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No Snow? Go Surfing.
All of us backcountry skiers in Washington are waiting patiently for the snow to fall. In the meantime there are other adventures we can partake in. Unlike a large portion of my friends who are enjoying epic whitewater paddling at the moment, my wife and I took advantage of the abnormally warm and sunny weekend and went south…for some Oregon surfing.
No snow? Oh well. After catching one or two, and then subsequently being pounded by some big, cold waves on the Oregon coast, I opted for the camera.
Click the photo below for more Oregon pictures
Backcountry Skiing Photo Of The Day: Paradise
I don’t think you can find a single backcountry skier in Washington State who hasn’t anxiously awaited their day on the Muir snowfield of Mt Rainier. From novice ski tourers to experienced mountaineers, Mt Rainier is a skiers playground.
The below photograph was shot after a day of touring, looking down at the Paradise Inn, and a visitor center that will be taken down shortly. Believe it not, this image was actually shot almost exactly three years ago. Hmm…looks like we’re going to have to wait a while for that kind of coverage!
CLICK HERE to download a high res copy of this photograph for only $1.99
Paradise Inn, Mt Rainier National Park
The Real Deal: Backcountry Skiing Avalanche Video
A Dozen More Turns is a reminder that anything can happen to anyone while backcountry skiing.
Sunshine? Not Here in the NW
It’s raining. Yup, it’s that time of the year. Actually, this time two years ago was when the NW received copious amounts of rain. Just check out some of these photos from Mt Rainier – http://mountrainierclimbing.blogspot.com/2006/11/mt-rainier-storm-flood-damage-photos.html. Believe it or not, there are sections of the park that are just now opening from that storm.
But that was the past, we’re more concerned about the now. It’s raining again, buckets. Ok, not as much as ’06 but it’s wet. Sadly, it’s also very warm. Bad. Another Pineapple Express. You ever wonder what exactly a Pineapple Express is? Probably not, unless you live in the Pacific NW, because for us, it means really crappy backcountry skiing. Well, according to Wikipedia:
Pineapple Express (also known as Pineapple Connection) is a non-technical, shorthand term popular in the news media for a meteorological phenomenon which is characterized by a strong and persistent flow of atmospheric moisture and associated heavy rainfall from the waters adjacent to the Hawaiian Islands and extending to any location along the Pacific coast of North America. The Pineapple Express is driven by a strong, southern branch of the Polar jetstream and is usually marked by the presence of a surface frontal boundary which is typically either slow or stationary, with waves of low pressure traveling along its axis. Each of these low pressure systems brings enhanced rainfall.
But enough about that. It’s during moments like these where we have to pause and think about the good old times.
Enjoying The View Just Below the Summit of Broken Top, Oregon Cascades
Need some winter inspiration? More backcountry skiing photos
Backcountry Ski Photos: Fairy Meadows, BC
In the winter of ’05 a group of us took a chopper deep into the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia. For a week we reveled in the backcountry ski terrain that surrounded us and the Fairy Meadows hut, mostly inspired, often intimidated. Temperatures were utterly freezing (at one point hitting -32 degrees!) and while we enjoyed deep powder in the trees, the alpine terrain was a bit intimidating and, over the course of the trip, quite avalanche prone. Regardless it was one of those unforgettable backcountry ski trips.
I highly recommend anyone with a sense of adventure and passion for backcountry ski touring, visit the Alpine Club of Canada website and put in your application for this very hard to get hut.
The Real Backcountry: Polebridge, MT
You probably never knew there was such a thing as extreme cross country skiing, did you? Me neither, and actually I wouldn’t argue this is extreme per se. Instead I would have termed our little ski adventure to the tiny outpost of Polebridge, Montana, last winter as more backcountry cross country skiing. No groomed trails here.
For those who don’t know, Polebridge lies just outside Glacier National Park, up a windy, rutted dirt road about a hour north from Whitefish. It’s a very cool place, with one little mercantile and a kick-ass pizza joint. This is a place where dog sledding is in and all cabins are self-contained, or “off the grid”. In the winter it’s simply a beautiful place to be, with the peaks of Glacier National Park providing a dramatic backdrop to an already inspiring landscape. Little did we know the snow-covered ice forming along the North Fork of the Flathead river would offer ideal cross country skiing conditions.
Living in Whitefish last winter, my wife and I had plenty of time to cross country ski; she as part of her training for the US Telemark Ski Team, myself simply because I enjoyed it. But this time around, we joined some friends for a couple days in Polebridge, skate skis in hand. We had no idea the conditions, and terrain, would be utterly perfect for some backcountry skiing.
CLICK HERE to view more cross country and backcountry skiing photos
Don’t Die In The Backcountry
Next Saturday, Nov 8, is the Northwest Snow & Avalanche Snow Summit here in Seattle. The full-day event is filled with talks and stories about avalanche awareness, ski touring in the Cascades, and such topics as “Decision Making in High-Risk Environments”. Martin Volken from Pro Guiding Service is just one of the speakers, so the caliber of talks is pretty high.
Following the summit is the Friends of NWAC’s annual Snowbash fundraiser at the Tractor Tavern.
You can buy tickets online for both:
- Avi Summit – http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/44301
- Snowbash fundraiser – http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/47281
Avalanche awareness is becoming more and more important as skiers head out in the “slackcountry” in droves. Don’t wait; be proactive and get some avalanche practice.
Descending Mt Stuart
Winter Is Coming…Are You Ready?
Winter is coming. What proof do I have? Very little actually, except that many of us are talking about trying to fit in one last mountain bike ride before the snow starts falling. Which led me to looking back on some photographs I took last fall right about this time. We took a trip over to Mazama, rented a cabin for a couple days and took the mountain bikes out for a very cool spin up the Mazama River Trail. On the way back over the North Cascades Highway, we encountered the first signs of winter.
North Cascades Highway
The fading color of the larch trees, the jagged peaks of the North Cascades, all coated in snow. Winter is a com’eth.
Snow of course means skiing. Skiing means ski touring. Backcountry skiing can often lead to avalanches. It’s all time we took a moment to look at the avalanche rating scale. Click the image for a larger view
Avalanche Danger Scale
What is backcountry skiing?
If you believe everything you read on the internet, than Wikipedia is the bible. According to them, backcountry skiing is defined as:
Backcountry skiing is skiing in a sparsely inhabited rural region over ungroomed and unmarked slopes or pistes. More importantly, the land and the snow pack are not monitored, patrolled, or maintained. Fixed mechanical means of ascent such as ski lifts are typically not present.
My personal opinion? It’s waking up butt-ass early, hopping in the car for a long drive with triple Americano in hand, booting up, slapping the skins on, and looking up towards the peak of Mt St Helens. Soon, 360 degree vistas of the Cascades and Pacific Ocean come into view. Mt Adams looms in the distance. The sun is shining. It’s spring and there’s no other place I’d rather be than on the slopes of an active volcano
