May 11
White Pine parking to Box Elder and back
Checking the weather a coupla days ago I discovered that
1. It was gonna warm up for the weekend.
2. After a few days of unsettled weather, Tuesday was gonna be cold and clear.
The Collins remote weather station was stuck, but it showed a temp of 23 degrees at 2 am. The airport was showing 41 at 5 am.
In no hurry, I arrived at White Pine parking shortly after 7. Climbing outta Red Pine took awhile. On the ridge I found the south facing still firm and a great view of one of the favorites.
Been there done that. Couldn't resist another go at it though.
Thought about climbing the Pfeifferrhorn, disuaded by the fact that the southwest face would likely still be firm, I dropped of the shoulder, traversing and climbing Chipman, finding it was softening nicely. Knowing the south east facing had melted out with a nice moat in the lower choke I skied the lower angled south facing.
Coupla thousand+ later, looking back.
I was lower than I wanted to be and it took some up and down traversing and skinning to get to lower Box Elder. Finally on the summit ridge flat stanley and I take a look back.
It was 2 pm by the time I got to the top of the ne face. Pole probing indicated no corning, a skiff of fresh snow over a firm base, with some firm rollers. The upper five hundred vertical was variable, then several thousand feet of corn, worth harvesting.
Still early, I headed back up thinking the northwest face could be soft by the time I got there.
On the summit, I can never resist a picture of Timpanogus.
Not wanting another encounter with the clinkers, I traversed down the ridge a little, till I saw the sun shining directly on the aspect.
It was soft buttah at 5 pm.
Coulda stopped and traversed at the base. I wanted the few extra turns.
Low again, skins on, up, skins off, down, skins on again for the march back to the ridge.
By the time I got there, the full moon was coming up over White Baldy.
Missed the sunset, the snow was freezing up, with railroad tracks forming. Stayed on west facing as much as possible, averting disaster and reaching the parking before dark.
Musta been 12k+. Didn't turn on the fancy watch.