West Side Snow Report: Powder alert, call in sick (Unless you work at a ski shop then it is very important you show up)
West Side Snow Report: Powder alert, call in sick (Unless you work at a ski shop then it is very important you show up)
Wed, 01/10/2018
The snow is falling in the Northwest.
After the warm wet front doused the mountains with massive amounts of rain, we are back into a snow cycle with a winter storm warning in effect tonight through tomorrow.
I was lucky enough to have the a great staff at the shop and hooked up with the West Side Powder Crew to go track out Alpental (Scott Wiseman, Sean O'Conner, and this dude named Dave).
There was definitely an ice layer in there, and the back country avalanche danger needs to be taken into account when traveling out of bounds, but in bounds was off the hook!
Several of our lines were un-tracked top to bottom with 6-10 inches of a heavy blanket of snow that covered everything.
The lower the elevation the heavier it got, but hey, its perfect for the Pow Skis we now are riding for days like this and the snowboards.
Alpental Pow Day 1, photo courtesy Scott Wiseman
Alpental Pow Day 2, photo courtesy Scott Wiseman
Alpental Pow Day 3, photo courtesy Scott Wiseman
Crystal Mountain reported 3" overnight last night, it was probably good. They are expecting 10-20 in next 2 days and may have the upper lifts on wind hold, so check if you are running there. Friday could be the goods.
Mt. Baker is in a classic snow cycle, and should be pretty much bottomless by Friday.
Stevens Pass Ski Area will get slammed as well with a dump alert in effect and the storm will reach all the way over the pass for some super light Mission Ridge snow as well.
So you cant go wrong this week/weekend. Get up there. It has been a rough beginning of the year but things will be getting better. I blame the people on Alki who burned the Christmas trees for the warm front that rained out the passes last week. Get a Prius already.
Scott Wiseman getting the goods down Snake Dance
Sean O'connor slaying legitimate waist deep pow
Deep snow in Elevator Shaft Alpental Back Country
Here are links to local ski areas so you can visit their sites for the most up to date info. If you had a great day on the mountain, come by Mountain to Sound Outfitters and let us know how your trip was or feel free to post in the comment section.
Make sure you check the WSDOT Pass Reports for driving conditions.
Comments
Snowboarding is such a cool…
Snowboarding is such a cool sport and seeing people can just do tricks on the snow with them is amazing. All you need is a snowboard and the whole mountain is your playground.
If you need a ride to one of Seattle’s ski areas check out SeattleSkiShuttle.com or StevensPassShuttle.com. Your chariot awaits.