I've only been sledding for 3 years, but I've explored around a fair bit (Pass, Salmon la Sac, Teanaway, etc.). So far, I'd have to say the sickest/sketchiest climb I've seen (and I didn't actually see the climb, only the tracks) was at Blewett, where the groomer road (that starts from the snopark at the pass) crosses the super steep slope about 3/4 of the way up to the top. (Think the locals call it "the landslide" or some such.) Looks like folks were dropping off the groomer and making a bottom turn at the trees (where there's no safe run out if you lose it) and then climbing back up and going way past the road out of sight up the hill. I'm guessing that pitch is around 40 degrees+ for a good part of the way. Mind you, I'm not interested in giving it a go, just wondering where the best shredders get after it. Would like to check out how it's done some time, rather than just seeing the aftermath.
Sickest Climb in WA?
- Thread starter Wapow
- Start date
If you want to see the sickest climbs--head to the BDSO up in Pemberton,BC on April 19th. For a closer exibihition of sick climbing--April 5th up at the Baker shootout---There are a couple sick climbs up there--The AVY chute is one of them--depending on conditions.
Out of Gallagher--chaincase can be interesting--but there are much more technical pulls than that one at Blewitt.
H20SKE...
Out of Gallagher--chaincase can be interesting--but there are much more technical pulls than that one at Blewitt.
H20SKE...
I don't get out much
, but on a drive through Stevens the other day, I dreamed of seeing sleds with crazy men on them pulling all of the chutes on the north side of the road on the front side of the pass. Most likely not legal and if it was, no place to park, but set a sled down at the bottom by helo and there are some nice pulls.
Also, someone should climb the narrow power line hill as you start climbing the last bit of snoqualmie pass. (right where the tunnel comes out)It would be interesting to see it tried.
, but on a drive through Stevens the other day, I dreamed of seeing sleds with crazy men on them pulling all of the chutes on the north side of the road on the front side of the pass. Most likely not legal and if it was, no place to park, but set a sled down at the bottom by helo and there are some nice pulls.Also, someone should climb the narrow power line hill as you start climbing the last bit of snoqualmie pass. (right where the tunnel comes out)It would be interesting to see it tried.
A secret chute called Ball-sack at Frenchy...
A second vote for Chaincase at Gallagher.....1st time I "had" to do it was coming out of Lk. Anne and we were going to drop down it....A group of 5 of us....One was the Kittitas Co. Sheriff Sgt. in charge of S&R.....About 3 of the 5 in the group didn't want to do it, but wanted to blame someone else.
AND, we didn't all have chains to put over our ski's. The Sheriff Sgt. sez he can't be crashing a Dept. sled and doesn't want to. Another points to me and sez: Bob doesn't have a set of chains with him....After about 10 minutes of finger pointing, I said: "It's a long way out the other directction, do what you want, I'll meet you at Fortune Creek. Then, I dropped over the edge and left them all standing there.....There was no way I could stop at the Jeep road, but there is plenty of run-out after that. Of course, then the others HAD to follow.....
Give it a try some time, I know there's steeper hill to climb, but have a had time describing where they are......
I've seen the BD in videos. Definitely mind blowing, but I'm more interested in learning what us mere mortals can do locally on minimally modded sleds. Seeing those turbos going straight up stuff makes me wonder whether it's just big balls and horsepower vs skills. I've ridden Galagher quite a bit and the slots up there are definitely technical (many are beyond my ability for sure). But the thing about that slope at Blewett that struck me is that to ride up it, you have to make a turn at the bottom, which is super steep and terminates in trees. Seems to me that turn could be really tough in and of itself, and then getting started from that spot up such a steep slope would also be hard as well. Not saying you're wrong, just haven't seen anything up at Galagher or Lake Ann that seems as technically challenging. But I'm still just figuring out the place out.
Sorry for being such a noob, but I have two Q's: Where does the Chaincase drop in from, and what kind of chains do you put on your skis for braking? I had a very sketchy experience a couple of years ago coming down from Long's Pass on the Teanaway side. Classic case of climbing something that I shouldn't have (turned out the spring snow that day was good for climbing but not for braking). After that experience, I posted the question of how to deal with that situation on a different forum and the best suggestion I got was to wrap an old belt around one ski in a figure 8 to slow the descent. Sounded like bs to me at the time.
