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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    Tahoe
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    949

    Thumbs up Haines Conditions 2015 - how good is it?

    Let's get it out in the open: so how bad is it? From my cubicle in California right now it's not looking too good... Info is hard to come by, but looks like super low snow year and an earlier rain event up to the peaks probably leaving an ice layer buried beneath whatever snow does fall? Someone with some local knowledge please tell me differently. Please!
    Last edited by sierraskier; 02-27-2015 at 03:39 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Cordova, Alaska
    Posts
    157
    Cant speak for whats happening in Haines but the Chugach is very good now! Not a promotional piece here just honest. We do have a very shallow snowpack as of now but conditions are very good. After several days of flying in multiple zones stability is moderate with low confidence. Confidence will grow as we continue to ski and ride today with 8 groups in the field.

    Here is a photo from yesterday.

    Quinner

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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    Golden
    Posts
    6,383
    Stout rain-crust now buried by up to 2m of new snow here in haines. We have not flown yet so I cannot speak to stability. I would imagine things will play out similarly to the above, seeing as the rain crust is almost state-wide besides high elevation. No natural activity that I can see from the highway between the border and town, so that is encouraging. I can get some pictures tomorrow, but no close-ups like posted above quite yet....

    My thoughts are that it's definitely not as bad as you think. We certainly did not get the amount of rain as up north, but it definitely seemed to have rained to the roof. Steady snow in Dec.-Jan until that event, so things look relatively filled from what I can tell.

    PointsNorth- I'd love to hear more detailed stability reports if you are willing to share...Have you ventured onto steeper terrain yet? Finding facets above or below the crust?
    Drive slow, homie.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Tahoe
    Posts
    949
    Thanks Z and Quinner, super appreciative of any/all updates as things unfold.

    Z don't you guys start flying right about now?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Cordova, Alaska
    Posts
    157
    I can tell you that we have a very shallow snow pack. Probably the shallowest I have seen in my 20 years in the Chugach. Skiing is very good now with low confidence in the stability. We put another 40 plus people in the mountains today with soft slabs peeling on all aspects and all elevations. Steep terrain is good but we are not confident to get up on anything big at the moment. Powder skiing is all time however. Very cold low density snow is prevalent. This is a Haines thread and I will leave it with that and post more on the Chugach thread. The Chugach is not even close to what has been reported. Its damn good! Just low tide...Actually, its a minus tide...

    Quinner

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  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Eagle River Alaska
    Posts
    10,964
    Remeber, Alaska's bad is better than most places good. Except for January, when it was really bad.
    Its not that I suck at spelling, its that I just don't care

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Posts
    3,449
    points north - great pics and life!!!!!!!!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Uber Alles California
    Posts
    3,933
    I hope you get to slay it! AK was killing it early season, I guess your only as good as your last storm.

    Quinner- thats looks tasty, I'll be up one of these years.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    New States
    Posts
    837
    Living in the Southern Rockies and skiing in the Sangre de Cristo's and San Juan's it seems like every year some weather events will produce at least one (usually several) persistent weak layers that are a plague for the entire season.

    I've also spent a lot of time in the Chugach, and one of the things that always blows me away (particularly in comparison to my home turf) is how quickly the snowpack there (at least in the Southern part) will heal up after a weather event that in most regions would kill the snowpack for the rest of the year.

    For example, I was in Valdez in 2011 after a wind event had turned everything into crampon ready boilerplate. A couple weeks later, people were getting face shots on Meteorite. Unbelievable...
    "I just want to thank everyone who made this day necessary." -Yogi Berra

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    804
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    Photo from a couple days ago. 5-6 feet of new up high.
    Call Seandog and ask the them how it is.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    Golden
    Posts
    6,383
    Sierraskier - We will be starting up next week.

    Definitely low tide as stated above. I'll report back when I have more firsthand info.

    Seandog will tell you exactly what I am saying here.
    Drive slow, homie.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Tahoe
    Posts
    949
    Any updates from the field in Haines?

