tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8588630774495293592024-03-05T00:48:35.344-08:00The HyenaKidnapping babies for ransom.
All pow all the time.Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-35104454642568553042012-01-30T12:40:00.000-08:002012-01-30T12:40:11.460-08:00'Early' SeasonThe E. Sierra finally got enough snow to ride the backcountry. Better late than never, but all the sunny, warm weather has been enough to make one depressed. Well, not really, but still...<br />
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Two big storms made it actually feel like winter and created a decent base, although the conditions are definitely still early season, despite the fact that it's pushing Feb.<br />
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Mystery trees by Obsidian Dome.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Blue Crag on Mammoth Crest. The snow up high was wind-hammered and a little scary.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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TJ Bowl on Mammoth Crest. The snow over here wasn't wind-affected and was really fun. Some really nice protected chutes down lower.<br />
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Great to get out!Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-89995117630258145862011-09-10T19:01:00.000-07:002011-09-10T19:01:04.497-07:00Uber-Blahg Mega-UpdateHere's some rapid-fire spray about a bunch of fun days in the backcountry that I managed to actually document with photographic evidence. OK, ready? Here goes.<br />
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<b>McGhee</b> <b>Mountain</b> in Feb. Good powder with some wind-affect. A mountain that is 100% all-fun-happy-good time.<br />
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<b>Table Mountain</b> in Feb. A couple of steep chutes on the east face. There was no new snow but it was really windy preceding an incoming storm, creating sensitive windslabs that wanted to go (and they did).</div>
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<b>Mt. Tallac</b> in March. I was proud of myself for getting an early start (8 am) but laughed when I got to the base of the main bowl and watched the Cross Couloir and some of the front chutes getting plundered. The main shot down the gut didn't have any tracks in it by the time I got to the summit, so I had an awesome run down that. A cool mountain that reminds me of Mt. Snoqualmie.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Teenage girl myspace self-shot. One of my gloves blew away as I was taking this picture; karmic retribution for my vanity.</span></div>
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<b>Red Mountain</b> main gut in April. I <i>like</i> this hill. I guess I'm partial to avy paths for some reason. I got a later start than I wanted (it had snowed a bunch 2 days before, so I wanted to beat the warm-up) and pushed harder than I normally do out of fear. The last couple of hundred feet gets pretty steep and I tried to avoid the main start zone as much as I could. For some reason I inexplicably started to freak out. After I calmed down a bit I realized that there was the overwhelming smell of freshly snapped timber hanging in the air. I think this triggered a weird physiological and primal response (DANGER!). This run is actually pretty mellow once off the tippy-top and it turned out to be incredibly fun powder riding.</div>
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A whole lotta terrain to chose from.</div>
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<b>Cool carnage. </b>I wanted to ride Kid Mountain but it was cold and bulletproof, so I just killed time taking photos and waiting to see if the sun would do anything (it didn't) to soften things up.</div>
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In the event of large, destructive avalanches do not hide in a dumpster...</div>
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...or up a tree.</div>
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Looks like a pretty fun ski hill.</div>
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<b>Baldwin Cirque</b> in May. A spectacular zone further up-canyon past the popular Esha Peak. If you can't appreciate the aesthetics of a place like this, you should quit skiing and stick to climbing or road biking or whatever. <br />
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We hiked the trail and then booted up the first steep hill where we came across some bears -- a mother and two cubs. I always enjoy seeing bears in the snow. <br />
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It was sunny and warm, and like clockwork, things started to wake up and get active. We bailed on the main chute, regrouped, and then went up another that seemed a little more protected and safe. It was actually a really sick chute. Steep, narrow, and beautiful with giant walls and a huge bulging buttress on the left. We topped out and Ben said something about wanting to ride the backside, to which I replied something to the effect of "We just climbed this rad chute, I want to ride it." And so we did.<br />
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It rode "technical," or in other words, it was pretty difficult! Lots of roller balls were sent down, but they didn't get huge. Towards the bottom, I traversed out into the center of the chute and realized that the new snow that was there when we hiked up was all gone. Hmmm...<br />
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Bears</div>
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Watching them watching us</div>
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KAZAAM!</div>
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Large chunk of rock</div>
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Bailed</div>
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Probably should have gotten up earlier</div>
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Ski cut and tracks lower down</div>
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With a tiny bit of ducking and yanking we were able to ride all the way down to the summer trail</div>
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Good day!</div>
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<b>Mount Warren</b> NE Face in May. Wow, what a fun day tour. An awesome steep face right off of the summit and miles of canyon cruising down to the sage. </div>
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(Chris D. took these first 2 pictures.)</div>
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Adam</div>
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Chris</div>
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Ben</div>
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Well done</div>
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<b>East Peak of Dana Plateau </b>in May. We actually had to hike on dirt and bushwack a bit to get to this one, but it was easy and well worth it. This was one of those days that I didn't take any pictures but regretted it afterwards since it was pretty darned epic spring riding on a big line. Not 4-star corn on the steeps, but rippable, and the lower angle stuff on the aprons was A+ and prime. </div>
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Chris D. took some nice pictures, so these are all his.</div>
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"This is hard. Slow down."</div>
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Chris and Adam rode the N. facing center chute. Ben and I rode one that was more E. facing off to the left, around the corner and out of frame.</div>
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Adam </div>
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Hiking out after running out of snow. We were able to find some patches to follow down towards the base of V Bowl. Thoughts of riding some more entered our minds, but it was shallow and rotten.</div>
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<b>Mount Johnson </b>in June. This peak is on the cover of a guidebook, so it has an unconscious gravitational pull. It's also steep, so it also has a gravitational pull that is due to, well, gravity. Best not to fall when making turns down this thing! </div>
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We had to hike the drained South Lake (work was taking place on the dam) in a muddy clay, which was certainly a first. Once on snow and heading uphill we cruised into the main bowl, where I had to convince the others to head left, since I was the only one who looked at a map and was probably the only one that <i>really</i> wanted to ride this line. We continued for a while, and then stopped in some rocks to try and increase our motivation. It was cold and cloudy, not the tee shirt and sunburn weather that is more typical of June, so complaints about the conditions were voiced.</div>
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We hung out for a bit, and then continued to the head of the cirque around the backside of Mt. Johnson, where some pretty cool little lines resided. </div>
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The dog and I rode a a nice run from a sweet, narrow col.</div>
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The others (Ben, Chris, and Mike) skied a face to the left.</div>
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The snow was fun and wintry, so after riding down to a small lake, we decided to go "just a bit" higher to get more vert in. Well, I bee lined it straight to the base of the right couloir hoping that the others would be into it, and of course they were.<br />
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Steeper and longer than I expected, we were stoked on the line and the great snow. We then party-blasted out to the lake high on mountain life.</div>