The old belt trick is better than nothing. I have an old belt cut in half, then the ends bolted together to form a loop. Put it over your skis and it helps a lot. They kick around under my pipe until spring crust shows up.
Others make a loop of chain that can be put over the ski's adn do the same thing.
Others make a loop of chain that can be put over the ski's adn do the same thing.
1) Chain-case hill. The bottom is on the left as you take the Jeep trail toward Gallagher. Take a left at the last creek crossing (open area) before you go intothe trees, make a left and start your final climb into Gallagher. When (IF) you get to the top, you can kinda head west and drop down that east shoot into Lk. Ann. If you kinda head more north, you go downhill a bit and be heading for Long's Pass. This hill is a lot steeper on low snow years than on "big snow" years....
2) For Ski brakes, I went to McLendon Hardware and got two sections of linked chain, each about 6 or 8 inches long. I then got two of the quick connector snaps (the kind of chain and snap you used to stake out the cow when you were a kid???) with a connector on each end. Just wrap the chain around your ski in front of the ski mounting point and make a loop with the connector. Cost is under $8.00 and takes up very little room in my seat pouch....Hope this helps...
Are you talking about the big drop by Lion Rock?
I was a baker last weekend and saw a guy climb from the horse barn up to the look out. Very impressive (and crazy if you ask me) and you would never catch me climb that. I'm a wimp.
As for the climb that was refered to at Blewitt. The hill at blewitt doesn't even come close to Baker's horse barn in my opinion. I might try the one at Blewitt (again, I am a wimp) but never in a million years would I try the horse barn.
BigT
As for the climb that was refered to at Blewitt. The hill at blewitt doesn't even come close to Baker's horse barn in my opinion. I might try the one at Blewitt (again, I am a wimp) but never in a million years would I try the horse barn.
BigT
Ride to the summit (crater rim) of Mt St Helens...-around 8200ft elev.- havent done it myself yet but, i have seen tracks, and talked to several people who have done it.
yesterday we went up to 5000' (GPS) but it was getting too dark to go any farther... about 5500' it gets alot steeper, and there is no flat place to stop at the top.
heres a pic of one way up, the marks i saw went up the valley/canyon seen in the pic.
(pic taken from lahar ~4000ft elev.)
yesterday we went up to 5000' (GPS) but it was getting too dark to go any farther... about 5500' it gets alot steeper, and there is no flat place to stop at the top.
heres a pic of one way up, the marks i saw went up the valley/canyon seen in the pic.
(pic taken from lahar ~4000ft elev.)
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A bunch of us did saint helens over to the right by that rock knob in youre pic.There was room on the edge for 5 sleds,its a hoot.But get chains in case of trouble,What goes up will come down.We also put a sled on the summit of baker but came down with chains due to pucker factor
Very helpful thanks! I'm going to make up a pair of those chains.
A bunch of us did saint helens over to the right by that rock knob in youre pic.There was room on the edge for 5 sleds,its a hoot.But get chains in case of trouble,What goes up will come down.We also put a sled on the summit of baker but came down with chains due to pucker factor
Probably a dumb Q, but is it legal to ride to the top of MSH? I've skied it a few times. Definitely a major climb, with not many spots to slow down on the return trip.
I saw a snomo track once all the way up on the Roman Wall on Baker when I was backcountry skiing up there a couple of years ago (above the crater, on the looker's left). Quite a ballsy move IMHO, because the "angle of the dangle" on the way back down from that point shoots you right toward the crevasses. And, it's always seems to be icy/crusty at that altitude, so changing direction could get real "interesting".
On a separate note, I've heard several stories (albeit always from climbers and skiers) of snomos falling into crevasses on Baker. Any of you guys ever had such bad luck?
I saw the same guy ,thats a death drop if you miss
I don't get it. Was he jumping in or out of the bed of the truck?