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    Golden
    Posts
    6,383
    We've been skiing the past few days. Nice consistent boot-top powder. Definitely a shallow snowpack for the area, but we are slowly working into steeper terrain and confidence is increasing overall. I'll try to collect some pictures and get a new thread started here shortly. Looking like the high-pressure breaking down by the weekend. Sierraskier i think we met last year? Feel free to PM if you have any questions or need some advice if you are coming up. Would be great to ski with ya!
    Drive slow, homie.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Tahoe
    Posts
    949
    Thanks Z. Yeah I know we met 2yrs ago when I flew with you guys. Appreciate the info and the offer. I'm flying with SEABA this year but I will definitely be up to the roadhouse for a burger/beers and will stop in and say hi. Looks like a pattern change in the cards soon which is good. I don't get there until first week of April so lots of time for a recovery...hopefully.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    Golden
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    Right on, maybe we'll catch a beer. As you know, things can change REAL quick up here. There is some magic happens both on the snow surface and below, that I haven't seen anywhere in the lower 48. Definite change in the works, with the high moving out and door open for storms to come in. We found more beautiful consistent boot deep pow today, really nice skiing. A bit more spackle for the steeps would be nice for sure.

    Rolling down the highway the zones by the airport/town are certainly looking way shallower than what we ski out the road. Likely since it stays a bit colder out here and January spring break didn't quite crush us like it may have in the more coastal zones. Snow starting Saturday!
    Drive slow, homie.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    PDX
    Posts
    4,760
    Sounds like HNS is getting a much needed dump. Facebook is claiming 2+ feet in town so far.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    Golden
    Posts
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    Looking out the window it is snowing heavily, straight down, here at 33mile. ~2 feet on the ground, no sign of letting up.

    Impressive 24hr bump of precip.
    Drive slow, homie.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    norcal
    Posts
    1,404
    Z, we're there 20-30th, plan on a big dinner at the house at 25 as usual.
    Did you make the sauna debacle two years ago?
    Life of a repo man is always intense.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    Golden
    Posts
    6,383
    I didn't make the sauna debacle, but I vaguely remember hearing about it....Dinner for sure!

    I told some folks I'd post up some pictures, so I'll start a new thread....Knowing how quickly things can change up here, especially considering the current weather and forecast....the "how bad is it" doesn't quite do it for me. "Bad" is relative only when you know how good it can be.
    Drive slow, homie.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    cordova,AK
    Posts
    3,688
    Glad your getting the big dump and things are improving. Now there won't be a need for the additional 10000 acres. Should alleviate the overcrowding and competitive atmosphere.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    Golden
    Posts
    6,383
    Quote Originally Posted by BFD View Post
    Glad your getting the big dump and things are improving. Now there won't be a need for the additional 10000 acres. Should alleviate the overcrowding and competitive atmosphere.
    I'm fairly stumped by what you are trying to say here? Competitive atmosphere? In Haines? From what I hear about Valdez what we have going on is a non-issue, if one at all.

    I assume you are referring to the storm troopers zone, which we are trying to get back....Which actually wasn't our idea at all, but we'll go ski it!
    Drive slow, homie.

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    cordova,AK
    Posts
    3,688
    Maybe you should read the local paper. I was using a quote from Sean Brownell.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Alaska
    Posts
    367
    Quote Originally Posted by Z View Post
    I'm fairly stumped by what you are trying to say here? Competitive atmosphere? In Haines? From what I hear about Valdez what we have going on is a non-issue, if one at all.

    I assume you are referring to the storm troopers zone, which we are trying to get back....Which actually wasn't our idea at all, but we'll go ski it!
    It's like politics, man.

    Hope you get storm troopers back, such a sick zone! Did you guys get out today?

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    Golden
    Posts
    6,383
    Quote Originally Posted by BFD View Post
    Maybe you should read the local paper. I was using a quote from Sean Brownell.
    Will do. A bit off the back being out the road here.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ted Shred View Post
    It's like politics, man.

    Hope you get storm troopers back, such a sick zone! Did you guys get out today?
    Ah yes, the politics. Trying to stay out of that whenever possible.

    As for getting out - We made it out for a run on Old Faith then chased off immediately...deep.
    Drive slow, homie.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Eagle River Alaska
    Posts
    10,964
    Its not that I suck at spelling, its that I just don't care

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