PNW 2022/2023 Season - It's Triple Dip La Niña Time!

[Dromond]

Thanks for the Muir reports

[kamtron]

Upper mountain is thin

We never got the warm spring storms that paste the upper volcanoes. Maybe a Juneuary will materialize?
Some indications that maybe in a week or two the pattern will change.


That said, our local northern Earth pimple was still riding good yesterday.
https://turns-all-year.com/trip-reports/squak-round-3

[riff]

Solid! We are so lucky to have these earth pimples. I’m getting out on one finally, after a jangly May. Very pleased to have them around.


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[SchralphMacchio]

Bham peeps, there is no way that grass pollen in that part of WA is as bad as the Willamette Valley, right? I need to plan my long term escape strategy…

[el hefe]

Thinking of trying for Baker in the next month or so as it is the closest earth pimple to me up here in canucknistan. Worth it this year? Sure looked good driving back from Vancouver this week from the HWY. I am sure there are TR's and threads on it somewhere but if anyone has a good resource for some interior BC volcano newbies it would be appreciated. Thanks!

[jackattack]

Thinking of trying for Baker in the next month or so as it is the closest earth pimple to me up here in canucknistan. Worth it this year? Sure looked good driving back from Vancouver this week from the HWY. I am sure there are TR's and threads on it somewhere but if anyone has a good resource for some interior BC volcano newbies it would be appreciated. Thanks!

Not much, but a couple friends did it 2 weeks ago and said snow bridges were already melting and the creek crossings on approach/exit were the hairiest parts. I’m sure the crevasse risk has increased though it’s been cooler on the west side since then.

[Ed el Loco]

Earth Pimple adjacent but in the neighborhood. Is there continuous snow at Artist Point? Have they started plowing yet?


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[el hefe]

Not much, but a couple friends did it 2 weeks ago and said snow bridges were already melting and the creek crossings on approach/exit were the hairiest parts. I’m sure the crevasse risk has increased though it’s been cooler on the west side since then.

Ok thank you. Is this due to the lower snow year and hot spring? I know people who have done it Late July and August.

[jackattack]

Hard to say why, but that was what they told me over a beer around the 21st.

Can’t comment on the road.

[californiagrown]

Ok thank you. Is this due to the lower snow year and hot spring? I know people who have done it Late July and August.

Cold winter with average snowfall meant that we got low(er) density snow than usual which resulted in a thinner snowpack. And then we had a freakishly warm May. If you have friends who have done it in July and August, and base expectations on their experience, you will likely be more than fine... though we might be at that weird time when things are melting out where the dangers are just barely hidden waiting to eat you up as opposed to in plain view later in the summer and easier to avoid.

[el hefe]

hmmmm ok. Makes sense thank you. Any decent sites for resources on routes etc...? We have glacier travel experience and gear.

[kamtron]

We're about 1 month ahead of schedule on the melt. That said, my gues is you should still be able to ski the volcano for another month without too bad crevasse issues. Suncups may become a problem soon, however, unless we get a little something to smooth things over. The Squak route typically goes out of shape due to 8800' crevasse (currently very well-covered) and Easton stays passable all summer.

Check out Amar's old-school website http://www.skimountaineer.com for general info and turns-all-year.com/trip-reports for lots of older trip reports. Facebook groups are more active these days, however.

[L82thegate]

I was on the Muir snowfield yesterday. Pretty firm early but most notable, millions of boot holes / billions of suncups across the entire snowfield. I haven't seen it look like this before, not early June anyway. Paradise glacier side looked a lot better but had some schedule considerations so waited out a little softening and rattled my way down. Cougar tracks just below pebble creek were fresh. Didn't expect to see those.

[riff]

Weekend crowd was coming on strong as we left, but it was great to get up there. Skied reasonably well; top 2k was chalky and dry, refreeze from 12400 to the Corridor was less good. Corridor was soft but pretty choppy. Fun to be up there as always!


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[Dromond]

I was on the Muir snowfield yesterday. Pretty firm early but most notable, millions of boot holes / billions of suncups across the entire snowfield. I haven't seen it look like this before, not early June anyway. Paradise glacier side looked a lot better but had some schedule considerations so waited out a little softening and rattled my way down. Cougar tracks just below pebble creek were fresh. Didn't expect to see those.

I was there on 6/3 and will echo that: the snow surface it fairly rough overall, even when you avoid the boot prints. The early sun has kind of messed things up. On the bright side, we had perfect weather and the snow corned up really nicely. Nisqually chute was the only really good turns, it skied quite nicely.

