[Randito]

[DIYSteve]

[thunderhead]

Oh ya, people that boot groomed trails should be thrown in jail with a tiger. But skins seem OK!

[joker]

OK ok I retract that one suggestion which has been more beaten than some dead horses by now. I'm wondering if there are any other on-point suggestions that aren't sucky road skis or alternative gear suggestions that will be forthcoming

[Randito]

[Schenk]

Just a thought, and it has been a couple-three decades since I was sporting around the west side: Once there is enough snow down low, how about some of the roads off HWY 12, near Rimrock Lk, or are those areas overrun with sledders? Or off 410, up around or past Cliffdell, Whistlin' Jack's, and Goose Prairie? maybe the same situation...lots of sledders? No snow right now though...

[seawallrunner]

How about Highway 20 past the gate?

[rossb]

First thought: Buy the book(s). They will provide a lot of different destinations, and also give you a heads up as to the areas that have avalanche danger. You shouldn't rely on the book for avalanche safety (don't go through an area while saying "the book said it was safe"). Conditions change over time. But the book(s) reduce the chance that you will go somewhere, encounter a big avalanche path and turn around before you have gotten very far (or worse yet, keep going, risking your life because you don't want to get back into the car). Originally there were two books, volume one and two. Now they have been condensed into one book. As you would imagine, there are trips in the two volumes that aren't in the "100 best". The newer book is kind of like a "greatest hits" book, which means it might leave out your favorite songs. That being said, the older books are, well, older, and some of that information may be out of date. Sometimes routes get overgrown. I do most of my road skiing on Kendall and Amabalis (probably about 20 times each one each year). I usually make it out to a couple other roads each year. But it has been a while since I've visited a lot of the places I am about to mention, so keep that in mind. It means that if you do go that way, you could be in for a lot of brush, or a messy trip in general. Here are some other areas worth checking out, from north to south: Anderson Butte -- Pretty sure this is still a good ski, although I haven't been there in years. Segelsen Creek Road, up by Darrington -- May be overgrown, or at least lost its view. Had snowmobiles last time I was there, but not a huge number. Skyline Ridge -- This is the backside of Stevens Pass, so parking may be an issue. This is the steepest road mentioned here. I think this would be a tough one to ski with cross country gear, unless there is enough snow to minimize the effects of the road (so that you can make your own traverses). What you use now would be a great choice for this trip. Nothing else on this list is in that category. Foss River -- There are a bunch of options here, including ones closed to snowmobiles. I usually get out there every year. No snopark required. You may have to carry your skis a little bit (depending on where they end the plowing) but it is a nice area, similar to Deer Creek (maybe even nicer, as the road is in better condition). Bandera Road -- Only makes sense if the snow level is low. It is basically a free for all, so for the first bit you will encounter tracks, and maybe eventually a stuck vehicle (at which point the skiing gets a lot better). But it is a nice ski, especially when you factor in the drive. Sun Top down by Rainier -- I haven't been down there for a couple years, but it is a pretty fun tour. One drawback, though, is that is a challenge to get a view of the mountain (the last quarter mile of the road has extreme avalanche danger). I think you can get a view by going the other direction (when I was there the last couple times it was cloudy, so I didn't try). I agree with Steve, fish scales would make every trip mentioned (except Skyline) a lot easier and more enjoyable. I disagree about skinning up Amabalis, though. I don't think it would bother anyone. It is a lot different than snowshoeing, let alone booting. I have seen a few people skin that area, but most of them are folks who either just switched their plans, or are new to the area. I didn't think the tracks were worse as a result (it is hardly noticeable). I would say the bigger problem is that you would find it tedious. It isn't just that Amabalis is groomed (often right to the top) but that it has a very low grade. Skinning would be less fun. That being said, there are some side roads up there that are fun to explore, so if you really want a workout (and want to pay the extra fee, and put up with the crowds that tend to dwindle as you go up) it is worth checking out. In general, though, I would say it is more appropriate with skinny skis on fish scales (or kick wax).

[rossb]

[joker]

Regarding Twin Lakes - I have seen multiple reports through the years of folks heading up there, most often to get up to the Winchester summit area. If you're looking for a continual uphill climb and downhill grade, this is not what you're looking for. It has a lot of relative flats (and some rolly-polly upsy-downsy) between the first climb away from the highway and the final push up the switchbacks to Twin Lakes. And fwiw it sure looks to me as if you are very much in prime avalanche terrain once you get out of the woods right there by the YAB trailhead. This seems more like a great route if you're planning to spend time up on the slopes of Winchester or other nearby stuff.

[ale_capone]

nice list ross. I agree re skyline at Steven's. I split ski it on occassion, and it can be fairly challenging. throw in herds of snowshoers, boy scout snow shelters, and even an odd snowmobile. it's more of a snake line then a road ski. I heard there was a nice road all the way to camp Muir right now. if you can ski the skyline road at Steven's, Muir would be a piece of cake. 😉

[DIYSteve]

Yesterday I skied the full length of FS Road 800 (Wenatchee Crest) out of Blewett Pass -- my first day on skis after total knee replacement surgery! It's a great mellow 7.8 mile out & back workout on fishscales, usually goes fine on wider XC gear, but too much up and down for skinning. It'd go now with kick wax, blue or blue X. The current snow is cold pow and road is on the N side of the ridge and gets very little sun. There were tracks from a party a few days earlier (Pico and Margy?) but I was compressing snow most of the way. Not fast conditions but hey, it was great getting back on skis again so no complaints. I didn't see another soul yesterday. Tomorrow it'll likely be a mob scene. It's a popular snowshoe stroll.

[DigitalJanitor]

[Foist]

You probably saw my report from skiing the road to Artist Point. It's a pretty short ski but there is more room to just poke around on foot from the Artist Point parking lot for more views and exercise. Soon though the snow will really start dumping and the road will just disappear into an avalanche slope. Also the ski area will open and it will get busy and noisy. Is the Miller River Road a good option, at least when snow levels are very low? I seem to recall that being marked on the map as non-motorized winter rec.

[DIYSteve]