[honey badger]

(de) Lux Peak (5650’) - skiing Stevens Pass / Lumiere Ridge March 5, 2011

Dicey and fwb Sunrise 6:41, sunset 17:56, moonrise 6:33, moonset 19:19 (1 day past New Moon) Weather – clouds/fog to sun, returning to cloud, no wind… Avy forecast was improving from the major dumps beginning of the week. Monday had been epic with 23” of snow overnight. Our worry was of snow depth –avy, trail breaking… The weather window was marginal with Saturday being cloudy and high winds out east. Many emails, but looked like people opted to hold out for Sunday. Avy forecast lowering to considerable and less below 5000’, and to keep an eye especially on east aspects. Hmmm, something with easy access since the lower roads were covered in snow. Also with a cloud cover were would it be okay without views? Lux has been on my list and I’d not skied in the general area since the mid 90’s. Time to return. Not knowing how long it would take with the deep snow, we had options for other peaks and slopes to check. Was hoping on more people to share the trail breaking and making a traverse rather than having to return and regain altitude. If we were quick maybe we could catch a lift ride back. Surrounded by skiers and snowboarders The night before we went up for night training and camped out in the parking lot. Morning the lot was filling fast with participants for the “Hope on the Slope” 24hr fundraiser. Being lazy we took a leisure start and waited for the lifts to open making a lazy access to the top of Tye Chair (9:12a, 1.4m, c5200, 1310 ascent by lift : ). West and into the trees to traverse to the saddle north of Power Outage Peak (9:17a, 1.8, c4982) Deep snow booting up under the power towers and soon followed by snowboarders in our tracks to the north end of Lumiere Ridge (9:40a, 1.9m, c5151). Good time for a “Pop tart” break by both parties.

PoP tart break

Did someone say PoP tarts?

Leaving the snowboarders behind The snowboarders dropped down the ridge while we traversed under the east side of Lumiere Ridge. Snow was deep making slow traversing. A few spots to glide and loose elevation. May have been better to loose more or to have skied the resort to the bend in the “Wayback” road and skinned up from there (or follow the summer PCT route). At the low point of our traverse (10:14a, 2.4m, c4563) we donned skins.

dicey skinning up

making a skin track

Starting off we heard voices and were joined by some enthusiastic youths. Seeing we were going to skin up they dropped down for many whoops and a few bump drops. We rose to the saddle west of Lake Susan Jane, then up the south side of the lake and creek to the flat area where Mill Creek originates (11:17a, 3.0m, c4830, 267’ up from Lk SJ).

all smiles in the mountains

On the way up we could see a skin track across the lake and up the PCT route. So far the clouds had obscured views further than a quarter mile bringing the focus closer.

Sun trying to burn through

Now the sun seemed to be burning through. To encourage the sun we made comments aloud that we’d not be able to find our sunglasses and too lazy to put on sunscreen… Some food and we gained the covered skin track at the flat and followed up south and SE to the base of the east ridge of Peak 5578 (south end of Lumiere Ridge). Leaving the track The skin track headed north to the col we’d use to return to Lake Susan Jane. We wanted to gain the pass west and above Swimming Deer Lake. A traverse on the PCT would put us traversing on a steep hill dodging trees. Instead we ascended the east ridge to c5440 (12:34p, 3.9m, 614’ up from the flat area). Sun was doing it’s magic of burning off the clouds, bright and sun patches in places and a view looking down into Christmas Bowl and our route out.

A slight traverse left of the ridge west and off with the skins for a 360’ descent to the Pass above Swimming Deer Lake and north of Lux. Yumm, nice powder, low angle and safe.

dicey checking out a drop in the trees

All the way so far not a view of Lux. What would it be like? At the pass ( 12:56p, 4.2m, c5152, 3h33min) we re-skinned, looking up the sun cleared and OMG. The right face of Lux was a vertical cliff. Guess we’re not doing the west side, lol. de-Lux or not? We veered to the east side up thinning trees. Would make for nice gladed skiing back. With fat skis we sank to below the knee aiming to pass the east ridge at c5400’.

NE (de) Lux Bowl and first summit view

shutter delay...

dicey breaking a trail to the north ridge

Ahead south a broad bowl NE of the summit and the ridge close above us. Dicey took a hack at breaking a trail to the ridge. Sun was out and views amazing. Heading south we quickly met a dead end : ( (13:41, 4.5m, c5550, 408’ ascent from the pass).

a summit too far

snow dragon

Now what? After much shutter delay and some more munchies we contemplated, and contemplated. Gulp, the summit looked to be a house sized pile of corniced snow perched on a pointed rock point. Cliffs on the west and cliffs on the east. A sharp ridge with drops and no way past the house sized corniced pile. Turn around or ??? We ripped off the skins and dropped into the NE bowl enjoying a few fluffy powder turns and a traverse under a east buttress.

route south on the east side

dicey ready to drop into the deLux bowl.

just pretty...

Blasting a route into a SE bowl (14:03, 4.6m, c5370, 5h5min). Re-skinned we worked south across the bowl and up to the south ridge of Lux (14:21, 4.7m, c5500).

SE (de) Lux bowl

The ridge was a rollercoaster of blown snow. Not much cornices and steep both east and west side. West side treed and east a bowl and further on above cliffs.

