm pumped.

Any mags up there feel free to say hi and maybe we'll take a few runs. I'm the guy dressed in all black with a goofy full face and renegades. Pretty easy to spot.

Originally Posted by auvgeek

^^Yup! I'm heading up again tomorrow for that exact reason. Boss won't be too happy, but I'm pumped.

Any mags up there feel free to say hi and maybe we'll take a few runs. I'm the guy dressed in all black with a goofy full face and renegades. Pretty easy to spot.

Old wrens? Think I saw you from the lift, yelled "on3p"

Have fun up there today guys. Yesterday on Skyline Ridge was stellar. The warmup's coming, get it while you can!

Originally Posted by Kyle Miller

If only I would have known you were heading to town I would have loved to show you around my local stomping grounds. It was great today, tomorrow is going to be sick!!!

I'm heading to Cali in the A.M.

Tap's crew got shown around, in your absence.

Skiing in the Mission Ridge back country today. Danger High/Considerable. Low angle trees with runs over a mile and they kept going, we stopped so as not to wind up in Ellensburg.

do you leave a car at the bottom or just follow your turns back?
bobby

Originally Posted by flowing alpy

do you leave a car at the bottom or just follow your turns back?
bobby

Skin back to the ski area. About 30-45 minutes depending on where you're going. Elevation between 6800-5500. Last lap took us an hour and 15 minutes.

Originally Posted by Chainsaw_Willie

Have fun up there today guys. Yesterday on Skyline Ridge was stellar. The warmup's coming, get it while you can!

Was that your crew that my dad and i blew past on the north side? Great snow for sure.



Got a good shot on the helmet cam going past you guys.

You ninja-edited me!

No offense taken. I'm not real familiar with that area and appreciate any tips/advice. I knew where the skin track started below the middle peak and was trying to follow the bench over to that rather than deal with tight trees and unknown terrain below us. Didn't realize we'd be crossing so many good lines. Won't make that mistake again.

Good seeing you, if only for a few seconds!

Good seeing you too man. i saw the dog and thought it might be you.

I was coming off as an elitist dick (which i am) so i took off my post. From where i think you dropped in if you hug left after the first pitch you can get through that little cliff part and ride to the creek bed. All the cliffs are negotiable especially with our fat snow pack. There's a really cool roll over waterfall right there.

Originally Posted by Scott~

Old wrens? Think I saw you from the lift, yelled "on3p"

Nah, I was on 4FRNT Renegades. But I can never hear people yelling from the lift anyway.

Anyway, Stevens was pretty good yesterday. First couple runs down the backside were pretty money. There didn't seem to be a crust under the snow on Thursday, but there definitely was on Friday. Suspect that had more to do with the aspect (backside vs. front), but I was a little surprised for the first few turns.

Hope there's not too much rain this weekend, and we continue to get some good fluffy stuff next week.

super enjoyable day today riding washington mtns. with my new friends from oregon. TAP visited alpental and spent a little quality time with the locals. not having spent much time with snoboarders i was not sure what to expect
this fella is alright and keeps up just fine with the kids
quality group of riders that all seemed to get along just fine
bobby

today brought a little springtime into the action waiting for the sun to soften the snow.
didn't take long for the southern exposures to loosen up into softness, the northside on the other hand was a firm mess.
this was just a tease of april fun, march is a bit early for me to be done with new snow.
bobbyf

Looks like Monday to wednesday could be pretty good. A little break from this warm spell.

Lets get our shred on.

So pissed im busy early this week.

Great weather last monday


Lead into some pow slashin


And pillow smashin


At the steepest little valley this weekend

Anyone know what the scoop is with Stevens? Half the lifts are closed today - reasonably reliable word is that this is pure cost cutting (but maybe for a bit of concern about some mid-morning movement on 7th and the side of Tye). They seem to have opened a couple additional lifts recently after a FB kerfluffle started, but what is going on with a hill doing splash advertising about 6 inches of new snow since morning while they had Southern Cross, Double Diamond, Tye Mill, Jupiter and Brooks closed? (not that Brooks matters...)

I was planning on heading up today, but why bother for lift served in that environment?

Can we expect the lifts there to be useless on weekdays for the rest of the season? Any more inside info than I can get would be appreciated.

One of the many things I have appreciated about Stevens in the past has been their relative honesty regarding lifts, conditions, crowding, etc. This seems to be changing...

Originally Posted by spindrift

Anyone know what the scoop is with Stevens? Half the lifts are closed today - reasonably reliable word is that this is pure cost cutting (but maybe for a bit of concern about some mid-morning movement on 7th and the side of Tye). They seem to have opened a couple additional lifts recently after a FB kerfluffle started, but what is going on with a hill doing splash advertising about 6 inches of new snow since morning while they had Southern Cross, Double Diamond, Tye Mill, Jupiter and Brooks closed? (not that Brooks matters...)

I was planning on heading up today, but why bother for lift served in that environment?

Can we expect the lifts there to be useless on weekdays for the rest of the season? Any more inside info than I can get would be appreciated.

One of the many things I have appreciated about Stevens in the past has been their relative honesty regarding lifts, conditions, crowding, etc. This seems to be changing...

Last thursday they had the backside closed because they hadn't bombed it, only 7" new. I had heard that previously they were cutting patrollers and had been neglecting avy bombing to save money. Since the incident they don't have the option of neglecting bombing, but still may have less patrollers. Saturday there was wind closures, I had definitely seen them run the lifts in worse conditions, but it was such a shitty day it wasnt that surprising. I'm not really sure if the issue is directly cutting costs of lifties etc or if its just a patroller issue. Either way it's bollocks, from my point of view the rider numbers at Stevens really dont seem to be hurting.

Interesting. I ski there a bunch and subjectively they seem to have been getting better numbers than ever. Certainly no worse. And yeah - I was there Thursday. Heard mixed reasons for the backside closure, but gave them the benefit of the doubt. It sure made the frontside get crushed quickly.

I've been trying to convince some out of state friends to some up and do some mostly-Stevens skiing. Hardly worth encouraging people to buy plane tickets so they can ski a fraction of the mountain.