Forum Index > Trip Reports > Blewett Pass: Diamondhead and Windy Knob ski March 6, 2013
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John Morrow
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Joined: 03 Apr 2007
Posts: 1526 | TRs | Pics
Location: Roslyn
John Morrow
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PostWed Mar 06, 2013 8:40 pm 
For those who might not know, these hills are out of Blewett Pass Hwy 97 (Swauk Pass) to the SE of the snowpark. They form a rim of Tronsen Meadow basin along with Tronsenhead and Tronsen Ridge. There is a nice link to a good set of maps for the winter non-motorized trails of the area: http://www.monsterworks.com/ski/ Our intent was to get up high enough to ski a couple runs. We stopped 300 vertical feet short of the top of Diamondhead due to tough skinning conditions on a 2" dusting of snow atop a firm smooth crust. Scrape, scrape was the sound of our edges skiing the crust but it was still carvable and fun. Check out the two videos on flickr for some almost out of control speed telemarking.
Approaching Diamondhead
Approaching Diamondhead
Windy Knob pokes out
Windy Knob pokes out
Dust on crust
Dust on crust
Making for fast turns
Making for fast turns
Dhead turns
Dhead turns
Goofin'
Goofin'
Then we skinned up and climbed on to Windy Knob for another fast and smooth dust on crust ski.
Windy Knob start
Windy Knob start
good stuff
good stuff
Where to drop in?
Where to drop in?
Vids:
I do have a request to snowshoers. This is the first time I have ever seen the tracks of a small army of snowshoers who attacked the open slopes (up to 35 degrees steep) in a completely random fashion, scarring up a 100 foot wide glade (800 vertical feet) from almost top to bottom, and left to right with absolutely no logic to their route???? The skiing was dangerous since the trenches were frozen solid. It also potentially exposed them to avalanche terrain. This I have no understanding of, when there was good safe anchored forested slopes on either side. All I can figure was they were intent on carrying a conversation up to five across and unconsciously veering right or left when it got steep enough to be annoying. I honestly would not have an issue with this if it weren't so unnecessary. New snow is hard to come by at Blewett this winter so this could last weeks. I should have took pictures to better explain it, sorry. We make a conscious effort to "conserve" snow for others by trying to locate our uptrack intuitively using forest and terrain features that leave the big open slopes clean for folk's descents. More users (which is good for our health and the continued preservation of wild landscapes) mean we all have to attempt to think of others. Thanks for listening.

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”-Mary Oliver “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.” ― MLK Jr.
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Forum Index > Trip Reports > Blewett Pass: Diamondhead and Windy Knob ski March 6, 2013
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