North Cascades Highway Opening Week
Washington Pass, May 1 - 8, 2008
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| After a huge winter in the Northwest, highway
crews finally got the North Cascades Highway open on May 1st.
With easy access and Spring weather, we had to get up there
and check things out a bit. |
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| Opening day saw Larry, Paul Butler and
Ray Thomas (pictured), along with a couple of canine friends,
heading up Blue peak to the famous corn run called Madison
Avenue. Here Paul and Ray at the top of Spire Gully, getting
ready to climb the steep slopes of Blue peak. |
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| Madison avenue was perfectly corned up
by the time we got first tracks down it. Here Paul drops
in. |
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| Lower down on the wide open slopes of
Madison avenue. |
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| Paul lets em rip... |
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| The next day a few folks from Backcountry
Access came out for a couple of days of touring at the
pass with Larry. Here Larry and Bruce Edgerly climb up
the lower slopes of Poster peak bowl. |
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| At the top of the bowl, they put in a
boot track to reach the col at the head of the basin. |
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| Here the group tops out on Poster peak
with the Copper creek drainage below. |
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| We found perfect corn on the South facing
slopes of Poster peak. Here Crispin drops in. |
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| The next day we headed up toward Maple
pass. Here Larry sets a track while Steve Christie starts
up above Heather pass. |
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| Looking back from Maple Pass, the group
crosses the steep slope with some space between skiers. |
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| Steve Christie dropping back down toward
Lake Ann. |
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| Next, some folks from Karhu came out
to celebrate the 30th year anniversary of the XCD ski.
The skis have come a long way since then, and our group
was out on the Karhu Guide for a couple of days of skinless
touring. The waxless pattern works amazingly well in the
Spring snow. |
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| Here Charlie Lozner of Karhu rips down
in Poster Peak bowl. |
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| Apres ski a la Karhu, Washington Pass
style. |
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