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<br />Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-84352943948420134162011-01-31T18:06:00.000-08:002011-01-31T18:51:45.514-08:00Training<div style="text-align: left;">Itching for some all-day exercise and mind-clearing mountain time, I poked around in the fog and crust on Jan. 29. This led to a new way to quantify the backcountry riding experience:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Dust + Crust - Visibility = Training / (Fun + Beer) </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="264" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/19381808?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="398"></iframe></div>Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-64764530093918610682011-01-24T21:26:00.000-08:002011-01-24T21:26:35.903-08:00Pro Tip:If the days are still short, the freezing levels are low, and the snow is deep, go ride the south faces that you'd normally overlook and bask in the warmth of the glowing, life-giving orb around which we circulate. Sure, the snow might be a little deeper and less settled on something north facing, but why shiver in the shade when you live in the constant dank of a maritime clime? Why not shed some layers and feel your melatonin levels rise? <br />
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On Dec. 31, 2010, John and I had a nice time in the Crystal Mountain backcountry. He had been there the day before and wanted to go back, so this meant that there was absolutely no trail breaking. I think this was the first winter tour that I've done in quite a while in which there wasn't any trail breaking involved. Weird. This made the day feel pretty casual and easy going, which let us focus on the riding and just having fun.<br />
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Great snow, sun, and endless views; all the things that I love. Unfortunately, I went to bed early that night to do it all again the next day, but woke up in the middle of the night with an intense stomach bug that kept me on the couch (and hugging the toilet) for the next 2 days. Ouch. But the memories of these turns remain. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="264" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/18431401?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="398"></iframe></div>Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-76134528946808093642010-12-12T22:43:00.000-08:002010-12-12T22:43:46.283-08:00Spoiled?There has been really high quality powder snow in the Cascades during the end of November through the beginning of December. No cameras made it out of the pack until yesterday (Dec. 11), but here you go:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="265" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/17731342" width="400"></iframe> </div><br />
Snow conditions: deep, hero; perfect for storm day mini-golf . This little area in the Stevens Pass backcountry is strewn with boulders to fly off, some small, some house size, and since the coverage is still relatively early-season, there are lots of holes to fall into. Super fun. But isn't riding in the real mountains always fun? Yes, it is.Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-18969621972959911702010-11-21T11:45:00.000-08:002010-11-21T23:41:11.772-08:00Too Good to Bother to Eat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When: Nov. 20, 2010</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Chris and I shook out the cobwebs and remembered what it's like to break trail in and ride super deep snow yesterday in the Crystal Mountain backcountry. We went in with the expectation that we'd be treading lightly and just poking around, but soon realized that rock skis wouldn't be necessary. We stuck to (surprise) the loaded north-facing stuff and it was so good that we stayed until dark. Deep trenches and faceshots all around. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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I seem to break lots of poles. In this case I managed to lose the powder basket as well as its plastic attachment, resulting in a stabby-weapon. WTF. <br />
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The ride out on the rocky resort groomer was painful on quivering legs, but dinner at the Safeway in the 'claw tasted that much better for it.Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-16978626647262176882010-11-04T23:21:00.000-07:002010-11-04T23:37:02.704-07:00Change of SeasonYep, it's that time of year. The days are short, the rains have arrived, and the beer is dark and strong. Sssshhhh, don't tell anyone, but I hear that there's some powder at ___ #$#@ ___.<br />
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Dorking around at Sunrise in June:<br />
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Boulder/Park Cleaver in a day in July (hot, I bonked):<br />
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Some hiking and climbing and swimming:<br />
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And now we're back to the first powder turns of the year on Oct. 26. Here's to a siiiiiiiiiicckkk one.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgO7rVx6H5DvOFf49rBTKz_VlxqnUXo-TznD6w3ai1rE0nBMowfn_R2KXcQN9pv27CC4915hyphenhyphennZgMx7_oLIiwySvvkc636CjmW9aA7An4_0zdicu3C9u_FEWMmCpvUGAoNzZUQiUqro9U/s1600/IMG_1170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgO7rVx6H5DvOFf49rBTKz_VlxqnUXo-TznD6w3ai1rE0nBMowfn_R2KXcQN9pv27CC4915hyphenhyphennZgMx7_oLIiwySvvkc636CjmW9aA7An4_0zdicu3C9u_FEWMmCpvUGAoNzZUQiUqro9U/s400/IMG_1170.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-35947934738898416192010-08-05T22:43:00.000-07:002010-08-06T11:11:11.778-07:00Fryingpan Glacier, Mount Rainier NP, June 5, 2010<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj33F3X4f1fo03H39PJOKfdLTqpf24FYvbYim9b_XG7xqzoI3iStzhV7SrREn7VeHuzIQu6vZjDmFFT5mN1lIuft_X1ri8Vd9nZIF5Hca6iLtkYxrSdc-tnB4xAD2TIOjWLWcM7Zp1hJvQ/s1600/whitman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj33F3X4f1fo03H39PJOKfdLTqpf24FYvbYim9b_XG7xqzoI3iStzhV7SrREn7VeHuzIQu6vZjDmFFT5mN1lIuft_X1ri8Vd9nZIF5Hca6iLtkYxrSdc-tnB4xAD2TIOjWLWcM7Zp1hJvQ/s400/whitman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This is a really good line, much better than expected; nice variety with a good flow. It starts off mellow, rolls over for a few steep pitches, cruises a rib, followed by a final huge bowl. Chris and I had awesome snow for the majority of the whole 4,000 foot run; a little firm off the top and a little sticky at the bottom, but smooooooth. So good. The hike in and out is a little long, but easy on a nice trail. 4 stars, at least in early spring when it's good top to bottom. <br />
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As we topped out on Whitman Crest we were shocked to see that a huge slide had taken out the Ingraham Direct, and the circling helicopters did not bode well. We put that out of our minds and enjoyed the ride down. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">One of the steep pitches.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqzHjWCKlCOga_VyARxevzGO1tErmb3wne3RL-905iqOP23_hkziE6Vh84v4bgVo5JFN6RWJ8Ec_ac64flVVqXBM6s7-20yX8ULN1yxdeuQ9SLtBuxVBUEInckipomxrI8-6ViS0dThM/s1600/grab2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqzHjWCKlCOga_VyARxevzGO1tErmb3wne3RL-905iqOP23_hkziE6Vh84v4bgVo5JFN6RWJ8Ec_ac64flVVqXBM6s7-20yX8ULN1yxdeuQ9SLtBuxVBUEInckipomxrI8-6ViS0dThM/s400/grab2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">A minimally edited (and long) video. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="265" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=12356693&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=12356693&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="265"></embed></object><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">The first 3:45 are cruising the Fryingpan Glacier, from there until 6:15 we're rolling over the steeps of Meany Crest, the next 45 seconds is on a cool little rib, and from 7:00 on we're finishing off the final enormous bowls down into Summerland. <br />
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This was a a great tour with a refreshing blue sky; the first after a really moist spring in the PNWet.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-33204389087185005192010-08-03T23:19:00.000-07:002010-08-03T23:47:37.755-07:00Eastern Sierra, Spring 2010<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93cPCt-FApolzHDl6xlRnF4P3b-zSGruYeOaMQo6cIWdhbY0QjXvc3Qm3KhddzBaSyeMb1jd-yETAAiTIDiBOMzJnaOkzDoyDRpdc_hpDbd7o0TXTHDMhZTCtSBFN2UhKbjTzj49nCRw/s1600/IMG_0502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93cPCt-FApolzHDl6xlRnF4P3b-zSGruYeOaMQo6cIWdhbY0QjXvc3Qm3KhddzBaSyeMb1jd-yETAAiTIDiBOMzJnaOkzDoyDRpdc_hpDbd7o0TXTHDMhZTCtSBFN2UhKbjTzj49nCRw/s400/IMG_0502.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The Eastern Sierra is an incredible spot for spring ski touring. No bushwacking required. No devils club, alder, or mushy, un-ridable snow. No rain. But there is quite a bit of wind. Well, a lot of wind. But there is also a lot of sun, and real corn snow with real melt-freeze cycles. And it's easy to do a 4,000 foot run and be back to the parking lot by 12:30.<br />
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The approaches to some of the goods can be a little long and flat (Rock Creek) and the altitude takes some acclimatization, but the terrain is big, fun, and user-friendly. The access is incredible with a bunch of nice roads going up to 10k. Hot springs, bouldering, rednecks, RV people, cheap happy hour at Whiskey Creek in Bishop or Mammoth Lakes, coffee and web surfing at the Black Sheep. No National Park bureaucracy.<br />
