Where to ski next week in WA state?

I've got a week off next week and want to do some BC skiing in Washington
state. Yoyo day skiing, ski/hike in with base camp, a peak, all possible. I
haven't heard much about the snow conditions but the snow pack especially in
the south looks poor on internet resources. Has anyone been in the mountains
lately? Any recommendations as to what's good now, snow conditions, road
conditions?

Say more about what sort of skiing you're looking for and you'll stand
a better chance of getting realistic responses. How steep? How much
vertical footage? How experienced are you? Are you glacier-equipped
and interested? Do you care about having to hike to the snow? Do you
like to see where you're going, or do you routinely ski in whiteout?
Where in Washington do you want to go? Et cetera.

In general, there's more snow here than anywhere else you can think of
(at least, outside of B.C. and Alaska). There are places where you
can ski from your car (Paradise, Chinook Pass, Washington Pass, Mt.
Baker Ski Area, and dozens of logging roads) and places where you
can't. These usenet forums are pretty slow if you're looking for
late-breaking news. Check out www.turns-all-year.com and Burgdorfer's
guidebook for ideas.

Hope that helps.

Mark


(JFCBAS) wrote in message ...
I've got a week off next week and want to do some BC skiing in Washington
state. Yoyo day skiing, ski/hike in with base camp, a peak, all possible. I
haven't heard much about the snow conditions but the snow pack especially in
the south looks poor on internet resources. Has anyone been in the mountains
lately? Any recommendations as to what's good now, snow conditions, road
conditions?

You're right, that first post was too vague.
I don't really want to ski in the rain, and would prefer to avoid whiteouts.
I've got a reasonable list of west of Cascade Crest options. What would be
some crappy weather alternatives east of the crest, within perhaps 3 hours
drive of Seattle? I'm happy to hike a road to the snow, within limits (I'd like
to ski more hours than walk). We won't have an SUV to get there, just a Subaru
wagon, so roads might be a concern. 5,000-6,000 vertical a day is doable.
We're experienced skiers on AT gear, with several years of Selkirk experience.
Steeps are not a problem. We could ski roped up on glaciers, but I think
snowfields sound like more fun. Looking at books, I'm thinking of something
like Mt. Daniel.

I don't ski east of the crest much (depending on how that's defined),
so I'm not a good source of information. When I'm looking for better
weather this time of year, I generally head east on the North Cascades
Highway until the visibility improves to within tolerable limits.
Lots of skiing, up there, from west slopes (Cascade River Road) to
distinctly east side (Silver Star), with everything in between.
Consult Burgdorfer, bring maps, and use your imagination. Note that
the snowpack's getting sparse early this year at low to moderate
elevations.

As far as the I-90 corridor, there are reports of good skiing at
Turns-All-Year.com, including some recent trip reports in the area of
Mt. Daniel. If you haven't checked there, you should. Somewhat less
helpful is CascadeClimbers.com. Try it. There's also the area in Mt.
Rainier's rain shadow, in the neighborhood of Crystal ski resort and
Chinook Pass. I know nothing whatsoever about that area, but it's
within your 3 hour range.

You do know that the Mt. Daniel ski includes a crevassed glacier,
right? Most skiers don't rope up on glaciers here, particularly this
time of year. Glaciers *are* snowfields when covered with 30 feet of
seasonal snowpack. If you're really looking at 5-6k days, you're
looking at skiing glaciers (or a lot of wee little yo-yo runs).
Little 6500 foot peaklets feature genuine glaciers with morraines,
icefalls, nunatuks and the works in my neck of the woods. I'm not
trying to be condescending; just make sure you understand the basics.

One last thought; if you can manage to miss rush hour, there's lots
more skiing in the Coast Range north of Vancouver within 3 hours of
Seattle, particularly if you drive faster than is entirely safe.
Bring passports or be prepared to argue with American customs.

Enjoy.

Mark

(JFCBAS) wrote in message ...
You're right, that first post was too vague.
I don't really want to ski in the rain, and would prefer to avoid whiteouts.
I've got a reasonable list of west of Cascade Crest options. What would be
some crappy weather alternatives east of the crest, within perhaps 3 hours
drive of Seattle? I'm happy to hike a road to the snow, within limits (I'd like
to ski more hours than walk). We won't have an SUV to get there, just a Subaru
wagon, so roads might be a concern. 5,000-6,000 vertical a day is doable.
We're experienced skiers on AT gear, with several years of Selkirk experience.
Steeps are not a problem. We could ski roped up on glaciers, but I think
snowfields sound like more fun. Looking at books, I'm thinking of something
like Mt. Daniel.