[Tsuga]

Aarons a good friend and good dude, help him out if you can https://www.gofundme.com/f/right-foo...ource=customer

[kamtron]

Aarons a good friend and good dude, help him out if you can https://www.gofundme.com/f/right-foo...ource=customer

I was just going to post this.

It doesn't seem like many people heard about this accident on Slate Mtn that happened this year, but it was life-changing for my friend Aaron. He and I went to the same high school in Middlebury, VT and raced together on the alpine ski team. He's been chasing snow and living in the North Cascades for the last decade plus with his partner Maria, who also grew up with us.

Aaron's accident definitely made me think deeply about my decision-making process and how a lot of the time we probably get away with it even though we think we analyzed the risk. It was day that NWAC rated moderate. He just happened to find the one slope and aspect that was ready to slide. There had been only one other avalanche that had demonstrated that instability (crust/facet combo buried 2-3' down on SE aspect, 2 days before) while people were skiing all kinds of steep terrain even on similar aspects without incident.

It definitely could have happened to me and goes to show that you never have perfect information to make decisions in the mountains.

Aaron could use any help that the ski community is ready to provide, so consider donating to help out a fellow traveler.

[puma]

I was just going to post this.

It doesn't seem like many people heard about this accident on Slate Mtn that happened this year, but it was life-changing for my friend Aaron. He and I went to the same high school in Middlebury, VT and raced together on the alpine ski team. He's been chasing snow and living in the North Cascades for the last decade plus with his partner Maria, who also grew up with us.

Aaron's accident definitely made me think deeply about my decision-making process and how a lot of the time we probably get away with it even though we think we analyzed the risk. It was day that NWAC rated moderate. He just happened to find the one slope and aspect that was ready to slide. There had been only one other avalanche that had demonstrated that instability (crust/facet combo buried 2-3' down on SE aspect, 2 days before) while people were skiing all kinds of steep terrain even on similar aspects without incident.

It definitely could have happened to me and goes to show that you never have perfect information to make decisions in the mountains.

Aaron could use any help that the ski community is ready to provide, so consider donating to help out a fellow traveler.

Sorry to hear of your friend's accident. That's a terrible-looking red line\skier path on that picture in the NWAC report. Thoughts with him for a good recovery.

[Power_Sauce]

Anybody been up to or had eyes on Sunrise? Was thinking of cruising my e-bike up there next weekend to ski before the road opens.


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[altasnob]

Looking towards Goat Island with Sunrise and the Burroughs in the background, taken last Sunday





You'll have to check with the ranger if biking on the closed road is allowed and if it is allowed, I don't think e-biking is allowed. The hike to Sunrise from White River campground on the Wonderland Trail is not too bad, and you'll avoid the masses over on the Interglacier.

[LegoSkier]

Also thinking of hitting Sunrise or maybe just skiing patches on Natches Sunday morning but want to camp somewhere close. What is the deal with dispersed camping along Huckleberry Creek (NF 7300)? Are there a decent amount of spots there so if I show up say 7 pm Saturday I'll find something?
Or are there any other better spots off of 410 around there?

[altasnob]

While I don't think it is technically legal, lots of people camp in their car at the White River campground parking lot (the actual campground is closed). Climbers/skiers are coming/going at all hours so as long as you just stick to your car, and not have your stuff sprawled out everywhere, rangers seem to let it slide. You should be able to find spots on any of the nearby National Forests roads but just adds driving time in the morning. Silver Springs campground is open. And there's also the snow park at the bottom of Crystal Mountain Blvd that is popular with vanlife. Crystal is also open for camping in summer but you have to pay for B lot (might be able to camp in car for free in upper C lot since that is a National Forest trailhead).

[Norseman]

What is the deal with dispersed camping along Huckleberry Creek (NF 7300)? Are there a decent amount of spots there so if I show up say 7 pm Saturday I'll find something?
Or are there any other better spots off of 410 around there?

There are a few spots next to the creek off FR73, maybe a half dozen.

But once you cross the creek on the bridge, I'd reccomend that you stop looking for camping as the road climbs high and you get pretty far back there before more (small) options start to appear

[bfree]

There are lots of dispersed sites around the Ranger creek airstrip a few miles east of there too. Popular area so idk about 7pm Sat, but school isn't out yet, so maybe.

[Bronco]

Thinking of going into scramble Black Peak and Corteo this weekend from Rainy Pass. Is there enough snow to make bringing my skis worth it?