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Favorites: riding powder on N. facing slopes at Virginia Lakes, steeps gullies in different drainages near University Peak above Independence, huge bowls and steep faces out of South Lake near Aspendale, partying with other dirtbags in the Buttermilks, Punta Bardini and Solitude Canyon by Mammoth. Meeting other like-minded souls at trail heads. <br />
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On the list for the future: camping up by Treasure Lakes and hitting a bunch of lines (as opposed to day tripping), Mount Wood (looks like a Volcano), Checkered Demon (need a car with higher clearance). <br />
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Lo-lights: having to suck it up and buy a bunch of topos, trying to get up early, getting scared, getting lost.<br />
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My dog came along with me and charged. Good times.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Virginia Lakes at the end of April. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuVNFLFQSY26vOkCkE_C8dw7oHeVWiQEH3_gWyoQO41ssnwVC0yrioHZy-PgLXm5qGIKP5LjyysmfTZwLmz-SjpEMxUKuxGcvxYJXO_D3P_x1h-Kman_5XFhMAD1Lcjuf16SjczmI0EV4/s1600/IMG_0479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuVNFLFQSY26vOkCkE_C8dw7oHeVWiQEH3_gWyoQO41ssnwVC0yrioHZy-PgLXm5qGIKP5LjyysmfTZwLmz-SjpEMxUKuxGcvxYJXO_D3P_x1h-Kman_5XFhMAD1Lcjuf16SjczmI0EV4/s400/IMG_0479.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">The dog always napped when we got back to the car.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNhkXav6MZ8jANj0FhNd2waJ6pYHELv-ibYqBrR_sfW9F2LkU3KTZa0N25CC92PuEhFiKwrkXBF2dngVNm-DSJkBpfUtb_Gr2lfFAuDDKNqGvCeFrcswBIrjzutAVQghmDdhwkEagNRc/s1600/IMG_0485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNhkXav6MZ8jANj0FhNd2waJ6pYHELv-ibYqBrR_sfW9F2LkU3KTZa0N25CC92PuEhFiKwrkXBF2dngVNm-DSJkBpfUtb_Gr2lfFAuDDKNqGvCeFrcswBIrjzutAVQghmDdhwkEagNRc/s400/IMG_0485.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">N. face Hurd tracked by a large guided group (with Tom Burt and Jim Zellers).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRerqVtJckUGKwheKKqF-S4-o7eYT0KLTAc4EzYoHcbXtWJrkZYITb-PZtxkAx0AZqlOv7EezC3K344Qc45iZ1fP0YU2yDUWpa2z6kXqVbdNpE_6tzZvKLm-z2xeW2BCOG1G5iYGGcuw/s1600/IMG_0504_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRerqVtJckUGKwheKKqF-S4-o7eYT0KLTAc4EzYoHcbXtWJrkZYITb-PZtxkAx0AZqlOv7EezC3K344Qc45iZ1fP0YU2yDUWpa2z6kXqVbdNpE_6tzZvKLm-z2xeW2BCOG1G5iYGGcuw/s400/IMG_0504_1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Looking down a steep gully. I was stoked.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6ukViq4U41twZGIytheduEyhOuUbCExSVZO2E2gNAeLPI1v0KjPcuy-xb1I_Jk9LyFRbQW_WNrYcym1hfZJXPfnLOEaGz1BjIoTjZ_cNiQEh_PWGMbXIHuJgGHj8tw7XDX6N4gZPJsY/s1600/IMG_0543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6ukViq4U41twZGIytheduEyhOuUbCExSVZO2E2gNAeLPI1v0KjPcuy-xb1I_Jk9LyFRbQW_WNrYcym1hfZJXPfnLOEaGz1BjIoTjZ_cNiQEh_PWGMbXIHuJgGHj8tw7XDX6N4gZPJsY/s400/IMG_0543.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Chara wasn't that impressed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4OWe1Mjt92rNKxjbpzuxnVnbVxwzOJJEKvSYppUIgfYW_B8dTMNfD2KcXlCQHK6ghC02Vkz-AxksYnCnRUdgYoTBvjEEb2MrlK-IojecZqyU-pXE8R8093vPxFm4FY8i-HDor7N4Ng34/s1600/IMG_0541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4OWe1Mjt92rNKxjbpzuxnVnbVxwzOJJEKvSYppUIgfYW_B8dTMNfD2KcXlCQHK6ghC02Vkz-AxksYnCnRUdgYoTBvjEEb2MrlK-IojecZqyU-pXE8R8093vPxFm4FY8i-HDor7N4Ng34/s400/IMG_0541.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Lovely gray granite by University Peak.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBIPTEsrWixByepjVz50eWHZzV90KDRpzPkgoLSrTOx-odo_Nmywl2HVaJ-sZvjfM4KiB7I4c71zXDgtRMZ31NBOwLyZ1nlQRJipdB8y5yOjeocMq9Z5r7yKCJK6yzXl4-zxVdmgN_HM/s1600/IMG_0562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBIPTEsrWixByepjVz50eWHZzV90KDRpzPkgoLSrTOx-odo_Nmywl2HVaJ-sZvjfM4KiB7I4c71zXDgtRMZ31NBOwLyZ1nlQRJipdB8y5yOjeocMq9Z5r7yKCJK6yzXl4-zxVdmgN_HM/s400/IMG_0562.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Enhanced P Laps.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MZtoDTyni6L5eHzXs4iWChJRiA_9RuslgtxKiF7JMbR-1AXq2LmiIjUgFDhElZs14a108cpj64Nn2kYZ7YKBnBmponsY3BgU2Zyx0cABCaLYRWlDv8flxOypiKR6qP-fASODFY35HnE/s1600/IMG_0566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MZtoDTyni6L5eHzXs4iWChJRiA_9RuslgtxKiF7JMbR-1AXq2LmiIjUgFDhElZs14a108cpj64Nn2kYZ7YKBnBmponsY3BgU2Zyx0cABCaLYRWlDv8flxOypiKR6qP-fASODFY35HnE/s400/IMG_0566.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Chara chillaxing in the milks.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-qfcil3dYCQtKkjXCaXP-IJ1eDDLNuytOGXh6wgz7GSin5iLp6cE_RmpY8MO2O8zjRaeQSl53NrxUJuf1CeMQ6x-wfgHbcYnLgWHoaDExeDTAu_B5PeRI0TzoceoSRSy11aGztBc8U8/s1600/IMG_0582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-qfcil3dYCQtKkjXCaXP-IJ1eDDLNuytOGXh6wgz7GSin5iLp6cE_RmpY8MO2O8zjRaeQSl53NrxUJuf1CeMQ6x-wfgHbcYnLgWHoaDExeDTAu_B5PeRI0TzoceoSRSy11aGztBc8U8/s400/IMG_0582.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">House-sized highball.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwyu1XztebMMVyJimxVc1UrKH7JtAQHQb_cPhQryv0e_q1TPxn1E9e8FWyM0YexxBhCczG32gOP4rXFvFnTyZgzgX_CFy7pEft9RHY2pE_wAZAbY4hONMiws7miuIS7SCatx-7F9Vbg9o/s1600/IMG_0590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwyu1XztebMMVyJimxVc1UrKH7JtAQHQb_cPhQryv0e_q1TPxn1E9e8FWyM0YexxBhCczG32gOP4rXFvFnTyZgzgX_CFy7pEft9RHY2pE_wAZAbY4hONMiws7miuIS7SCatx-7F9Vbg9o/s400/IMG_0590.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Livin' the dream.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTEUZqCbvhpBjl3o4rqRyc7w3mkQcdSZ7hG3TXjE1f-YnSIjhdsAGciVonlwADQonN4LrlCZLuYx1SDdbZzUhGwg4gGJ0e8nCmZYI21dFRTXFcWayJrq9v7KcgcrwVBtu7bCbCHBjNHg0/s1600/IMG_0625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTEUZqCbvhpBjl3o4rqRyc7w3mkQcdSZ7hG3TXjE1f-YnSIjhdsAGciVonlwADQonN4LrlCZLuYx1SDdbZzUhGwg4gGJ0e8nCmZYI21dFRTXFcWayJrq9v7KcgcrwVBtu7bCbCHBjNHg0/s400/IMG_0625.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Did I mention that there is nobody home?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0iPojLzuTFDBJRxNrPud9edk_N0jEOlIZyfLYEhVhgsN5g3RJq9dDdItnK1379bCdubvVpj3_91Vp9TE7oTFxQq17J4IfPC60Eucwsw8S99SIHeJs93MZxWhE_xQ_KD0Ma0_Lt3zf2w/s1600/IMG_0633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0iPojLzuTFDBJRxNrPud9edk_N0jEOlIZyfLYEhVhgsN5g3RJq9dDdItnK1379bCdubvVpj3_91Vp9TE7oTFxQq17J4IfPC60Eucwsw8S99SIHeJs93MZxWhE_xQ_KD0Ma0_Lt3zf2w/s400/IMG_0633.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">But it's a long way into here.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDHnYLf_-i4evydyDLK_FjK4078RQ4KZ8zz39IK4Thixqp_pULqnWmnUV81KKF7qt9rsPEcxueRsQTaVMHJw7CbjDj-4_nX1cWVVyc0ivn2OZUVRRJllHRaSFIWpUT9s5uW5htLHQ_BM/s1600/IMG_0643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDHnYLf_-i4evydyDLK_FjK4078RQ4KZ8zz39IK4Thixqp_pULqnWmnUV81KKF7qt9rsPEcxueRsQTaVMHJw7CbjDj-4_nX1cWVVyc0ivn2OZUVRRJllHRaSFIWpUT9s5uW5htLHQ_BM/s400/IMG_0643.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LTcjFdjgd3mDH0r2L-85Tx_WyeYe7-2WfmeStP1Gq6n8yqjRit1Y-ayGHb3bR-PybQTDtcokqM31_cyOrzFa9NXnxI2TDXJT8e7Ie3FIl0wzZF8cqDTgjqqWTqkBBLdOZYlV3df84Vc/s1600/IMG_0647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LTcjFdjgd3mDH0r2L-85Tx_WyeYe7-2WfmeStP1Gq6n8yqjRit1Y-ayGHb3bR-PybQTDtcokqM31_cyOrzFa9NXnxI2TDXJT8e7Ie3FIl0wzZF8cqDTgjqqWTqkBBLdOZYlV3df84Vc/s400/IMG_0647.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Another nice steep chute, with a little excitement off the top.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1_Bj03GDzZ-_xaFWRutecf-6jB34AZuxvAwRKY_-QjvEOH4fotIe3yElSFAZP6ogd9sn6KIwNX8Sf9hVkUWG7KM9ljp6iWcpAkiIFdRv1CpDm1KpSy4_hV5KPJeCKnWA3714I089p_M/s1600/IMG_0656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1_Bj03GDzZ-_xaFWRutecf-6jB34AZuxvAwRKY_-QjvEOH4fotIe3yElSFAZP6ogd9sn6KIwNX8Sf9hVkUWG7KM9ljp6iWcpAkiIFdRv1CpDm1KpSy4_hV5KPJeCKnWA3714I089p_M/s400/IMG_0656.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Here's a video of a run:<br />
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<br />
Here's another:<br />
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<br />
A great trip!Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-67893014975078624722010-04-14T22:08:00.000-07:002010-04-14T22:16:43.309-07:00Lanham LakeApril 4, 2010 <br />
<br />
Winter returned to the Cascades with a vengeance during early April, with about 6-7 feet of new snow falling at low temps. It was fun to be out during stormy weather and ride deep powder in empty old growth. <br />
<br />
On April 4, Chris and I rode W/NW forested slopes above Lanham Lake, east of Stevens Pass, where the snow was protected, very deep, and nice and light (especially for April). Lots of face shots.<br />
<br />
Getting up this thing was a b*tch since the terrain was pretty steep and tight, making skinning switchback-intensive and progress painfully slow. I was feeling defeated, but Chris persevered and broke trail to the top of the ridge, and I followed.<br />
<br />
The ride down was pretty sweet in some of the deepest snow of the year in fun, challenging terrain. The snow definitely wanted to sluff off of the steeper pitches, adding a little bit of excitement in the tight spots. A short-ish but great day, since neither of us were down for another round of up. We chose to blame that on being tired from previous days efforts as opposed to being lazy.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10940666&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10940666&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object></div><a href="http://vimeo.com/10940666">Lanham Lake, 4.3.10</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2581155">Preston Few</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-88476518630508753072010-04-14T00:14:00.000-07:002010-04-14T00:20:39.816-07:00Union-Jove-Lake JanusMarch 27, 2010<br />
<br />
Chris and I didn't really know what to expect on this day, but we figured that we'd go for a tour and see what we could find. The weather was supposed to be decent, so we could at least stand on top of a couple of summits and if the snow cooperated, hopefully get some fun turns in as well.<br />
