Alpental, WA

[Buster Highmen]

Tampa, Fla.: Driver Terry Lee Crouch, 29, accidentally ran over his 6-year-old son while, he told police, playing a game in which the boy tries to cling to the rear bumper while Crouch starts and stops the car attempting to dislodge him (November). And in nearby New Port Richey, Fla., a 400-pound man fell to his waist through the floor of his home at the Orangewood Lakes Mobile Home Community and said he had been trapped there for two days; a neighbor had called on him during his ordeal, but the man declined help (October). And in nearby Largo, Fla., according to police, a 41-year-old woman offered to pay three teenagers $20 to come beat up her son (but told them to be careful with the furniture) (January). [St. Petersburg Times, 12-2-03] [St. Petersburg Times, 10-16-03] [St. Petersburg Times, 1-8-04]

[Dr. Crash]

Frozen mashed potatoes become mushy mashed potatoes. Ugh. Beautiful day but the snow was definitely too wet and yucky. I want a big dry storm. OK, any storm that is not made of rain.

drC

[Buster Highmen]

3/14/04.
Drizzling and crowded due to some junior race. But I took my 2 year old son on the chairlift for his time on his own skis.

I'm sky high happy. Dreams desublimating into reality. I'm amazed.

[Dr. Crash]

3/16/04

Triple yucky snow. I know I shouldn't complain, having skied 3 days out of the past 4, but still. Ugh.

The BC didn't open when we came in, so we went down to Lot 1, crossed the road, and skinned (me) and snowshoed (my friend) up towards Guye Peak. We then skied down in the wettest snow I've been in for a while. Then back to Alpental's Lot 2, rode up Chair 2, and then did a quick run in the now-open BC (Wall Street). The ride was even worse there because it was changing a lot, and the closer trees didn't help.

Lunch outside, sun-soaked. That was good.

It is definitely spring. We need a big cold storm.

drC

[BanditXXX]

Sounds like you need some fatter skis tiger.

[Buster Highmen]

Came gurgling up out of the depths to the drone of the alarm someplace above and out of the fuzzy place. 5:00 alarm shut down, groggle on the longies, pants, vest, stumble down to make coffee and call. Crystal hasn't posted. Slurp...wait...drowse...call again...still no update. Scope website...nope, no update, jump to summit...4 new. Game on, Crystal finally reporting same, but much bigger drive.

Weasels Ripped My Flesh up there with some Moby Play thown in. On go the boots and over to the lift and lift 1, Armstrong quad is not running. So ripped a few on Sessel, it's dust on crust, very hard crust at that. Saw an old bitfactory pal, exchanged hi's. Then lift 1 opened and the scramble was on to chair 2. Breakover trees was thinner than I had thought, so went over to Shot 6 and got in there before more than 10 otherfolks had. Shot 6 delivered the goods: face shots bopping around those scraggly alpine firs. Nice soft snow on top, enough to bounce and rip some nice big boater turns. Farted around up in Edelweiss bowl, mining minor stashes of 300 vert, but it was more sweet soft face blasting snow. Then is got really horrible and ugly: the sun peeked out and started to glop the snow. So I headed down to work.

[Squirrel99]

Then is got really horrible and ugly: the sun peeked out and started to glop the snow. So I headed down to work.

So you're saying that Baker would be a much better choice tomorrow morning before the sun and heat destroy what's left?

What about the Alpental backcountry? Will that hold up for tomorrow ya think?

[Buster Highmen]

Go North to North facing, but by noon, it will all be tatees.

[Dr. Crash]

3/19/2004

Best snow in the past couple months! A *fresh and dry* (for Alpental) 5"-8" layered on top of crust or wet snow. Great skiing, especially my favorite places, Breakover and Shot 6. We need one such storm every week. Got my 6 yr old and a colleague and we skipped school and work. Definitely worth it!

drC

[Dr. Crash]

3/21/2004

And of course two days later we're back to slush, mush. Uck. Gotta hate those high temps. We didn't last long there, yesterday.

drC

[Dr. Crash]

Well, what did you expect at that time of the year? Cascade concrete, hell yes! Lots of it. Snow is very patchy, streams are exposed, but some good turns are still to be had.

drC

[Buster Highmen]

Went up late (~11) and got the last little tongue of snow that's continous down to within 30' of the lot.

Skinned up the racecourse part and it started to rain, so I hung out under the exit ramp until it abated about 12:00. Then skinned up to where lower Nash in the mash gets steep and booted it up to the top of the snow. Sliced one run down that and then over to the cattrack, then skinned over to Debbies Gold and up along the ridge viewers left to catch some nice steep slushers back to Debs. Had to jump a good sized glide crack on the way. Snow was serious slop by 1:00.

The snowpack is really thin, as bad as I've seen. We're supposed at about 70% of normal, but it doesn't seem like it. I don't think Alpie will be worth it again this year.

[Dr. Crash]

Didn't that table that someone listed show Alpental at 7% of normal, not 70%?

I'll be there Thursday night, will update on the conditions.

drC

[char]

Originally posted by Dr. Crash
Didn't that table that someone listed show Alpental at 7% of normal, not 70%?

I'll be there Thursday night, will update on the conditions.

drC

What time Thursday?

[Dr. Crash]

Went tonight. Showed up in the parking lot at about 6:15pm. Char, I didn't see your question until tonight, sorry. PM me if you want to meet next Thursday, I'm likely to go again.

The snow has melted quite a lot. We hiked from the bottom to the top of Sessel, and then started skinning up towards Upper International. We turned back at 8pm (in the middle of Adrenalin). The snow was really, really nice. Great corn, just the right consistency thanks to the cooling off that was taking place. Going down, I found a way through the top of Sessel to the bottom of the Pumpkin Patch to the very right of Chair 1 that afforded me to ski down to the very bottom (a few feet from the lodge) having to take my skis only once for maybe 15 yards.

That was a great ski. I'll be back next Thursday unless some wrench gets thrown in that plan.

drC