WOOT WOOT! Nukin' in Missoula

[JohnnyTyndall]

It'll be fine. It would take something pretty extraordinary to make the bowl an avy risk. And rain followed by cold looks everything up, like putting a snocone in a freezer.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Yes, but there COULD be 6" on top of the refrozen snocone by Wednesday

[JohnnyTyndall]

6" of fresh well bonded to a rock solid base on a low 30s wouldn't bother me any, but we're all on our own out there.

[wordbird]

Yes, but there COULD be 6" on top of the refrozen snocone by Wednesday

It will likely sluff rather than slab... Bowl slides typically only slides after upside down snow. PWL's are managed by consistent skiing and patrol, and there is no real wind to speak of 99% of the time.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Cool, thanks duders

[Rasputin]

I was at Snowbowl from 1 pm to 6:45 today, it did not rain. The storm front came in white and whipping, quickly obscuring visibility, it was a sight to behold. Temperature dropped rapidly within the first 45 minutes.

The new snow came in wet and will likely bond well, but the lower mountain was affected by warm temperatures in the afternoon, and with the dropping temps, may leave an under crust down low. The upper mountain should be bomber, it was already very good.

[Rasputin]

If you have climbing gear, get up to the mountain, it skied great from top to bottom, in fact, the best turns since the bullwheels stopped turning (and for some days before that). The new snow is floaty but loose, it's bonded well to the crust on the lower mountain, base crust was there but not an issue. It started snowing a steady 1/2-3/4" per hour around 11:15 pm through when I left at 1:15 pm.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Niiiiiice.
Haven't really gotten out of bed yet (new gf). Maybe go tomorrow or Friday. Going off how long it took me to do Marshall, I'm a little discouraged.

[S_jenks]

^ no need to feel discouraged. The hardest part is sometimes just getting started on the trailhead, but you feel better with each vertical foot you gain. You don't have to be a superstar athlete to enjoy hiking for turns (responsibly of course, no need to push the limit right now), and with how things are in other states, we are pretty darn lucky to ride out the storm in this state.

The bowl was worth the effort today. Lots of cars in the turnout, but people stayed in their groups and had no trouble with dogs.



East bowl was a bit tracked, so pointed over to the West bowl and crossed very few tracks.



Keep it safe out there.

[Rasputin]

^ no need to feel discouraged. The hardest part is sometimes just getting started on the trailhead, but you feel better with each vertical foot you gain.

Nail hit on head!

Also, you don't need to hike all the way to the top. For those in poor condition, Second Thought all the way from the bottom is a very gentile incline, and one can drop in at Griz Chute, which should be skiing pretty good (I was told it was good on Monday). Even doing one hike, can have a surprising effect on your next climb.

I'm in my mid 50s, have reactive airway disease, didn't hike all winter, and though I need to stop and suck wind frequently, I've skied around 14k since the Bowl closed (split up over seven days). Go get some.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Thanks guys

[0oMtnRidero0]

Leave your fucking dog at home.

[Rasputin]

Holy shit! I was up there from 11 am to 1 pm. Probably 150 cars up there, and at least twice that many hikers. If you could find untracked snow, the base was barely touchable on the upper mountain. Snow quality was as good as we get at The Bowl. Best turns since February.

While I'm not a germaphobe, I wish people would keep their distance. I won't think less of you if you don't walk right up to me, I can hear you fine from six feet away, and being on the mountain doesn't mean corona virus can't be spread there. Some guy I've never met walked right up to me to ask me how long I've been growing my beard. Doood! Back off!

[0oMtnRidero0]

Holy shit! I was up there from 11 am to 1 pm. Probably 150 cars up there, and at least twice that many hikers. If you could find untracked snow, the base was barely touchable on the upper mountain. Snow quality was as good as we get at The Bowl. Best turns since February.

While I'm not a germaphobe, I wish people would keep their distance. I won't think less of you if you don't walk right up to me, I can hear you fine from six feet away, and being on the mountain doesn't mean corona virus can't be spread there. Some guy I've never met walked right up to me to ask me how long I've been growing my beard. Doood! Back off!

The shit is going to get shut down if it continues as it is. Bunch of people with shiny new gear that never fucking tour suddenly decide they are "backcounty" skiers because we got 8 inches of snow. Straight up mouth breathers. Cool, I'm glad you have three dogs...think it was a good idea to bring all these fucking corona vectors up here? If i see another fucking sprinter van with Washington plates...sorry, end rant.

[anotherVTskibum]

The shit is going to get shut down if it continues as it is. Bunch of people with shiny new gear that never fucking tour suddenly decide they are "backcounty" skiers because we got 8 inches of snow. Straight up mouth breathers. Cool, I'm glad you have three dogs...think it was a good idea to bring all these fucking corona vectors up here? If i see another fucking sprinter van with Washington plates...sorry, end rant.