<br />
We slogged up Smithbrook road for 3 miles, and then headed up to the summit of Union Peak. As we crested the ridge, I stomped hard in some crusty, wind and sun affected snow on top of a steep roll, when whoompf, the snow settled a bit. That got the heart beating. After about 3.5 hours we were on top looking at the gleaming south face of Jove. That looks like a money run, but not on this day.<br />
<br />
We dropped about 600 ft down the ridge to the saddle between Union and Jove, which I skied with skins on in split mode. In retrospect, I should have boarded it since the ridge was a long string of windlips that were tough to ski and the time saved by foregoing transitioning was eaten up by slow sidestepping. <br />
<br />
The climb up Jove was not as easy as it looked and seemed to take forever. We should have put our ski crampons on, which we both had, but we were being stubborn -- well, at least I was. It was one of those days. Finally on the summit, the wind was pretty brutal and it had taken us 6 hours to get there! As we were about to drop into a hole that requires a couple of climbs to get out of, Chris asked if I brought a headlamp.<br />
<br />
The ride down the west facing slopes to Lake Janus was nice and long and meandering, and we tried to milk it. Big wide-open alleys were fun to connect, and then open old growth led to the lake. Good times.<br />
<br />
A climb up to a ridge, a short descent, and another climb/traverse to Union Gap was follwed by another descent to Smithbrook road. It was pretty much survival skiing at this point in manky snow, and I managed to get cliffed out above the road cut. One of those days! 3 miles of road slogging back out to the car. The road isn't steep enough to snowboard, so I skinned out. I should have sucked it up and removed the skins, or at least one of them. Next time.<br />
<br />
I can't imagine that the run down to Lake Janus gets done that often. It certainly felt like we were deep in the wild on this day. Here's a video:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10917989&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10917989&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object></div><a href="http://vimeo.com/10917989">Union-Jove-Lake Janus</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2581155">Preston Few</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-70455488581830504982010-04-13T22:14:00.000-07:002010-04-13T22:55:30.058-07:00Baldface Lodge, Nelson, BCMarch 14-18<br />
<br />
I went on a really great cat skiing trip to Baldface, which is a short helicopter ride outside of Nelson, BC. This was during Frequency's 'Freq Week' so there were a bunch of super solid riders there who were stoked to ride lots and lots of pow.<br />
<br />
I was worried that we were going to get skunked on snow, but luckily a storm came through right before we arrived. The persistent weak layers that have plagued interior BC all winter were in play, but Baldface has lots of safe terrain. There was really nice powder in the north facing trees, so those were the runs that were the most fun, and that's where we spent most of our time, but the more alpine terrain rode nicely as well.<br />
<br />
While I prefer touring, getting all that vert is hard to beat. The number of runs we did in a day was well above 10, too many to keep track of. They weren't all epic, but a lot of them were, especially once I realized that if a run wasn't perfect, it wasn't a big deal since there were a lot more to come. Having a solid crew of riders who could all hold their own definitely kept things moving.<br />
<br />
The plushness of the place was a little odd for this dirtbag, but all the other like-minded spirits made the experience really fun. Awesome food, a nice bar, and quality riding.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10916213&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10916213&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object></div><a href="http://vimeo.com/10916213">Baldface Lodge, Nelson, BC</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2581155">Preston Few</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Bar.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSoOuedZVJB-1Xx9RgGaDxtQgy6-aRRZ9k_mVuZp_3TmdfbtwozRql5glFn51QJk6X_pOerQW0rZ5aEm1X2L2oEIUwMUm9Wg2Nw5TryR1rSeOHKPBGbDJ6_7gufGu9nB7yfzKX5PIfCg/s1600/IMG_0371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSoOuedZVJB-1Xx9RgGaDxtQgy6-aRRZ9k_mVuZp_3TmdfbtwozRql5glFn51QJk6X_pOerQW0rZ5aEm1X2L2oEIUwMUm9Wg2Nw5TryR1rSeOHKPBGbDJ6_7gufGu9nB7yfzKX5PIfCg/s400/IMG_0371.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Dinner.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTaUaev9r3uDL8_HC6wDTY2bh_giomrGACwGi60TpJbTgKEr2BAh4KMsTP2HiN7p5AYnNa4ZnZawvxyVb_z6pe-Vu4rvB4UCBa-NmI7esfWcFJYflvrepzIknJOroUGzDX5dXrDzi4-g/s1600/IMG_0373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTaUaev9r3uDL8_HC6wDTY2bh_giomrGACwGi60TpJbTgKEr2BAh4KMsTP2HiN7p5AYnNa4ZnZawvxyVb_z6pe-Vu4rvB4UCBa-NmI7esfWcFJYflvrepzIknJOroUGzDX5dXrDzi4-g/s400/IMG_0373.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Norwegian folk song.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIuz2Nwncp90ihZKKig406jMlNlPNCB74R7_-mzTXrjaG6BeIZFlR2v4rGHuDdC30GG92mODfinWEQytpLEunHg1ZBl2mqiL51reJ3PbVUqGOFBFnCEi4mvLCA-nvbbVdOU_ATJ0i_oFw/s1600/IMG_0377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIuz2Nwncp90ihZKKig406jMlNlPNCB74R7_-mzTXrjaG6BeIZFlR2v4rGHuDdC30GG92mODfinWEQytpLEunHg1ZBl2mqiL51reJ3PbVUqGOFBFnCEi4mvLCA-nvbbVdOU_ATJ0i_oFw/s400/IMG_0377.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Drunken Yeti.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJ580HqvTDuAbV1yo6q7hLdv_2-tU2ANRbFICczP_oi9z4m2uFwFUaya_nZ5zw7Y3dtAy3JKIGE0VOvixYZiWL8UQeOPBDKc1Ewv1KFAQ8Z_e9COND4fHMGezoB2c-aoPH8BroKd1bms/s1600/IMG_0392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJ580HqvTDuAbV1yo6q7hLdv_2-tU2ANRbFICczP_oi9z4m2uFwFUaya_nZ5zw7Y3dtAy3JKIGE0VOvixYZiWL8UQeOPBDKc1Ewv1KFAQ8Z_e9COND4fHMGezoB2c-aoPH8BroKd1bms/s400/IMG_0392.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Marcel and Maxx.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtvseopajR59r12MXqtziswhwjfiZgpxWsPQgZ_nzN_quR4qLplxMDeeXPFdaRMXgSlApb_C3xZkRTTORDXNWSZpNlXAf_dm29Zi81TYEXgMGZXJ3vvrCUAaRqE_PLGnM9kFcn_0gAz8/s1600/IMG_0407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtvseopajR59r12MXqtziswhwjfiZgpxWsPQgZ_nzN_quR4qLplxMDeeXPFdaRMXgSlApb_C3xZkRTTORDXNWSZpNlXAf_dm29Zi81TYEXgMGZXJ3vvrCUAaRqE_PLGnM9kFcn_0gAz8/s400/IMG_0407.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Heading out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2SXdFQ0sE6E3yiLyUgKRFnm7sO1dBbiAaZ-Pw0Dlo6dUSWv21yilQ1MNomLcUTQ1e-Z_30IFO4gHidkBm8nfQuqMzzvM9y1yer8Ypn3XHjD76xwc2eF2oO3TEpoQs28e-s8NPu4-Dfo/s1600/IMG_0420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2SXdFQ0sE6E3yiLyUgKRFnm7sO1dBbiAaZ-Pw0Dlo6dUSWv21yilQ1MNomLcUTQ1e-Z_30IFO4gHidkBm8nfQuqMzzvM9y1yer8Ypn3XHjD76xwc2eF2oO3TEpoQs28e-s8NPu4-Dfo/s400/IMG_0420.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-46711480421170317242010-03-13T13:01:00.000-08:002010-03-13T13:01:12.329-08:00Sleeper Pow DayMarch 10, 2010<br />
<br />
This day far exceeded our expectations. That's the nice thing about having low expectations: when it's awesome, it feels really, really awesome. There was about a foot or so of really high quality powder on upper elevation NW facing slopes and nobody around but Eric and myself. The day started out a little grey, but by the afternoon it was full-on bluedbird. Score.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10137856&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10137856&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object></div><a href="http://vimeo.com/10137856">March 10, 2010</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2581155">Preston Few</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-78040758519242644072010-03-13T12:50:00.000-08:002010-03-13T12:50:31.729-08:00Chiwaukum Ridge, The SwathFeb. 27, 2010 <br />
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"The Swath" is probably one of the most distinctive avalanche paths and obvious ski runs around these parts. You can't miss it when driving east on Hwy. 2 from Leavenworth as it cuts an unmistakable scar on one of the peaks of Chiwaukum Ridge, falling 4,000 feet to the valley floor.<br />
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With this years lack of low elevation snowpack, "only" the top 2,700 feet were in, but on this day it was deep, sluffy powder snow. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TSjsv9pyBga7KXd7UA7R8F9wcc_mX2zdWSFELcs2hyphenhyphenHlbw4hspOdSatAV3sEMSdoRgO4x56q9fvwdYn91pRU-YKj6A_07M6au33StNhTBUPU0m8xj-fbAAJquLxhaEE0iZTtESmGnew/s1600-h/IMG_0338_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TSjsv9pyBga7KXd7UA7R8F9wcc_mX2zdWSFELcs2hyphenhyphenHlbw4hspOdSatAV3sEMSdoRgO4x56q9fvwdYn91pRU-YKj6A_07M6au33StNhTBUPU0m8xj-fbAAJquLxhaEE0iZTtESmGnew/s400/IMG_0338_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
