[AntiqueLaser]

My usual go-to spot for September ski turns is the perennial snow patch near the Thumbtack in the basin below the east face of Chair Pk. I've even heard it referred to as the Source Lake Glacier. Given the TH is only an hour from Seattle and I can make the hike in a little more than hour, I'm convinced this is the closest/most accessible year round ski spot from the city.

With the Snow Lake Trail closed, I know bushwhacking is an option, but curious if anyone has any ideas for other snow patches that are at least 100' and don't involve a long drive or hike from Seattle.

September '21 (pic from the top o' the Thumbtack)

September '19 (pic from the flat rock with the gear sprawl in the other pic)

[zimmertr]

Looking at current satellite imagery from the Sentinels, looks like the closest patch holding snow right now is on Mt Garfield. I imagine that's far too spicy to consider though. However, right next to the Snow Lake trailhead is the trail to Snoqualmie Mountain. Near the top of which you could drop into the Slot Couloir which probably holds snow persistently. Here it was on 7/21/21:

Here's some late-season satellite imagery of the area across the past 6 years:

8/25/22

9/9/21

9/29/20

8/19/19

8/9/18

9/29/17

You TAY skiers are a crazy bunch lol. You might also consider asking on https://turns-all-year.com/forum.

[thunderhead]

I was up on snoq mountain last weekend and that big patch is indeed there but it looks pretty flat... i did not think for a second it would be a remotely entertaining ski. The chair peak patch is in and looks very skiiable if you got in around the closure. I did see what looked like a decent looking 600 vfoot linked set of patches on the west side of hinman/Daniel but that is going to a major effort to get to. Ive always thought the lowest hanging fruit would be muir. Sure the drive is a little longer and the tourons are worse but then you have a 2000 foot pretty direct hike to snow... and much more snow than the chair peak patch.

[Randito]

The Pinnacle "Glacier" between the Pinnacle and Castle in the Tattosh is a north aspect snow patch that is less of a hike than the Muir snowfield and is less suncupped. Someone posted a skiing TR for their August turns using it last week. The pond is too melted for skimming. You'll need about 3 laps for 1000 vft.

[thunderhead]

[Cyclopath]

Not close, not super easy access, but last weekend I saw two people hiking down from Spray Park with skis hanging off their packs. Both said it was sun cupped but they still had fun.

[Randito]

[Malachai Constant]

September 29, 2019 we had 6” at White River campground same day there was 2’ at Sunrise.

[PowderPawn]

[that.one.guy.dave]

I've been in the same boat this summer with the snow lake trail closed as I use the Chair Peak Basin for quick turns. My go to spots in lieu over this over the last eleven years of TAY has been the Pinnacle 'glacier' as the climbers route takes a quick 45 minutes to get up into the basin and no one is ever in there. It's nice and quiet with a great view of Rainier. Another spot, which I just used (amazed I haven't done this before), is the Bagley Lakes snow patch. I would give it about a few days though until it's melted out. Unfortunately it's a 3 hr drive from Seattle for a 20 minute hike.

[ScottP]

An interesting aside (at least to me): Beckey's Columbia to Stevens guide (1st edition) shows 'The Footstool' in the approach route image, and the 'Thumb Tack' as the minor summit to the south of the twin chimneys.

In the second edition, the 'Thumb Tack' becomes 'The Tooth' (a bit confusing given a significant summit to the SE is named 'The Tooth') and "The Footstool' becomes the 'Thumb Tack'.

[joker]

I was up on the Snow Lake Divide on Friday, enjoying the less visited part of the ridge thanks to the newly opened and refurbished trail. I could see that the Chair Peak patch is still "in" and it looked from a distance like it probably had moguls starting to form from all the skiing it had seen last week since the trail opened (there was lots of thanks going 'round on the Turns All Year Fakebook group to the person who posted a redlined map describing the better route they found on their way down from their venture to the Thumbtack/patch).

[jaysway]

This won't matter now that the Snow Lake trailhead is open again, but I'm curious if people ski the glacier/snowfield across from the Cascade Pass trailhead beneath Johannesburg/Cascade. I checked on Caltopo and it's less than 1,000 feet from the road just before getting to the trailhead although getting there requires crossing some creeks/rivers and then ascending a potentially-unstable moraine. Without getting too crazy it looks like you could get a solid 400' or so of vertical, perhaps 700' or so in a good snow year or earlier in the season? Over the weekend there were no visible crevasses, I was surprised that it still looked like thick snow this late in the season and at such a low elevation. I'm guessing it gets a lot of avalanche debris and is extremely shaded being north facing with Johannesburg/Cascade rising steeply overhead. Like any glacier or former glacier perhaps the risk of crevasses or snow bridges and/or having to ford creeks to get to it make it a less tenable place for TAY than the Chair or Pinnacle snowfields?

[altasnob]

[joker]

I was up on the Snow Lake Divide on Friday, enjoying the less visited part of the ridge thanks to the newly opened and refurbished trail. I could see that the Chair Peak patch is still "in" and it looked from a distance like it probably had moguls starting to form from all the skiing it had seen last week since the trail opened (there was lots of thanks going 'round on the Turns All Year Fakebook group to the person who posted a redlined map describing the better route they found on their way down from their venture to the Thumbtack/patch).