Skinned up Source Lake via the Alpental backcountry, similar to what I did with my class a couple weeks ago. Getting up wasn't easy due to the micro-terrain, but I managed.
I skinned up to the right of the downhill track, but to the left of the creek uphill track we took previously, in part because I didn't want to deal with crossing South Fork Snoqualmie River (the snow bridges looked a bit weak to me). I thought it was potentially a bit easier than fording the river was before, but I had to negotiate dealing with serious post holing someone did in the skin track on their way down in boots :(...
Once I got back to Source Lake, I skinned up a little ways and decided to nerd around in the snow. I thought, "eh, avalanche risk wasn't bad... why not?", so I dug a snow pit around 4k'.
What I discovered was an interesting set of weak layers/an interface that (when impacted) resulted in a diffuse sheer pattern. Given that I had done three over the shoulder compression hits, I wasn't super concerned, but also realized that the lower elevation snow wasn't likely representative of higher elevation concerns.
I transitioned and tried riding down, but I kept on eating it in the powder, so I transitioned back to split ski mode and rode out. It was a long trek with some risk, but there was definitely some larger (D2) wet avalanche evidence that I observed on my way out under the Great Scott Basin/Hemlock Peak.
The snow on the way out under the trees sucked. It was an icy, slippery mess.
Comments
Goat Paparazzo on Source Lake - Winter Route
Thanks for the snow analysis! Skin track destruction is rude for sure, though there are some narrow spots in the trees where it would be hard for some heavier snowshoers to avoid the occasional unintended posthole. If they were booting, it might have been to very firm snow when its easier to boot than snowshoe. Or perhaps a skiier had a gear malfunction or injury...
Posted by:
Goat Paparazzo on Feb 01, 2020 05:31 PM
ngie on Source Lake - Winter Route
Very excellent point to note.
This was a weird spot that someone got off-track in the uphill track. I do wonder if someone's ski came off, but that would have been a really super unfortunate area for that to have happened, since it was on a steep, narrow skin track (3' wide between a tree well and a drop off; 20+ degrees). I did see someone booting it out of the uphill track in ski boots out of the basin, but I don't think they made it that far up, i.e., the boot prints weren't constant/I didn't see any deep postholing.
Posted by:
ngie on Feb 01, 2020 07:18 PM