South ridge to summit

dicey working north up the ridge

Weaving both sides we zippered our way to a point where everything was lower –including that giant snow cornice lump now to our north (14:52, 4.9m, 5650’, 5h54min). Views! The sun had burned most the clouds. Glad they did. The view was a different one that I’ve seen in the area. Nasikelt NE looking rugged, behind it Jim Hell and across from us a west facing slope showing a nice avy from a few days ago (under magnification can see fresh snow rounding the edge break. To the south Bulls Tooth and French Ridge.

Nasikelt and Jim Hill

view south toward French Ridge and Bulls Tooth

Took us longer than expected so we’d return from here. Looked to be possible further back the ridge to ski the trees west toward Mig Lake. This time we’d head east and follow our track back. An option of a sweet steep gulley with a few tasty drops. Considering, I’d have to push Dicey to get here off them and the deep snow we chose to take the mellow route out. Shutter delay, food and time to head back.

hoar

looking NE into (de)Lux Bowl

the south ridge

de-skinning

The snow had sloughed part of the first gulley that lead to the SE bowl. We dropped this gulley with heavenly turns and back under the east buttress. Skinned up to past the “dead end” ridge to the flat north false summit (good camp spot, 15:45, 5.2m, c5515). Along the way a little hole (1” dia) intrigued me. Eye close looking in I felt like Alice in Wonderland. A small opening enlarging to show diffused light and the green of a tree buried below. Guess I’m easily amused.

amusing hole in the snow

tracks off the north ridge

north false Lux Summit -zebra stripes

HiHo, HiHo… Off we skied amongst the wide open trees to the pass and a quicker than expected skin up to the east ridge of Peak 5578 (16:25, 5.7m, c5440, 1h20 from summit). Another group had been through using our track and heading to 40’ under the summit.

Loaded widow makers

last skin to the east ridge of Peak 5578’

cloud behind engulfed Lux

It’s all in the timing. Fog the way in then clearing for a perfect summit attempt and views from it. Descent and back to the pass in sun. As we left the clouds reformed hiding Lux. Like a magic peak. Not visible til at it. Its own sun, then when leaving gone. Looking back, just a cloud. Was the peak really there or was it a dream? On the north ridge we ripped the skins and made fun work of the powder north to the col above Lake Susan Jane (16:51, 6.1m, c5532’).

dicey looking back into Christmas Bowl

love the patterns

Turns down the col and a traverse left to the creek leading to the Wayback Road (17:00, 6.7m, c4063’, 1h56). The trail breaking in had taken longer than expected and we knew from the summit we’d missed the lazy lift up.

part way down from Lake Susan Jane

resort signs...

Time to sit, eat a sandwich and relax a little. We skinned up the road and ski slopes.

Re-skin time

Used a low angle road then up the “Gemini” run to the Tye Saddle (18:00, 7.6m, c5097, 45 min from road break).

sky colors changing

Skins off legs tired we punished ourselves skiing the resort back to the resort base (18:12, 8.9m). Such a different feel from the un-touched powder skiing earlier. In the lodge we met several people doing the Hope on the Slopes that recognized us. We wished them well then headed off to the Westie and plans for tomorrow. A few TMs and phone calls and tomorrows trips was organized. Then a call back… complications. Well, that is another story…

shadows... Walking back to the Westie

A great day with unexpected sunshine, views and much more stable slopes that predicted. How does it get better, freshie powder turns, views, sunshine, great partner… (thanks ; ) ! Happy turns! fwb stats: 8.9m total, 4.9 to summit, 3088vert in, 4625 total (1310 by lifts)

[iron]

good stuff. gotta love magic peaks that appear before you.

[wolfs]

Good beta and good job persevering. I wouldn't have guessed that the S ridge of Lux would be as gentle, given the appearance of that summit block as you first saw it across the bowl. I've wondered too about the most efficient way to gain Lake SJ/Xmas bowl after riding up Tyemill. I kinda think that on the way in, the best option might be to hike the Jupiter powerline bootpack like you did. Then pretend you are a slackcountry boarder and just follow paths of least resistance down the hidden bowl til it flattens out, use the slackcountry crowd's rightward traverse towards the least-treed route to Wayback, and start skinning at the bottom of that open slope with the big boulders (traversing lookers left to gain trees as soon as possible). What do you think? What you did on way back out seems most efficient tho (well, except for the missing-the-last-chair part )

[dicey]

A couple of short ski vids from a fun day:

[dicey]

[Stefan]

there is a lot of white in the pictures. thankfully fwb did not have to borrow a camera! thank you for sharing!

[Jim Dockery]

Thanks for the TR, great pics

[Randy]

I want to see more videos of dicey skiing.

[puzzlr]

I'm glad you gave that ridge some respect . The snow chunks coming down as fwb starts out in the second video are cool.

[Stefan-K]

yum! next time

[ragman and rodman]

beautiful pics... and beautiful ski tour... I can only dream of this type of skiing.

[Get Out and Go]

Hooh! Looks like a lot of snow back there. I typically do a few hikes every summer in that area via the Mill Creek Road. Seems sooo far off now with that coverage. But looks like great skiing.