Check out the size of that cornice! It had grown 10X since we were there in January.
The cold just keeps hanging around the northwest this spring, so much better for the backcountry touring. Kendall, Aaron and I headed out for Van Epps on April 16 after a few snafus getting prepared (let's see... two trips back to the cabin from the parking log - one for forgotten boots and another to pick up the spare snowmobile as the primary had a mechanical).
They stopped grooming the snowmo trail in March, so the road is now a continuous series of waves - imagine riding a bucking bronco for 30 minutes. Then there was the snomo challenge, where we had to go off into the woods in a spot where the road was blocked by an avalanche. A few issues getting stuck but we made it in good time.
Once out to Van Epps though, the touring was fine - a few inches of dust on a firm crust. The skiiing - not so good. Very firm under the crust. One lap on
All in all a good exercise day, looking forward to a few more before the snow melts.
