Snow in the PNW 20-21: We may have Corona but Corona doesn't have us!

[Dromond]

I only skied Baker once or twice last year - what are the lines like when parking is maxed out? Those lifts are slow.... I do agree that it's the best run mountain in western WA. The regularity with which they open at 9am after mega dumps is impressive. It would be a massive bummer to be locked out of a Baker pass if you live nearby!

I think the drive to Crystal will remain marginal at best if you are not leaving super early, however I'm hopeful that the line situation will improve with lifts running at full capacity. That was the biggest problem for me last year - so much of the lift capacity cut in half made lines 2x worse than normal. But the skiing was so good that it was worth the wait

[Ted Striker]

Depends. Weekends have been a shitshow for several years now, but weekdays can go either way. When the public forecasts call for a big pow day everybody and their dog shows up. When it's just the telemetry obsessed who predict a big dump, it can still be somewhat quiet. And on the really ugly windy weekdays, the kind where you keep your head down and hunker on the chair, you can still get free refills all day with relatively few other souls.

Edit to add: What has changed is that you could do a lot of inbound laps before hitting the elbow, hemis, gunners, etc. That stuff gets tracked way earlier these days.

[Buster Highmen]

What has changed is that you could do a lot of inbound laps before hitting the elbow, hemis, gunners, etc. That stuff gets tracked way earlier these days.

Kids these days. Premature offpistulation.

[phatty]

Best bet for powder without crowds remains Alpy nights. Or better yet, Stevens nights. Definitely better at Stevens at night

[goCougs]

It will be interesting to see what happens with the 5 day limit at Crystal this year on the $700 pass….

It’s tough as a Seattle skier to buy the $1000 pass when you have to deal with the BLVD shit show…


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

I don't think crowds will be any smaller at xtal this year. The price increase doesn't seem to phase the average xtal skier (wealthy, ski-snob, kids in cmac, A-lot parking pass).

I could see crowds being larger at summit central & alpy this year because of the new 7-day no-blackout passes ikon skiers are getting.

[oftpiste]

Premature offpistulation.

hey now....

[spaulding24]

Hello PNW mags. This is a long shot, but I'm looking for an assist in trying to locate a lost ski up at Baker. I'd love to have the free-time to come look for it myself, but alas.... life (and 1000 miles). I also am well aware that my timing is pretty shit and this post is more appropriate for July, but as my attitude swings back-and-forth from recovery to sadness and regret, I can't help but ask... "What if???"

The ski is a Praxis RX with Atomic Shift. I've attached a picture, and the missing ski would be the right ski.

Coordinates for the ski at the time of the hilarious crash are 48.844433, -121.653843. Shuksen Arm-Safety Line. I would expect the ski to have moved into the creek directly East of the coordinates location, based on the fall line at said coordinates.

If by some miracle you locate my lost child, I will happily throw +$100 your way for the trouble. Thanks for listening and happy hunting

[Buster Highmen]

hey now....

May I point out the distinction between oftpistulation and offpistulation?
Now I'm potentially guilty of both.

[oftpiste]

May I point out the distinction between oftpistulation and offpistulation? Now I'm potentially guilty of both.

[AK47bp]

6k snow level this weekend. Hope to see some dusted peaks. Snow can’t come soon enough.


Also last day for summer lesson and pass discounts at Summit

https://summitatsnoqualmie.com/?j=94..._sub=219083273



Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[Buster Highmen]

yeah, last night was the first rain since June that made the ground damp.

[abraham]

Guided climbing on Rainier is over earlier than planned this year.
Interesting to think about the disconnect between the great ski season and the lack of late spring snow plus the summer heat.

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoo...wave-climbing/

Last week, the three commercial guiding companies on Washington’s 14,411-foot Mount Rainier did something they’d never done before: canceled the climbing season outright with weeks left to go. Stormy weather routinely thwarts summit climbs throughout the season, but this was different. It’s way too hot, and has been for months.