As we were heading up, another party arrived with a snow machine and motored past us on the approach, and then set a steep skin track up the trees, so there was no trail breaking for us; probably a good thing since we were pretty tired at our high point!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OUtoRpBjDVvTnBaaATCPMsjns6bViRlFtPYHNs1vEE1gKqWU9WcwkMXUjoRLUhlfdvWSS5IgWF7A1hIuU7DVAD6_UvEba1OL0aLKK_bdKJNxPrAExigTHN-zKQcbM2hu_1LZBKds500/s1600-h/IMG_0340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OUtoRpBjDVvTnBaaATCPMsjns6bViRlFtPYHNs1vEE1gKqWU9WcwkMXUjoRLUhlfdvWSS5IgWF7A1hIuU7DVAD6_UvEba1OL0aLKK_bdKJNxPrAExigTHN-zKQcbM2hu_1LZBKds500/s400/IMG_0340.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Jason and Eric getting ready to drop in.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrxuJTG18uj-LpoXAuG0UwPugk4TrGiJRdgNJ0mhVrqQodUk5wjqiHgH_yE4tFXmJdYSNd0EHGhTXl97Uqo0_bhM6Sq-5cMAyC2C-29Zbu4MFlsxER1ZfMfPPEP2O04XWzPpHX9l8jmQ/s1600-h/IMG_0343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrxuJTG18uj-LpoXAuG0UwPugk4TrGiJRdgNJ0mhVrqQodUk5wjqiHgH_yE4tFXmJdYSNd0EHGhTXl97Uqo0_bhM6Sq-5cMAyC2C-29Zbu4MFlsxER1ZfMfPPEP2O04XWzPpHX9l8jmQ/s400/IMG_0343.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">There were some concerns of buried surface hoar, so we tried to be careful on the descent, which turned out to be pretty epic. One of the best runs of the year.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9846946&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9846946&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object></div><a href="http://vimeo.com/9846946">THE SWATH</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2581155">Preston Few</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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</div>Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-52625042388838979632010-02-22T15:53:00.000-08:002010-08-19T11:00:11.899-07:00Rogers Pass, BC<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtaKxZBRQ7N2yR_Gk1uFE4aCtFSr8zKxGWeZIkerW3ExjhwGpucm7_4TnPk_YIkkY_DQ8K-b_4mvgKC6YU0kzHfak88unW77RtYRX37CGeBIcowcA274XOjrOjrrKtlkcWclZDGVYKc-c/s1600-h/IMG_0324_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtaKxZBRQ7N2yR_Gk1uFE4aCtFSr8zKxGWeZIkerW3ExjhwGpucm7_4TnPk_YIkkY_DQ8K-b_4mvgKC6YU0kzHfak88unW77RtYRX37CGeBIcowcA274XOjrOjrrKtlkcWclZDGVYKc-c/s400/IMG_0324_1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Feb. 11-15, 2010<br />
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Rogers Pass: the best ski touring in the world?? Seems like a reasonable claim. Instant access to big country, rowdy road shots, good snow, peaks, glaciers, trees, and pillows, with a hotel at the top, 2 funky ski towns within an hour, and a couple of huts in the backcountry, all human-powered and within a National Park. But the goods, of course, demand respect, especially from the tourists. A couple of layers of buried surface hoar made for a touchy snowpack and slabs were becoming more and more cohesive each day. We took this as an opportunity to explore new trailheads, scope out new (to us) terrain, and get a better feel for the area as a whole.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjCnUDeLwKI4DAnfjhprSkhGcTFQihixHILIAn8sBF0vENsvxYq3gRb_AEv15lGkdM47NMnzrjDS4W4XGVKnaF1pVqDrH_TcEkibxU644Qhp4TyTbmqPnnE7u8SMpFyfkNTH-1Vdwgqw/s1600-h/IMG_0322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjCnUDeLwKI4DAnfjhprSkhGcTFQihixHILIAn8sBF0vENsvxYq3gRb_AEv15lGkdM47NMnzrjDS4W4XGVKnaF1pVqDrH_TcEkibxU644Qhp4TyTbmqPnnE7u8SMpFyfkNTH-1Vdwgqw/s400/IMG_0322.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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The first day we headed up the Connaught drainage hoping to ride one of the big N. facing chutes off of Cheops. A ski cut on a smaller chute of similar aspect released easily, decidedly removing the urge to ride the object of our desire. After that run, we skinned up the ridge from Balu Pass hoping to drop into the gargantuan 8812 bowl. The wind was ripping up there, loading the east-facing slopes below us with slabby snow, so after poking around in the flat light and not feeling it, we headed back down the ridge and had a nice long run in OK snow (you could feel the crust underneath on the more southerly slopes) back to the parking lot. We toured a little bit on this day with a pro patroller from Whistler who is fighting brain cancer, which was inspiring and fired us up to ride hard. <br />
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The next day, we rode the steep N. facing trees by Ross Peak hoping to find stable powder, but the warm temps had already done their work; one and done. We drove up and did a blast up the NRC gullies in the afternoon sun.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOhnQdojPe3zGo7J2wS2hHAyaGnLGRWIAtsBzFFnDzpTMbsZDRYRo0MPgFQPhBcoZHwmSGnH3E_C7VBKVd4P1v1eSjR-LwXYQCqMsuVXQUho7MMnBhq_vMmc-6fT6ZW2Vi9zGyQcNRTo/s1600-h/IMG_0301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOhnQdojPe3zGo7J2wS2hHAyaGnLGRWIAtsBzFFnDzpTMbsZDRYRo0MPgFQPhBcoZHwmSGnH3E_C7VBKVd4P1v1eSjR-LwXYQCqMsuVXQUho7MMnBhq_vMmc-6fT6ZW2Vi9zGyQcNRTo/s400/IMG_0301.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk9Oodxqoh8C0JjMZGCUHu6C3Ig-BqHRzCDV-VGjQ7Exh3PRJQ7XMJ5_7nRUmXTNia3hsAvdYzzBMyJHYs52ZbTaqum3zwtESQIhLqccmyvhPGBTk5KGmDNUS3gFGgJYO7-RJkk0w59bg/s1600-h/IMG_0302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk9Oodxqoh8C0JjMZGCUHu6C3Ig-BqHRzCDV-VGjQ7Exh3PRJQ7XMJ5_7nRUmXTNia3hsAvdYzzBMyJHYs52ZbTaqum3zwtESQIhLqccmyvhPGBTk5KGmDNUS3gFGgJYO7-RJkk0w59bg/s400/IMG_0302.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Sunday was warm and wet, so we used that as an excuse to recover from a sure-to-be-legendary night in Golden ("Who were those crazy backcountry-riding Americans???") and to hang out with our new friend Luc, the ranger working at the Discovery Center.<br />
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On Monday we headed up Cheops 2. Holy sh*t, needs more snow!!!! We dropped into this old avalanche path after touring up a shoulder in old growth, and we quickly learned that the new trees are growing back and need a lot of snow to cover them. Super sketchy, big drops and big holes. We got back into the big trees as soon as we safely could. Whew, that was exciting.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY0uaJFtmCwBoy9Jv6D8u3cAEPig657RToGD_LfYWwidxi9sLhjCLKYUlhv_ugHvDQK7SPg8HV0MfwwkP1RJeN9oVrRgzb1x7-MR-vaeiTAMwsiR7R4ceJpBFrsjotEXNXwyFPFIXAeds/s1600-h/IMG_0317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY0uaJFtmCwBoy9Jv6D8u3cAEPig657RToGD_LfYWwidxi9sLhjCLKYUlhv_ugHvDQK7SPg8HV0MfwwkP1RJeN9oVrRgzb1x7-MR-vaeiTAMwsiR7R4ceJpBFrsjotEXNXwyFPFIXAeds/s400/IMG_0317.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The drive back to Seattle was brainless and easy in the good weather despite the fact that we didn't have a map. Even though we didn't ride anything "big" on this trip, we had an awesome time, got away from the crowds, stayed safe, and now have a lot more ideas for the next time.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKi0ndeSAJr0jSRNvac2gCkfrp5e8FXhR-R5rX9xRei5tNMxrtUjMvDEYwBLmg1mEPEqX2rZ0E14fUg4s4bvLpigo6mVApmJ19ary_09GaHwck4-NvdjNc5UefDZZ5CjU1cAbwGLWUwA/s1600-h/IMG_0329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKi0ndeSAJr0jSRNvac2gCkfrp5e8FXhR-R5rX9xRei5tNMxrtUjMvDEYwBLmg1mEPEqX2rZ0E14fUg4s4bvLpigo6mVApmJ19ary_09GaHwck4-NvdjNc5UefDZZ5CjU1cAbwGLWUwA/s400/IMG_0329.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-6293743599471136762010-02-17T16:29:00.000-08:002010-02-17T16:34:12.207-08:00Xtal Going OffWe managed to ride some really fun snow in the Crystal Mountain backcountry at the end of January. The split jet stream has been favoring the south, so this area has been getting brushed with the storms that have been hitting California.<br />
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On January 23, 2010 Jason, Eric and I rode some short steep lines in wind-deposited chutes. Not super deep, but some face-shots none-the-less. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgENZAwW_G-jx0au2CXLF1xfXfFatekDZuoaB6soYNFfd-TL8L2n3ZWmdvuhpeq87dBL9oji5i9MfMb9k_BhFf-66fUwlh5s36oHshYM2BV6IryVybR3JC6obCXiUgfjMRAC_DsPhX3O-Q/s1600-h/IMG_0269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgENZAwW_G-jx0au2CXLF1xfXfFatekDZuoaB6soYNFfd-TL8L2n3ZWmdvuhpeq87dBL9oji5i9MfMb9k_BhFf-66fUwlh5s36oHshYM2BV6IryVybR3JC6obCXiUgfjMRAC_DsPhX3O-Q/s400/IMG_0269.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAK8FfF52vqgpKaQX4_CRrNmEBa8mW0ndGkO89CiZSHj15mpQBVu3nru_lhyphenhyphenI8baorUT5kLbql_iyUZc49EOCGEnO8OdFSuftCZARTvgz8UdHBUbWInwcl_l5iExx5v64OsmgD5VbNeq8/s1600-h/IMG_0279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAK8FfF52vqgpKaQX4_CRrNmEBa8mW0ndGkO89CiZSHj15mpQBVu3nru_lhyphenhyphenI8baorUT5kLbql_iyUZc49EOCGEnO8OdFSuftCZARTvgz8UdHBUbWInwcl_l5iExx5v64OsmgD5VbNeq8/s400/IMG_0279.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9080718&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9080718&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object></div><a href="http://vimeo.com/9080718">Jan. 23, 2010 Xtal BC</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2581155">Preston Few</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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On January 25, Crystal got about 11 inches with high winds, so Eric and I went back. This day turned out to be blue, which isn't always a good thing for keeping the snow light, but a calm, sunny powder day is one of the best things in this world that I can think of. We did 2 laps in the sun, a third on the shaded & loaded side -- which was scary deep -- and then another down to the car.<br />
