Friday, February 13, 2009

Powerhoused in BCC

After an extended safety break the boys decided to have a closer look
As always the conditions got better on the way up
Powder turns in the top chute
Wavy getting his wiggle on

The Powerhouse couloir in BCC has been skied by the boyz so that the rest of you don't need to suffer the way the four of us did this day. I chose to suffer twice in a week because Stefan and I bushwacked the bottom section of this line only to be turned around when the chute we were booting up ended in a steep wall. When I went back three days later the weather was clear and I saw the ice pitch blocking the passage to the main chute. Liam Obrien found the alternate entracnce bypassing the ice pitch and we had an in. All that was left was two thousand feet of bootpacking. Todd Glew broke trail most of the time, hes fast. The top ridge was sunny and warm finally. The ski descent had all types of conditions in it and hundreds of turns. Not bad for low snow in a chute. A good day to tick a line. The chute up canyon from this one named the Generator looks like a beast to climb and ski. Kid Buffalo

The Cascade Chronicles


Pole Couloir







stefans ski cut at the top of the pole


shreddy livin up to his name



Early start for the Southwest couloir

dog leg # 1


stefan "I refuse to take of my skins" Beattie

Conditions were all right


taking a little air


the walls



The teared rock was fun to play on

Squaw peak rd looking up at the
southwest

Wrapped up the two couloirs on the southwest face of Cascade Ridge a little project that started back at the end of January with a forced retreat with high winds and big sloughs. I went on
january 28th with my friend Joe from Taos the winds were gusting almost to 70 mph on the ridge tops a fresh 30-40 inches was basically shower down on us with no vis in new terrain we turned around, our decision validated by the huge sloughs that had poured in from other forks off the main couloir. Not the day to be up there, but the couloirs looked awesome from what little I could see. I was back the next day january 29th with little to no wind, and bluebird. Got Shreddy and Stefan to come along when the couloirs came into view after skinning up Rock Canyon we noticed a huge couloir lookers left of the couloir I was in the day before, since it didn't have a huge snowfield funnel above it we opted for that one it ran directly into a rock ridge. I believe this couloir is named the Pole Couloir it was sunny and we skinned the whole thing great soft turns on the way down 2800 vert to squaw Peak Rd never steeper than 40 degrees. The walls where huge, and teared like provo canyon and it was wide. I still couldn't get the Southwest couloir out of my mind i wondered if the whole thing went since it isn't visible from any where it had even bigger rock walls and dog legged in a couple different sections. So stefan and I were back on feb 13th early to take another crack at the southwest. It was cool to be able to see in it this time and we skinned the whole thing (not my choice) conditions were well you know deep, once again the walls were the best part beside the face shots this couloir was more narrow and had a lot of turns in it the southwest was a solid 3000 vertical down to the road it didn't get steeper than 40 degrees. Overall the couloirs are wastach classics like none I have skied and aren't in any guide books I thought at first that we could be sneaking in an FD but after skiing them I knew it was to good to be true, and not technical enjoy ski like a boy.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Little Pine East




























you all know this one but the view was a little bit different today, it put the white into white pine

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Bluebird in the AK




I met Tom near Hatcher Patch.  We rallied some nice laps off of the "front" side of Marmot on Saturday.  The AK Squiggle Syndrome (A.S.S.) has reached epidemic proportions, fortunately we have been vaccinated against this horrible affliction.  On Sunday, Kat & Chandra & Anne joined us for the big run off the "back side" of Marmot.  There were very few people out this weekend.  Plenty lines for all.  The people that headed South to Turnagain Pass chose poorly.