Parachuting into the thread from across the country to say: take this shit seriously, because lots of places around here that had initially said, more or less, "be respectful, take care of yourself because we don't have patrol or grooming, you're on your own' have now said "no trespassing," in many cases due to pressure from local communities who don't really want hordes of out-of-staters acting like "work remotely and stay isolated" is "vacation time".

[stuckathuntermtn]

Definitely leave you dog at home. 2500' of vert. I know my old man can't do that. He could barely get back in the car after Marshall. What is that, 1000, 1500?
Saturday looks to be fun in the sun, but now I'm scared to go up there if d00dz are mobbing the place. I suppose that's to be expected. Maybe me and my compromised immune system will do Lolo. Have they stopped grooming up there? Can bring a dog to Hangover Hill or whatever that is immediately on the right?

[Rasputin]

I won't be posting any more conditions, because the levels of dumbfuckery going on up there is infuriating. Today some complete imbecile decided to park side to side with a car parked on the side of the road right outside the arch with the Snowbowl sign. In other words they parked IN the road, as if the road was closed and anything goes. This is exactly the sort of stupidity that will fuck up the scene for everyone.

Pat has been cool since closing, but just because Snowbowl is not open for business, doesn't mean that people aren't working on the mountain, and use the road daily. Blocking a lane of a Forest Service road, that Snowbowl maintains, is just the sort of thing that will get the road closed by the Forest Service.

I resisted the urge to vandalize the red pickup parked there, since it wouldn't move the truck to a place where it wouldn't be a problem.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Oh for fuck's sake. That sucks.
So, looking at Google Earth, I did about 1800' at Marshal, which makes Snowbowl a little less intimidating.
Better question: How far can one drive up Butler Creek Rd? Near enough to the base of the new TV area? It doesn't say.

[MTslackcountry]

No more updates!!!! No more stupid questions! Leave your fucking dog at home and don't park like an asshole. I too saw that red truck... What an asshole

[stuckathuntermtn]

Leave a note in the dust?
Teletherapy throwing wrench in my works. Just a hike tomorrow afternoon lol.
Oh well.
I mean, I suppose theoretically I could talk while skinning. Lolz.

[S_jenks]

I won't be posting any more conditions, because the levels of dumbfuckery going on up there is infuriating. Today some complete imbecile decided to park side to side with a car parked on the side of the road right outside the arch with the Snowbowl sign. In other words they parked IN the road, as if the road was closed and anything goes. This is exactly the sort of stupidity that will fuck up the scene for everyone.

Pat has been cool since closing, but just because Snowbowl is not open for business, doesn't mean that people aren't working on the mountain, and use the road daily. Blocking a lane of a Forest Service road, that Snowbowl maintains, is just the sort of thing that will get the road closed by the Forest Service.

I resisted the urge to vandalize the red pickup parked there, since it wouldn't move the truck to a place where it wouldn't be a problem.

Saw that same scene when coming down around 2:30p, but mistakenly assumed that it was part of a small group at a nearby pickup. Who the fuck parks like that when there is so much space on the sides? As I walked past the gate, a worker literally drove up and unlocked it to get through. Saw one of cat's pushing snow around at the top of Griz to boot, so it should be clear that work is ongoing up there.

Fewer cars around today vs Wednesday, but it was clear that the popular spots were heavily tracked from yesterday's bonanza. I'd be very curious how many views this thread even gets from non-posters. I always kind of thought that it was more of a minor thread on an obscure part of the Internet. My bet is that the idiots on instagram and fuckbook can't help themselves, and are drawing the crowds.

Going to avoid Sat/Sun to help keep the crowds down. I hope to god people keep it under control and don't piss off Pat.

[Rasputin]

They've been running two cats all week, plowing the roads so they can drive trucks up to Griz, to start the maintenance that some people think they never do. I joked with the cat drivers when I passed them on their lunch break a couple days ago, saying: "As soon as you guys started plowing the snow started falling, thanks for that."

[Rasputin]

Saw that same scene when coming down around 2:30p, but mistakenly assumed that it was part of a small group at a nearby pickup. Who the fuck parks like that when there is so much space on the sides?

It was still there at 2:30? They were there when I got there at 11:15.

The truth is that it's a bad idea to park up against that bank in the spring, rocks often come rolling down, sometimes big ones. Also, one year when we got a big storm, people who were parked on that side got buried when Pat plowed the road with the grader.

Also, beyond people working up there, people live up there, besides Pat and Molly.

[stan51]

Can anyone tell me if the gate at Marshall is open?

Is there a procedure for asking permission there?

Thanks

[jamal]

The gate in the parking lot that says "very private property - absolutely no trespassing?"

No it's not open. I don't think there's a procedure to ask for permission to ski from the old base area.

To ski without trespassing you need to go up the forest service road farther down like if you were going to bike the new trails and then stay above the lower part of marshall. And no, that road isn't open to motorized vehicles.