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Even though it's been a warm and wet season, we've managed to ride an awful lot of powder.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvN_hU7vVebVbf-53UMlS4LiQJKjr4-z-SuWf869niPzxvSXiUb6Ky69-sewPI16bQXwqDnh1qlEHiO-3cvWhafqBwOAOuUdd3WJUhAcqNzqwabbrczzwGuhdEONkAVPBQNN9a9F3rWE/s1600-h/IMG_0288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvN_hU7vVebVbf-53UMlS4LiQJKjr4-z-SuWf869niPzxvSXiUb6Ky69-sewPI16bQXwqDnh1qlEHiO-3cvWhafqBwOAOuUdd3WJUhAcqNzqwabbrczzwGuhdEONkAVPBQNN9a9F3rWE/s400/IMG_0288.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfcGxYtkQLhXo5WvXDhjqi269VzSxMFvm5NSrudLWZ89Wa1QnndtU8CJpnG09jPrFfGn8tCh3GXmp3rC8aOQ1WJr3pBRmOGJGGWzUN5GqdvSK6KZZtZBCLrpsLjG_TdaCZv06ahKU6JUc/s1600-h/IMG_0293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfcGxYtkQLhXo5WvXDhjqi269VzSxMFvm5NSrudLWZ89Wa1QnndtU8CJpnG09jPrFfGn8tCh3GXmp3rC8aOQ1WJr3pBRmOGJGGWzUN5GqdvSK6KZZtZBCLrpsLjG_TdaCZv06ahKU6JUc/s400/IMG_0293.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Metal:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9061077&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9061077&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object></div><a href="http://vimeo.com/9061077">D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-DIE!</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2581155">Preston Few</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hippie:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9047554&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9047554&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object></div><a href="http://vimeo.com/9047554">East Peak</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2581155">Preston Few</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-1383223980934097452010-01-21T19:14:00.000-08:002010-01-21T19:27:36.855-08:00L-berg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZDH71iREz3nWRKJwVHv7rmYsA1mjsBnUQFI3C-6A80fh40swLyedrgypAV8XdzYpg-jYQuZTE2dW1s1jH5Lahkpe5gWLCjg8rxtObdpqTDzyrr4dO9nnCyMsuK2efdNqEHGL7Tf2aYo/s1600-h/IMG_0224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZDH71iREz3nWRKJwVHv7rmYsA1mjsBnUQFI3C-6A80fh40swLyedrgypAV8XdzYpg-jYQuZTE2dW1s1jH5Lahkpe5gWLCjg8rxtObdpqTDzyrr4dO9nnCyMsuK2efdNqEHGL7Tf2aYo/s400/IMG_0224.JPG" /></a><br />
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I like this area; it has worthy terrain, it's just the wrong aspect. But it is a really fun ski summit and it is pretty rare to see others up this drainage near Stevens Pass, WA.<br />
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On Jan. 16, 2010 Eric, Jason and I toured up to the main summit, while Liz and Chris headed up to the lookers right summit on the other side of the large gully/terrain trap. The sun was out and the sky was clear and the snow was deep, although the bottom couple of hundred feet had a slight crust on top which softened (for the most part) as the day wore on. Trail braking was pleasantly strenuous, although we were a little concerned about stability and the strong sun. It's a pretty wide-open face with lots of convex rollers and a slide has the potential to funnel you into a gnarly terrain trap.<br />
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As we were on the summit about to drop in, we watched as Chris stomped around, further down the ridge, checking out the snow on the other side of the south summit. He managed to kick off a pretty significant slab avalanche that kept going and going. Hmmmm. <br />
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At this point I started to get a little worried that I might have gotten us into a bit of a pickle since Eric had mentioned a few instances of the snow settling and breaking up while I was setting the switchbacks up the steep headwall. The snow seemed a little sketchy, but nothing we're not used to encountering, and I just kept saying that it felt fine to me. After watching the excitement off in the distance, I felt quite a bit of responsibility to make sure we all got down safely since I basically ignored Eric's gut feeling without really taking the time to assess things particularly thoroughly.<br />
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In the end it was fine and we just rode down a little more conservatively than we would have liked to, but better safe than sorry. Chris and Liz managed to find decent turns of their own. Blue skies and fresh snow...I'm definitely not complaining. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio1aD6xf4dcC_lm6SLiXw8yEGfmL1cP7dJqaMSyqjFkj2a8MO9h47jac_RMmpDQn-jHhDWiynufaJ71rNguxP5tPg9ojfGSuGWgnLBwW9MHyijTcGuiVLE3nsj0Zfc3Sj-gsClGjUYTkg/s1600-h/IMG_0229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio1aD6xf4dcC_lm6SLiXw8yEGfmL1cP7dJqaMSyqjFkj2a8MO9h47jac_RMmpDQn-jHhDWiynufaJ71rNguxP5tPg9ojfGSuGWgnLBwW9MHyijTcGuiVLE3nsj0Zfc3Sj-gsClGjUYTkg/s400/IMG_0229.JPG" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A frame grab of the slide that Chris started.<br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHM1rG0N0ikUzHRHIZqq6qGjxPPIAoM4JSXc1kvwT2tYtz_TQSwr8IyQ-u2kh9P-OI_2uOR3zvSb-nSRM9lE6ZRuNrHW4GmywXafunT2S6GLSP8-Xwusk9apgzZazKLzkvOlMJGpcSBDw/s1600-h/chris+slide+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHM1rG0N0ikUzHRHIZqq6qGjxPPIAoM4JSXc1kvwT2tYtz_TQSwr8IyQ-u2kh9P-OI_2uOR3zvSb-nSRM9lE6ZRuNrHW4GmywXafunT2S6GLSP8-Xwusk9apgzZazKLzkvOlMJGpcSBDw/s400/chris+slide+c.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=8900532&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=8900532&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br />
</div><a href="http://vimeo.com/8900532">L-berg Jan. 16, 2010</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2581155">Preston Few</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-47174378077636413462010-01-08T14:05:00.000-08:002010-01-08T23:44:57.544-08:00Stay safe out there kids!!!Jan. 3, 2009<br />
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Fun snow, kinda sketchy snowpack. Gotta be on your A-game till you're back at the car.<br />
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<object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=8620385&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=8620385&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/8620385">Stay safe out there kids!</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2581155">Preston Few</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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Some frame grabs:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTiVGmbGbisnY6DyFLJ4B3riP3EMCkE6ci_bClYqm_m4zCHNROLIeqAf6h_1aQjRZbPNmY2gzLiFZC47e_gPA2t66CbB161GfHH1fnR39dfp8F8vlpjSe6U6L2dCrd_6izITzfaNOuXt0/s1600-h/graba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTiVGmbGbisnY6DyFLJ4B3riP3EMCkE6ci_bClYqm_m4zCHNROLIeqAf6h_1aQjRZbPNmY2gzLiFZC47e_gPA2t66CbB161GfHH1fnR39dfp8F8vlpjSe6U6L2dCrd_6izITzfaNOuXt0/s640/graba.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwomvCOWbhHavRpAVSIVJaUzvg7dj9G1aPL7pLarfUA83qVaH2bfn0nCKIgsU4GNiDgzd8jKmUq2Qzi-CCJ4XmvVJ-tC-0gtw8osvyc_7kGzytUcY-r4Uqc8exhyb1Jd0typGCpjifFg/s1600-h/grab4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwomvCOWbhHavRpAVSIVJaUzvg7dj9G1aPL7pLarfUA83qVaH2bfn0nCKIgsU4GNiDgzd8jKmUq2Qzi-CCJ4XmvVJ-tC-0gtw8osvyc_7kGzytUcY-r4Uqc8exhyb1Jd0typGCpjifFg/s640/grab4.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div>Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-45850076798435635002010-01-01T17:33:00.000-08:002010-01-01T17:33:14.874-08:00Lake Valhalla, Dec. 30, 2009Awesome terrain, challenging snow. Some new fluff on top of a very firm crust made for some difficult riding and a few crashes. Where there was new snow, it wasn't bonded to the crust at all and it would just sluff off. It wasn't really that bad, but I woke up with a sore throat and as the day went on I could feel myself getting sicker by the minute. Our last run down to the valley bottom, a nice 1400 ft shot, was actually on decent snow that had accumulated during the day, but by this point I could only link about 4 turns in a row. On the skin back out the creek, I had to resist the urge to lay down in the snow and take a nap. Had some hot coco at a friends cabin, drove home, and passed out for 14 straight hours.<br />
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The video makes it look good, so maybe I'm exaggerating a bit...I guess I just prefer to only ride snow that's bottomless. That's what happens; the more you do it, the more everything else sucks!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Z-bo finishing our first climb.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYyFAyqSwj5ecLIMQpC4hlchpkZfnrFgzwX8vO1UUiZu0TxSaVTsfDtEcQjJJsj-FDx1MqKOqf2ARgk8qu7r0mNdzslHGPpNaJGBN-XT4aFYI8_ZfA_9odBlhBy6Yi1BPQIe8opHQW4g/s1600-h/IMG_0196_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYyFAyqSwj5ecLIMQpC4hlchpkZfnrFgzwX8vO1UUiZu0TxSaVTsfDtEcQjJJsj-FDx1MqKOqf2ARgk8qu7r0mNdzslHGPpNaJGBN-XT4aFYI8_ZfA_9odBlhBy6Yi1BPQIe8opHQW4g/s400/IMG_0196_2.JPG" /></a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=8489979&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=8489979&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br />
</div><a href="http://vimeo.com/8489979">Lake Valhalla, Dec. 30, 2009</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2581155">Preston Few</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">A frame grab. <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOY3IMH7VBwdqo1oUWCdpIfglP9cUI4e0YiKzzz2nyiHJoBF2NIrCad-ff_aW_o6Ih-XEttEAOAr5-m6n7HQFZzPAOM9UK3OZ9KR9zrAp_LDdfd14Knqw8A5vocazesh2H8a6QFPclvU/s1600-h/grab3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOY3IMH7VBwdqo1oUWCdpIfglP9cUI4e0YiKzzz2nyiHJoBF2NIrCad-ff_aW_o6Ih-XEttEAOAr5-m6n7HQFZzPAOM9UK3OZ9KR9zrAp_LDdfd14Knqw8A5vocazesh2H8a6QFPclvU/s400/grab3.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-11477099426842749672009-12-28T18:23:00.000-08:002009-12-28T18:38:44.923-08:00Mount Anne, Dec. 26, 2009<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvhZTBiZB4iRJDCN5z8WXB8lEzGgg37XwyokNMumvzjKYKrkkPElj11-sCwW74hnszvX_M6iWFPVENtEfSJ940eohyphenhyphenYha4D2m616zbwUZhoV2Hg88hRRwVO63L4M_2pBhK-xfCkWIDaA/s1600-h/grab2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvhZTBiZB4iRJDCN5z8WXB8lEzGgg37XwyokNMumvzjKYKrkkPElj11-sCwW74hnszvX_M6iWFPVENtEfSJ940eohyphenhyphenYha4D2m616zbwUZhoV2Hg88hRRwVO63L4M_2pBhK-xfCkWIDaA/s400/grab2.jpg" /></a><br />
