The Valley of the Titans is a north facing cirque that is littered with potential lines. wrapping from East to west it usually has favorable conditions if you are willing to do the long approach. Both Scott and I made a plan to set up basecamp so we could make the most out of our time. With one day of sunshine before another front came in we were on a race against time.
Crystal Mountain ski resort
Sheep Lake Camp and Chinook Pass
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Sheep Lake has some great terrain surrounding it with a few different aspects. From Shepard Peak to Chinook Pass there is some great areas that see little traffic. Knowing this I made a plan with my friend Scott to do an overnight trip out there. This would give us the opportunity to explore the area and ski some lines we had looked at for a while. Once we felt that it was time to go we would exit via Chinook Pass.
Sourdough Gap Chutes into Morse Creek
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The Sourdough Gap chutes are in clear view from the summit of the Silver King in the Crystal Mountain Southback. Being just beyond the resort people are always saying how nice of an area they seem to be. Being both north facing and near the top of Morse Creek valley they have the advantage of aspect and wind loading. Knowing both of these things my friend Scott and I made a plan to go check them out.
Morse Creek Ski Touring Outside Crystal
Morse Creek is the area just outside the Crystal Mountain Ski Resort Southback to the South. Separating both Silver Basin and Chinook Pass its a massive area with numerous different zones to ski. Being a east to west drainage its main ski lines are either north or South. The area is most popular for reaching both Sourdough Gap and Crystal Lakes but we worth sticking around. With the ski resort being decently tracking out Ash and I went on a traverse from Chair 6. Our plans were to ride some nice lines and find some good snow in the Morse Creek area.
Corral Pass ski touring Fiasco
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Corral Pass at one time was going to be the main resort of the Central Washington Cascades. The original plan was to build a tram from Highway 410 all the way up to the ski hill. This idea went on for a few years before they found the terrain that would become Crystal Mountain. Being someone who loves history I was interested in what was up there. If it was good enough to become a ski hill then there must have been good skiing.
Pickhandle Point South Face Corn Conditions
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Pickhandle Point on it’s south face is a wide open swath that goes all the way down to Morse Creek. It’s a big line that should only be rode in the most stable of conditions as it’s clear for a reason. Over the years I had been looking at the line waiting for the right day to snowboard it. With no snow new snow within the ski resort we decided to go check it out.
The Stormtrooper in Crystal Mountain Backcountry
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The Stormtrooper is the face just to the east of Dogleg Peak in Silver Basin. Being of a similar aspect it’s a nice north facing bowl that holds snow longer than most places around. With a solid skin track it is a great place to take multiple laps and easily mitigate avalanche exposure. With that in mind Darren, Bryan and I decided to go link it with the west face of Pickhandle Peak. It was our hopes that is was the last of the untracked slopes near Crystal Mountain.
Pickhandle Point February 2007
It had been nuking snow for the past few days so Bryan and myself (Kyle) decided to get a early start on the day. We started around 4 a.m. and made it to the ridge for sunrise. The weather was brutally cold so we made a few laps and were back at the resort by 2p.m.
Crystal Lakes Basin and 3 Way Peak
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Crystal Lakes Basin is the terrain just west of the Crystal Mountain Ski resort Southback. With its east ridge bordering the Silver King it is withing Mount Rainier National Park. With numerous small cirques it has lines on almost every aspect. As the name suggests the area has two alpine lakes and more then 5 separate peaks to chose from. Wanting to take advantage of a sunny day my friends which are both named Chris and I used the lifts to make our way out there.
Big Crow Basin and Norse Peak
Big Crow Basin is one of those area where you look at the map and wonder what is out there. Being a massive bowl in the middle of nowhere there had to be good lines but it is such a remote area. With terrain wrapping around almost every aspect it was just a matter of … Read more