More than 10,000 people try for the summit of Rainier every year, about 60 percent of whom are guided. From May 1 to September 30, Rainier Mountaineering (RMI), Alpine Ascents International (AAI), and International Mountain Guides (IMG) run daily sold out trips—at least that’s how it’s been for decades. But this season was an unwelcome indication of what the future might bring.

An uncommonly warm, dry spring and a blistering summer decimated the snowpack in the Cascades, the lower 48’s most glaciated range. For the first time that anyone can remember, the entire summit of Mount Baker melted down to dirt. Guides had to constantly adjust Rainier’s heavily trafficked Disappointment Cleaver route to contend with rockfall and snowmelt on the Cleaver itself (its namesake crumbling, rocky ridge, which is used by climbers to avoid the glaciers that flank it). Finally, in early September, the guide services determined there was no longer a client-friendly way to the top.

[Buster Highmen]

Looks like the rains are back.

Hurrah!

[L82thegate]

Been waiting for them mushrooms too and they'll be back soon. No... not those ones, Chantrelles, Oysters, and Lobsters from the local woods. This is good!

[Huskier]

Been waiting for them mushrooms too and they'll be back soon. No... not those ones, Chantrelles, Oysters, and Lobsters from the local woods. This is good!

...and those ones?

Saw a lobster already. Foraging season.

[rfconroy]

snagged about 5 lbs worth of chanterelles last weekend at 27, but they're pretty bland this year, probably due to the heat.

[altasnob]

Baker is limiting pass purchases to last season's passholders only.

Why is Baker limiting season pass sales? COVID related? Quality control? I haven't heard of ski areas capping season pass sales. Isn't the point to sell as many season passes as they can? I know parking is limited but won't this policy just persuade more to exclusively tour from the parking lots, which won't solve the parking problem.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

There’s quite a few areas limiting pass sales.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[Ted Striker]

Why is Baker limiting season pass sales? COVID related? Quality control? I haven't heard of ski areas capping season pass sales. Isn't the point to sell as many season passes as they can? I know parking is limited but won't this policy just persuade more to exclusively tour from the parking lots, which won't solve the parking problem.

To quote Duncan, "demand was off the charts last year" implying that it will be again this year, and if they allowed unlimited sales, it would be beyond what they could accommodate.

[goCougs]

To quote Duncan, "demand was off the charts last year" implying that it will be again this year, and if they allowed unlimited sales, it would be beyond what they could accommodate.

Ah yes the moral way to run a business. Someone tell rusty

[TAFKALVS]

PNW really needs expanded lift infrastructure and higher elevation touring access, including new ski area destinations. When will demand meet critical mass? Anyone have a direct line to our rich tech overlords to bankroll?

[Huskier]

PNW really needs expanded lift infrastructure and higher elevation touring access, including new ski area destinations. When will demand meet critical mass? Anyone have a direct line to our rich tech overlords to bankroll?

I'm loathe to say it, but the time to do that was under the reign of the previous orange overlord. It was basically a giveaway re: protected natural resources. If you asked the average pugetopolis citizen if they would favor another resort, I don't think anyone would say no. Getting DNR and Forrest service on board otoh, next to impossible. Current goals are to reduce access, not expand. The critical mass you speak of is the density at which people just say "fuck it I give up" and stop skiing. Vail-level crowds. It's not here yet, but it's coming.

[jackattack]

I'm loathe to say it, but the time to do that was under the reign of the previous orange overlord. It was basically a giveaway re: protected natural resources. If you asked the average pugetopolis citizen if they would favor another resort, I don't think anyone would say no. Getting DNR and Forrest service on board otoh, next to impossible. Current goals are to reduce access, not expand. The critical mass you speak of is the density at which people just say "fuck it I give up" and stop skiing. Vail-level crowds. It's not here yet, but it's coming.

Or give up and move to Idaho

[Ted Striker]

I think the ship sailed in WA. Nobody is going to invest here, when BC is next door.

[Buster Highmen]

Mt. Catherine.