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I'm really stoked on this day. This is an incredible view tour, the Baker blues did not disappoint, and the terrain is BIG and rowdy. Since the snowpack has yet to reach "fat" status, the long approach and exit were a little gnarly with lots of creek crossings and ups and downs, but we all survived, although there were a few tense moments with exposure over big drops into waterfalls. The north facing cirque has endless line options, although on this day we were a little limited since most of the lines were guarded by crowns or debris. That being said, it was still an absolutely incredible day.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Sunrise<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavrxWiRIe7joTEBMpiJ9IhLQcOoKzop4FCTAX521DPj06mCju18uz5O-PrUBlUw44U7nFIt0hFlxBoiuEZggiZARYoKi8wIqJQkWVE_tuzqlM_M9s4iTbC1v-UvZWroe6lhL3SLagTik/s1600-h/IMG_0146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavrxWiRIe7joTEBMpiJ9IhLQcOoKzop4FCTAX521DPj06mCju18uz5O-PrUBlUw44U7nFIt0hFlxBoiuEZggiZARYoKi8wIqJQkWVE_tuzqlM_M9s4iTbC1v-UvZWroe6lhL3SLagTik/s400/IMG_0146.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Where we're headed <br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6bTihtoTJ7LeKmo_spiMsUbkBM5mEv6bmb4OENWdY-PD5tnsXgX6hD_sfcNVNQV2utFQafiv5yyYP6XbYWX_3nWdrn-vc3A-OUtl9oh58aOmPqsCnYJdAwSM9N5Cz9zd-SC1kn9BH9c0/s1600-h/IMG_0152_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6bTihtoTJ7LeKmo_spiMsUbkBM5mEv6bmb4OENWdY-PD5tnsXgX6hD_sfcNVNQV2utFQafiv5yyYP6XbYWX_3nWdrn-vc3A-OUtl9oh58aOmPqsCnYJdAwSM9N5Cz9zd-SC1kn9BH9c0/s400/IMG_0152_1.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Crowns on almost all of the convex rollers.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBuTSlsiJQYJRnrVSpuUVFIL5Zq-W_yf-vwdTyYX3d_aPjPMM_cZHmC8p0hEHv7ZnToLQwX10Fr5oJlTLYN0bGx1OwY3Une-sMTb3RkSHSt25nO_wm1M9oy2sctCRLi_Ude8KhFaShm8/s1600-h/IMG_0164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBuTSlsiJQYJRnrVSpuUVFIL5Zq-W_yf-vwdTyYX3d_aPjPMM_cZHmC8p0hEHv7ZnToLQwX10Fr5oJlTLYN0bGx1OwY3Une-sMTb3RkSHSt25nO_wm1M9oy2sctCRLi_Ude8KhFaShm8/s400/IMG_0164.jpg" /></a><br />
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Debris filled the valley<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EcN9AAT62h3Qp4FfE8dxr8n9eEgO4HrmGHL9e4czf-_aDaCjv9_L-YkH86HyOdEg5MoRhHEbIHmslXa7l061ccysX2Fr7XEdElmMUogBv1xSpnJI94XtPQ5yTPsrit9hv7kzogGDTpY/s1600-h/IMG_0171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_EcN9AAT62h3Qp4FfE8dxr8n9eEgO4HrmGHL9e4czf-_aDaCjv9_L-YkH86HyOdEg5MoRhHEbIHmslXa7l061ccysX2Fr7XEdElmMUogBv1xSpnJI94XtPQ5yTPsrit9hv7kzogGDTpY/s400/IMG_0171.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Oh yea. I don't think that the sun touches these slopes from Nov. to March.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BajXlCi7pCKWPBoJ0rFUz41ba620XWh5pe1vzb3qfqWOI6rkmGdGlX7o_eVc9uaeDdeiA_Bi9tlCOB50xHMyrNQTwhQbP3RdE7E3e-13HO8eE8Ea4Ht81UB-bZqC0PgjFa20gLdLU5o/s1600-h/IMG_0165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BajXlCi7pCKWPBoJ0rFUz41ba620XWh5pe1vzb3qfqWOI6rkmGdGlX7o_eVc9uaeDdeiA_Bi9tlCOB50xHMyrNQTwhQbP3RdE7E3e-13HO8eE8Ea4Ht81UB-bZqC0PgjFa20gLdLU5o/s400/IMG_0165.jpg" /><br />
</a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Mount Baker<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4bzzZUIZCYk7HZrwyQduB4zeK1Ck-F-i98zp1aA3Mmi9xA85J8VgKFnUkE6Da7b_qHHJ-4SqR59eP-PzPT41BtYKiUUHC79HPFNIfVnrPmj9hldUNX7rvUG0R4aAphEhhtk1wVNX22I/s1600-h/IMG_0161_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4bzzZUIZCYk7HZrwyQduB4zeK1Ck-F-i98zp1aA3Mmi9xA85J8VgKFnUkE6Da7b_qHHJ-4SqR59eP-PzPT41BtYKiUUHC79HPFNIfVnrPmj9hldUNX7rvUG0R4aAphEhhtk1wVNX22I/s400/IMG_0161_1.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sunset on Shuksan... <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1iQArS8ubrdCSkpjq4Hb7ngeASy7Vk-89JvwaK5kP4q2hwS9DQlEO-EMDkvz11dJXBoVN2XNEeJoy6t8BDdGylrl9p6NyKeRTYVr1wQm9OOo8A_LUe7p53_M6Sq4qVODR74tRmiHcHUY/s1600-h/IMG_0182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1iQArS8ubrdCSkpjq4Hb7ngeASy7Vk-89JvwaK5kP4q2hwS9DQlEO-EMDkvz11dJXBoVN2XNEeJoy6t8BDdGylrl9p6NyKeRTYVr1wQm9OOo8A_LUe7p53_M6Sq4qVODR74tRmiHcHUY/s400/IMG_0182.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">...and the boarder peaks.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHzY-HSLvKBC9vk5qmHKmIEyR9u6s3gAWxQzhM_DIU0dfPi6TU05AlJBa3fMhqZYS6v-d86OwM48kjKgWNWm01SU7rJdFRQbRCgOYWxv4aP31t8ATeFwUoFO9gnwO8uq7X98geh4xfXs/s1600-h/IMG_0191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHzY-HSLvKBC9vk5qmHKmIEyR9u6s3gAWxQzhM_DIU0dfPi6TU05AlJBa3fMhqZYS6v-d86OwM48kjKgWNWm01SU7rJdFRQbRCgOYWxv4aP31t8ATeFwUoFO9gnwO8uq7X98geh4xfXs/s400/IMG_0191.jpg" /></a><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">The ride down went smoothly and the conditions were good and stable. A little firm underneath and some debris and crust to avoid, but safe and fun...really, really fun.<br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=8422447&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=8422447&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/8422447">Mount Baker BC 12.26.09</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2581155">Preston Few</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
</div>Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-45008884632013670132009-12-28T13:17:00.000-08:002009-12-28T17:28:01.109-08:00Crystal Mountain Tours, Dec. 23 & 24, 2009On Dec. 23, Eric and I decided to tour around the Crystal Mountain, WA backcountry. The runs trend toward the wide-open bowl variety, which is a nice change of pace from the chutes that I prefer. Crystal's terrain, for the most part, is short and sweet, and on this day I think we did 5 runs total. That's a lot of transitioning between skinning and riding...<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Our first run down the south-facing backside of the King was surprisingly good. A little sun affected, but creamy. <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVK4ObWDVBe_AJOApeOTTSJrJDz-YgCabrpVkCGbfnhvLSYWruO9NMkMZCLBIClJxHr3xJplY5iHs3p6XD75PY272EFpNEkM1ajTnylbVFLi_ZnNn9J_gk24jfJUBUtAn5YoxhCZKKxnI/s1600-h/IMG_0127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVK4ObWDVBe_AJOApeOTTSJrJDz-YgCabrpVkCGbfnhvLSYWruO9NMkMZCLBIClJxHr3xJplY5iHs3p6XD75PY272EFpNEkM1ajTnylbVFLi_ZnNn9J_gk24jfJUBUtAn5YoxhCZKKxnI/s400/IMG_0127.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
We headed through a notch on the other side of the little valley where the wind was absolutely ripping, making transitioning a pain. Another group with ideas similar to our own arrived a couple of minutes after us, but there was plenty of room for everyone. The top of the slope was a little slabby from all the wind, but it rode really nicely.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Tracked <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNFGRFTG7inucFFyY2-BAQWYLE-iUgPbwxS2keIoL6DRXRAEeQA-nO3JySDx4WsjpbKc6wjnbiOcZ_JtRfomrp4wbTclRENJ8sbWdGFhzvE1JTW3shETn6l0lXzSX5XBgo_t9Qr2V-YU/s1600-h/IMG_0118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNFGRFTG7inucFFyY2-BAQWYLE-iUgPbwxS2keIoL6DRXRAEeQA-nO3JySDx4WsjpbKc6wjnbiOcZ_JtRfomrp4wbTclRENJ8sbWdGFhzvE1JTW3shETn6l0lXzSX5XBgo_t9Qr2V-YU/s400/IMG_0118.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
We toured up the broad, shady bowl to the southwest, where we found cold snow but lots of wind-affect, and then re-traced our route back out to the parking lot.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxqhNF1ROCo6OwwyIfZU9f-NnMFrPWr2O8s6sNGgHxdp1fsFCm0lEdzzv97MDpEsgtXvglG-UzL3HHLOzugW0Zpdd_g_ySge_9P5wJx3I89_v9n__ekCDr1WHy_2ed5CqF595ehapKVA/s1600-h/IMG_0119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxqhNF1ROCo6OwwyIfZU9f-NnMFrPWr2O8s6sNGgHxdp1fsFCm0lEdzzv97MDpEsgtXvglG-UzL3HHLOzugW0Zpdd_g_ySge_9P5wJx3I89_v9n__ekCDr1WHy_2ed5CqF595ehapKVA/s400/IMG_0119.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Heading back up into the wind and out of the sun before strapping in. <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF56x6h3MwfaEJEluynBxL4vY4JwfDA4glkzhW3gbql9CcyIvg2q8LF0HUtlxwd4X2z1CIqZgSTc-7c-CyiZyi9lWsSO71kdw6_1OQzU8QqEXz0ryDfYviHmrn2scUnpj6uZo-lg0Y9ao/s1600-h/IMG_0114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF56x6h3MwfaEJEluynBxL4vY4JwfDA4glkzhW3gbql9CcyIvg2q8LF0HUtlxwd4X2z1CIqZgSTc-7c-CyiZyi9lWsSO71kdw6_1OQzU8QqEXz0ryDfYviHmrn2scUnpj6uZo-lg0Y9ao/s400/IMG_0114.JPG" /></a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">A lonely place, the way I like it. <br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WWo_k8XGuSuxp411d_nyvR4Ec1WSyr-IkTB5WBHvzYAn5NNUAtK_plEgAHPVKTFLL-bjN5QSspJ1muTmFjCjirebKkfBYd04diSAXD5ee-XGlwd6EeRlvihVXNepjlFDh1Dwm80YgTE/s1600-h/IMG_0123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WWo_k8XGuSuxp411d_nyvR4Ec1WSyr-IkTB5WBHvzYAn5NNUAtK_plEgAHPVKTFLL-bjN5QSspJ1muTmFjCjirebKkfBYd04diSAXD5ee-XGlwd6EeRlvihVXNepjlFDh1Dwm80YgTE/s400/IMG_0123.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Rainer with a crazy cloud hat<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Bm6nbxecZwcnaXZPSkmMHaWOntYdSlxr4faI4dlGFgvi4HsNX7wtIie86eUeTZUiXtUq7ZFsw2aN4Zghxjw65Uqiiw9xwDh5ASw5gm7dWa9e_USCFdSEosTENSsz7K3-Fus3jhH6C_k/s1600-h/IMG_0138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Bm6nbxecZwcnaXZPSkmMHaWOntYdSlxr4faI4dlGFgvi4HsNX7wtIie86eUeTZUiXtUq7ZFsw2aN4Zghxjw65Uqiiw9xwDh5ASw5gm7dWa9e_USCFdSEosTENSsz7K3-Fus3jhH6C_k/s400/IMG_0138.JPG" /></a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Getting motivated for the last climb of the day.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoS46WEr3fQ-rM3pcN3AAPrk-ureuMJkJZhyWGE_TfsT3ON6nFACrJfm1qX5stfcsZA6hzoaktMqEVlzLUYendvAMl4zWyXD1mBby3e47SXiZp7cmITL7tBSKT9XXmBWQ7clrYyJnnzuw/s1600-h/IMG_0139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoS46WEr3fQ-rM3pcN3AAPrk-ureuMJkJZhyWGE_TfsT3ON6nFACrJfm1qX5stfcsZA6hzoaktMqEVlzLUYendvAMl4zWyXD1mBby3e47SXiZp7cmITL7tBSKT9XXmBWQ7clrYyJnnzuw/s400/IMG_0139.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Given the lack of recent significant snow and a rain crust, I'd say we found the goods.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">The next day, we headed up from Lot C and had a discouraging skin up East Peak. The steep trees required ski-cramponing, which sapped a lot of our motivation for getting a lot of riding in. We spent a little while kicking cornices, and as we got bolder, managed to knock some refrigerator-sized ones down towards Cement Creek. This was probably the funnest part of the day.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">We did a quick lap down the backside, and then took the "adventurous" route back to the parking lot, which required an epic bushwack at the bottom. Mostly dust on crust this day, but as usual, good times...<br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Here's a short video of some of the riding we did over the two days:<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=8426204&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=8426204&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/8426204">Dec. 23 & 24, 2009 sourdough, etc</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2581155">Preston Few</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
