Last Updated: May 7, 2012
   |         |       |       |       |   



***
Use links and shortcuts below or menu above to navigate this site. Recent content updates are viewable in the blog area.

Database:

Query my reports database, selecting from criteria which include peak names, location, climb type, season etc.

Quick Links:

Some essential links I can't do without:


Jump To:

Select from drop-down list below to jump to a specific area on this site.
Search:

Click here if you are interested in searching this site.


All photos and text for sverdina.com are Copyright © 2002-2012. Please ask before using any part of these pages. Terimah Kasih!



    


| Latest Posts |

Add to Google


Monday, April 28, 2008

Snoqualmie Mtn - Slot Coulior re-revisited, Apr. 25

I had some unfinished business to attend to after passing on this line back in February. I dunno, call me crazy, but riding down steep water ice doesn't exactly appeal to me. So come late April, I again found myself staring down the Slot's throat pondering the descent - my third time, in case anyone's counting. Wow, what a difference a 'little' more snow makes. This time the drop-in was positively easy and the powder deep, light and forgiving...is this really April?! No hesitation, no second-guessing; the ride down was a blur of face shots, exhilaration and soul-surfing solitude. Well, that is until I exited onto the apron below the coulior where an audience of four skiers demanded a strong finish. Don't wipe-out now you silly snowboarder! haha! I followed the foursome back out to the saddle above the Phantom and skinned back up for a second run, this time without anyone to share it with. Down again, and back out again. An undeniably popular, but deservedly classic line!

Last bit of skin track to the Slot's entrance. Panorama from near the top of the Slot. View down the throat of Slot.
Skinning back up to the saddle above the Phantom. My work here is done - can you differentiate my tracks (2) from those of the others?

Friday, April 11, 2008

The good, the bad and the ugly...

The good: Agata and I got away with murder at the March 28 Burton demo sale in downtown Seattle. We walked out of there with no less than three *new* boards between us! That weekend both Crystal on Saturday and Alpy on Sunday conveniently ended up being one of the best pow weekends of the season for us. Perfect for running the new gear through its paces. It is amazing the difference even a little taper in the tail makes. Effortless float and no rear-leg burn, damn what have we been doing all these years? Timed the opening of the b/c just right and wallowed in 2 - 3 feet of suprisingly light pow as I cut the first track down from Knoll #1. Dare I say it was almost too deep? Finished-off the day making a few laps out to Piss Pass and dropping our favorite lines in untouched mid-winter perfection, and all this the last weekend in March!

The bad and ugly: Bo and I waffled about on scheduling our trip to Rogers Pass, and finally settled on leaving town April 12, and spending a couple nights up at the Asulkan Hut and touring around the area for most of that week. Alas, we made a last-minute decision to call the trip off thanks to the significant warming forecast for the weekend we were scheduled to leave Seattle. With an avalanche forecast expected to go to HIGH for the next several days and accompanied by pass closures for avy control, I saw little justification in making the pilgrimage and needlessly burning precious vacation time. Never fear, Bo...we'll make it happen next year!

Redemption: In lieu of Rogers Pass, Agata and I made a couple more Whistler trips for a final serving of lift-served pow, crud and slush. Did a small detour to check out the new nordic area in the Callaghan Valley outside Whistler on our way there (April 5 - 7), and returned again for the final weekend of Telus ski/board festival (April 19 - 20). Dust-on-crust conditions forced Ed and I to venture into Blackcomb's backcountry in search of pow - which we found in abundance in Corona Bowl and beneath the East Col!

The quiver (left-to-right: T6, Supermodel, Cascade, Cascade, Malolo and Feelgood ES). New ski jumps for 2010 Olympics in Callaghan Valley. Ed gives thumbs up at top of Corona Bowl (camera-phone photo).
Ed boots up to Blackcomb's East Col (camera-phone photo). Overlooking Spearhead Glacier towards Mts. Tremor/Shudder (camera-phone photo). De La Soul plays Telus under a full moon (camera-phone photo).
Skier goes inverted in the pipe. Big air in the Blackcomb pipe. Earlier photo of Dan VonBesser (R.I.P.) pointing towards Corona Bowl with Agata crouching.  We'll miss you Dano!

*Master list of trip reports and photos here: climbing or snowboarding.

*To search this site, enter criteria in the text box below.
©2012 sverdina.com |       RSS feed