Powder skiing in Tucks?

[Cat in January]

Ok, I know to check the avi conditions online (I have taken the avi 1 and 2 courses). I was just wondering if anyone has skiied powder up in tucks and what the conditions were like that led up to that being a "safe" experience. I am thinking the most likely scenario is when the whole snow pack has stabalized in the Spring and then there is a dump on top of that. Again I would chekc the avi warings, but just shooting the breeze on another warm December afternoon.

[PWDR8S]

I've had the pleasure of POWPOW skiing in the bowl quite a few times...usually boot to knee deep. My method is to keep track of conditions regularly throughout the snow season noting freeze thaw cycles and snowfall amounts... the rangers have this info and stats can be found in Pinkham Lodge. The rangers have the better location specific beta you need. Some seaons had such consistancy that the slides were fairly predictable (mainly slough slides) and no slabs. :D

I've kept track and assessed go days in conjunction with what the rangers advise. That'll determine how far up or where in the ravine you'll want to slide safely(within reason). The deepest I've had the luck was a late Feb jaunt up there after a bitter cold spell and windy prevailing NW winds that kept dumping fluffy into the bowl. It was about waist deep... snowshoes were a must because you couldn't get far and I didn''t have skins then... To think about it, I don''t think you would've made it too far skinnin'. I could only get up to Chicken rock and did 3 laps max before fatigue set in. I remember the wind was still roaring above and the higher I went, the thinner the new snow but MAN o MAN, that wind bites through clothing! On the final descent, what a joyride all the way back to the car!

So yes, it can be had with the appropriate due diligence and luck(snow depth and weather wise). (edit) AND definitely STAMINA! :D

BELIEVE!

[Cat in January]

Hey thanks for the info. I would love to ski tucks with some freshies :)

[PWDR8S]

Hey thanks for the info. I would love to ski tucks with some freshies :)

Whenever I've gone and got the 'deep' freshies, there were at the most, about 9 to 12 people doing the same. Usually it's too cold for most to attempt it. It's like having the bowl to yourself and your closest friends.

[Justin]

only on the little headwall. As unfortunate as it may be, EVERY time i've been on washington durring/after snowfall, this risk has always outweighed the reward. TO (over) simplify things, anything over moderate is a no go for me...

[RR]

Had a pow-pow summit run in Feb '68....crashed due to too much air off the icefall/lip area. Landed in boot high to knee high pow. it didn't slide but I sure did...full yardsale in the process of immitating an eggbeater. Injured my pride a bit, but un-hurt....Freshies all the way to pinks.

[Sledhaulingmedic]

Feb of 1991. (Two days.) Just caught it right in terms of new snow and stability. Interestly, the first day was my first day skiing that season. Now that's a way to start the season!

As pointed out, you have to keep a close eye on conditions and reports. Thoses trips were before Al Gore had invented the internet, you we had to call pinkham alot. Heck, that was so long ago, we had to stop and use a pay phone to call in sick!

[RR]

'hauler gets memory road reps...

using a pay phone to call in sick.... :D

[pulverschwein]

only on the little headwall. As unfortunate as it may be, EVERY time i've been on washington durring/after snowfall, this risk has always outweighed the reward. TO (over) simplify things, anything over moderate is a no go for me...
Yep. I've had shin deep on hillman's (which scared the living sh!t out of me), knee deep on lil headwall and (against my better judgment, scaring the sh!t out of me again), in GOS. I steer clear of the bowl in da fresh.

Most of my pow follies have been carefree, incredible runs in the trees coming down Sherbie or GOS trail. I've been on the rockpile on three separate occasions (that I know of) when there have been avy fatalities, including an incredible day in February around 5 years ago when I was lapping GOS ski trail and adjacent trees in 18" of fluff and discussing the high danger with snow ranger Kai when two guys I skinned up with on my first run got taken out by a natural release in GOS. I warned them about the high rating and told them we'd have a blast in the trees all day, but they thought it was okay. Can't describe the horrible feeling when we found them after searching for an hour.

Some folks might call me chickensh!t or conservative, but I have a blast in safer areas when the conditions are at all questionable. Just my .02.

[Affix Snow]

All this talk about pow...i think im gonna cry.:cry:

[2plankerider]

All this talk about pow...i think im gonna cry.:cry:

all this viewing of your signature... i think i want to see her fully nekkid;)

[clg898]

all this viewing of your signature... i think i want to see her fully nekkid;)

It's hypnotic

[Affix Snow]

all this viewing of your signature... i think i want to see her fully nekkid;)

You must have special privelages for THAT. :p

[2plankerider]

You must have special privelages for THAT. :p

somehow toni matt club ain't gonna cut it, is it?:eek:

[davidhowland14]

i actually noticed that there are two different loops going on in that image. It cycles from two different starting points, which took a while to detect.

[PWDR8S]

Hey... is that the intern? :eek: NICE! :D

[M@]

This is getting out of hand.

M@

[Affix Snow]

This is getting out of hand.