</div></div>Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-50411560164213486062009-12-14T09:46:00.000-08:002009-12-17T09:07:31.419-08:00Kendall Peak, SW Bowl, Dec. 12, 2009<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">More low tide adventure riding in the Cascades. Snoqualmie Pass has so much rad terrain. It hadn't really snowed in two weeks so we were happy to find decent snow.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Chris skinning up a roll low down in the slide path.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0HZxYpVirYtkkt1DZxxuQcjlaMFtu8dx8WofKqj4Ut8biGDY_WWYoxuK0LHskCoPYyhVqNa7mIzm4BtZiBhY9V5-BkWSOd77pI1VSdA5tYAfpvIFNHm-K_qEJiOEwC6RM_Is7loqGbcI/s1600-h/IMG_3950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0HZxYpVirYtkkt1DZxxuQcjlaMFtu8dx8WofKqj4Ut8biGDY_WWYoxuK0LHskCoPYyhVqNa7mIzm4BtZiBhY9V5-BkWSOd77pI1VSdA5tYAfpvIFNHm-K_qEJiOEwC6RM_Is7loqGbcI/s320/IMG_3950.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Alaska, etc.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE7tHJgKTDI4ih363Ni_zPxSrlG68zAk0407QFg-Uid_2q27w3UMzQhz2IFGUcO0BwVFxUKfpM-NteoW1mEgrdsrWdUhKaghZ48n0Oztc5I6gJJP4MxF2gDdh7L9s-iLruB-5LBqqqUw0/s1600-h/IMG_3955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE7tHJgKTDI4ih363Ni_zPxSrlG68zAk0407QFg-Uid_2q27w3UMzQhz2IFGUcO0BwVFxUKfpM-NteoW1mEgrdsrWdUhKaghZ48n0Oztc5I6gJJP4MxF2gDdh7L9s-iLruB-5LBqqqUw0/s320/IMG_3955.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
Making an important phone call.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVnruAvt3vdtAektZqZlkiydQo99btEl0usZ40FiFqPhv4XDKF_Gxhwj0u9FKbvA1geX5UZ2kx7HG1_Is4t8wjyPo7OZyTvIk_0hm40TmIZ3pS6f5jREiEd1jDTBmotlyQqvFVHpCqzsM/s1600-h/IMG_3958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVnruAvt3vdtAektZqZlkiydQo99btEl0usZ40FiFqPhv4XDKF_Gxhwj0u9FKbvA1geX5UZ2kx7HG1_Is4t8wjyPo7OZyTvIk_0hm40TmIZ3pS6f5jREiEd1jDTBmotlyQqvFVHpCqzsM/s320/IMG_3958.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mount Rainer.<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbSN6BTkpESAEVdbqgdaau0xjIoqDFlMnIrL7X_cgUDTRD_vtUHbjvrg_exdp1XnXpSEXo9d5s0F8_UpQkx_EGV4D2kH6K23TseWKzNquDnfxlGg5PucmdEcyl7P6XQeB7nIOTUjhy9o/s1600-h/IMG_3959_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbSN6BTkpESAEVdbqgdaau0xjIoqDFlMnIrL7X_cgUDTRD_vtUHbjvrg_exdp1XnXpSEXo9d5s0F8_UpQkx_EGV4D2kH6K23TseWKzNquDnfxlGg5PucmdEcyl7P6XQeB7nIOTUjhy9o/s320/IMG_3959_1.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/8167895">Kendall Peak, Snoqualmie Pass, WA, Dec. 12, 2009</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2581155">Preston Few</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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One thing that I've realized recently is that I point a lot when I'm riding, and so do my friends. I suppose this is pretty common, but I didn't comprehend the magnitude of the point-fest that typically goes on until I started using this POV camera. Excessive and unconscious pointing, and not just at the top of a line, but during every little conversation and for no reason. And when there is a reason, it usually goes something like this:<br />
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Me: Do you want to go right (point) or left (point)?<br />
Partner: Right (point)...........or left (point).<br />
Me: It looks better right (point).<br />
Partner: Yea (point). But it looks pretty good left (point), too.<br />
Me: OK. Well, which way are you going to go?<br />
Partner: Left (points)...Or right (points). Partner then rides away and goes straight.<br />
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We found a little bit of old powder, recycled powder, and surface hoar in the open, and the proud, big bowls that you see when driving east to the pass rode well. There was a tiny bit of suffering on the approach and exit, but it was totally worth it. It's always nice to be in a basin alone with your friends, under the sunshine and the blue sky and with the surface hoar sparkling, away from the city or the traffic or the...Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-858863077449529359.post-1245805374991058792009-12-07T16:10:00.000-08:002009-12-07T22:12:32.290-08:00Epic early season in the CascadesOne day, the hills are brown and wet, three days later, they're blanketed in deep white powder. The excitement of the first big dump of the year is tough to contain, but in order to avoid breaking board or body, it's a good idea to try to reign it in. The season is still young and there's no reason to push it when rocks, logs, and other lurking dangers are only slightly hidden. Right???<br /><br />On November 7<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> and 8<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span> we made our first tentative powder turns of the year at (the closed) Crystal Mountain, one of the local ski areas. The first day was full on wind and snow for the skin up, giving us a vivid reminder of what it's like to be out in a storm during winter, but thankfully the weather opened up a bit while we took a couple of short runs. Some cracking, wrinkling, and a lack of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">avy</span> gear made these mellow runs a little spicy, but the snow was good and the turns were excellent.<br /><br />The next day, the weather was much better which brought out the ravenous hordes. Since we were there the day before, we bee-lined it to an area that we knew would hold deep snow and also be a little bit removed from the ongoing frenzy. This was an absolutely incredible season opener, one to remember for a long time.<br /><br /><object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7551169&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7551169&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="300" width="400"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/7551169">Season Opener, Nov. 7 & 8, 2009</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2581155">Preston Few</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Vimeo</span></a>.</p><br /><br />The Mount Baker area, as usual, received about twice as much snow as the rest of the Washington Cascades during the storm cycle of early November, so on the 14<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span>, off to the Baker <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">backcountry</span> we went. Since the visibility was -- as it often is in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">PNW</span> -- lacking, we took a couple of runs in the steep north facing terrain under <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Huntoon</span> Point, where trees and gullies could give us a little depth perception.<br /><br />Awesome, classic adventure riding: with 5 feet of unconsolidated snow, the tops of small trees poking up, and waterfalls that were not quite covered, this was definitely a "no fall" type of day. The early season coverage made this zone steeper and more technical than it would be with a fat snow pack, and the snow, which was stable with just a little bit of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">sluffing</span>, rewarded us with a whole lot of time logged in the white room. Yet another day to remember...<br /><br /><object height="300" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7651532&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7651532&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="300" width="400"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/7651532">Baker BC, Nov. 14, 2009</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2581155">Preston Few</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Vimeo</span></a>.</p><br /><br />Recently we've been suffering through some dust on crust, and now we're in the midst of absolutely arctic temps, but we've still had some fun times in the mountains, although we're pretty picky and I'm anxious for the flakes to start flying again.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYmUQBg3f9DY7hH1BosbtHGXqi6c7Zk655MSX4pQ2tz6iE1BOVXAPJg9NDgxhXLG3xBJiRSAx1TiiYS9ixrNbS5wKZ9Ob765g9fFZzxFWKZt3APWaru-xy_s6Yq16ZeTp5C_5Kx4mUydY/s1600-h/IMG_3921.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYmUQBg3f9DY7hH1BosbtHGXqi6c7Zk655MSX4pQ2tz6iE1BOVXAPJg9NDgxhXLG3xBJiRSAx1TiiYS9ixrNbS5wKZ9Ob765g9fFZzxFWKZt3APWaru-xy_s6Yq16ZeTp5C_5Kx4mUydY/s400/IMG_3921.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412675566987851282" border="0" /></a>Some Sinners setting a track.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Xyz3k6pwxNs29lNNQaf7EdrsSRYLb2xMWMHfMglpNepmzJkgOqPKf7sIo-EfExz68VWgaK5_mWUUJ9ZxNV_oAxrD3-nWO0pJXTTElgfd2dN2un5bGwYk7G4TFjDUzSyGh9NnIOzqmhM/s1600-h/IMG_3928.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Xyz3k6pwxNs29lNNQaf7EdrsSRYLb2xMWMHfMglpNepmzJkgOqPKf7sIo-EfExz68VWgaK5_mWUUJ9ZxNV_oAxrD3-nWO0pJXTTElgfd2dN2un5bGwYk7G4TFjDUzSyGh9NnIOzqmhM/s400/IMG_3928.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412676052656057906" border="0" /></a>Looking down a chute in marginal conditions. Dust on crust and avy chunks. Yum. It was still fun.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Prestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11808234286749790977noreply@blogger.com0