M@

Your MOMs getting out of hand.....

[adh24]

Your MOMs getting out of hand.....

As much as I love the signature, steering this back to skiing pow at tux. What about the upper snow fields? Are they susceptible to slides??? If they aren't is there a safe route up there when the bowl is at high risk?

[2plankerider]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but it was totally worth it:eek:

thnks Affix

:D

an NO, i've never powed TUX.....always CORN or Crusty

[JBHeadParrot]

Your MOMs getting out of hand.....

Your Mom is like a door nob, everyone has given her a turn...

[Cat in January]

I've been on the rockpile on three separate occasions (that I know of) when there have been avy fatalities, including an incredible day in February around 5 years ago when I was lapping GOS ski trail and adjacent trees in 18" of fluff and discussing the high danger with snow ranger Kai when two guys I skinned up with on my first run got taken out by a natural release in GOS. I warned them about the high rating and told them we'd have a blast in the trees all day, but they thought it was okay. Can't describe the horrible feeling when we found them after searching for an hour.

Some folks might call me chickensh!t or conservative, but I have a blast in safer areas when the conditions are at all questionable. Just my .02.


I took my second avi course about 5 years ago and an incident very similar (maybe the same one you witnessed) was presented to us. It had happened ealier that year. A man and woman from outside Augusta, Maine had started a slide and the guy was buried head down and was reached too late. That fatalility hit pretty hard as I was preparing for my second avi course and there were similarities in age, experience and profession-he was a teacher. The avy courses certainly scared the S^*# out of me-good skiing angles are good sliding angles, we cause most of the slides, and you really never have all of the information on a particular slope so risk is always present.
I have only skied tucks in the Spring. There are places out west somewhat similar to tucks I have skied pow-pow, but they were controlled. I would love to hit some places in tucks with nice fresh snow, but I don't know how often the risk becomes low enough for me to venture out.

[surf88]

Toni Matts run was in Pow, wasn't it?

[surf88]

Toni Matts run was in Pow, wasn't it?
But the day of the 1939 American Inferno, the third and last top-to-bottom race on the mountain, dawned sunny and relatively calm. Snow conditions were ideal, with plenty of firm, packed powder and corn snow covering the mountain. So after weeks of planning, Matt and 41 other racers hiked to the summit and huddled around a cantankerous wood stove in the tiny observatory, awaiting the start.


:doh: mybad But I do recall seeing some old Inferno pics in pow.

[172Recon]

Hit powder in GOS once or twice. Hit it more than a handfull of times off the Chin on Mansfield. The Bruce Trail was probably one of my best moments in 2003 for freshies.

[yuckster]

As much as I love the signature, steering this back to skiing pow at tux. What about the upper snow fields? Are they susceptible to slides??? If they aren't is there a safe route up there when the bowl is at high risk?

They do slide on rare occasions but are generally safe especially if you pick a good line. Access them via lion's head trail if you're at all worried about the bowl--they can be a good place to get safe powder.

[Cat in January]

They do slide on rare occasions but are generally safe especially if you pick a good line. Access them via lion's head trail if you're at all worried about the bowl--they can be a good place to get safe powder.

OK, that makes sense as the angle up on the snow fields seems like what 20 degrees on average. Yuckster (or anyone else chime in) what is your prefered descent after the snowfields?
Cat

[yuckster]

OK, that makes sense as the angle up on the snow fields seems like what 20 degrees on average. Yuckster (or anyone else chime in) what is your prefered descent after the snowfields?
Cat

Some spots maybe steeper than 20... but generally if it does slide up there I'm not too worried about an actual burial being the result. But don't take my word for it: use your judgement, respect the mountain and she will reward you with many years of FUN...

As for the descent: depends on conditions. Anything from Right Gully to the Lip is pretty close to the snowfields and accessible without a lot of traversing, but you could go anywhere really. If avy danger in the bowl is too high, then hike back down Lion Head or consider the Auto Road. The road is definitely doable but keep in mind that the auto road is a 10 mile descent which could turn into a nightmare in the wrong sort of conditions.

[davidhowland14]

plus, skiing for 7+ miles can be really tiring

[yuckster]

plus, skiing for 7+ miles can be really tiring

The one time I did the auto road descent was in somewhat inclement weather. In hindsight, maybe that wasn't so smart. If there hadn't turned out to be sufficient snow cover on the road (actually ice cover in our case) you could end up hiking a few miles down to the more sheltered portions of the road, which starts around 4000 feet / 4 miles.

Things get really wind scoured, up there. We were literally ice skating down the road and trying to stay on the ice and off the patches of exposed road surface. Until about the 5000 foot mark. Dealing with that much ice and wind can be tiring, yes. After it starts holding snow down at lower elevations, it becomes more fun.

[notjustanotherboarder]

Three times, all in Jan-Feb:

Once it was to foggy to see where I was going;
Once I was alone. SO, I did not hike very high up;
and this one:


http://www.west-point.org/users/usma1985/649360/CIMG0702b.jpg