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MAR/APR 2019
SKI MOUNTAINEERING| BY CLIFF AGOCS
Early Bird gets the Goods!
Those who backcountry ski during winter should be familiar with avalanche forecasts. Popular areas for backcountry skiing often have a combination
of public and private funding that allow these programs to observe and report on avalanche hazards regularly. When the snow stops falling, the risk
tends to shrink, and so does the funding. But avalanches can still happen in the spring and summer snowpack and you need to understand them to
avoid them.
Avalanches tend to increase with new snowfall. Once snowfall ends for the season, many of the instabilities quickly fade. But one avalanche problem
tends to outlast winter, and it’s caused by the diurnal cycle – in other words, the temperature swing between day and night.
Heat can come in the form of sunlight or ambient air temperatures and cause individual snow crystals to melt around the edges. Whether it’s caused
by sun, heat or rain – when snow gets really wet, it loses cohesion: think slush. When night (and temperature) falls, everything freezes together again.
That’s what’s known as the melt-freeze cycle – or to skiers, the corn-cycle.
Timing is everything. Spring and Summer snow have had a long time to settle, so the problem tends to be on the surface, where it can be observed.
In these conditions, getting great turns means waiting for the surface to soften - avoiding avalanches means staying off of slopes that are getting too
soft. Two obvious signs that the snow is losing cohesion are seeing snowballs spontaneously rolling down the slope, and sinking several inches into
the snow when you step out of your sticks to transition.
Those are some clues that precede wet loose slides. Wet slides can come in the form of sluffs or slabs, and either is capable of pulling a rider off
of their feet and burying them under a pile of heavy slush. The good news is that this heat input is more predictable than some of the mid-winter
avalanche problems. If a slope is getting lots of sun, or being heated by particularly warm air, it’s time to get off of steep terrain. At the high latitudes
of the Pacific Northwest, spring and summer skiing favors early risers and those who know when to call it quits.
Ask someone from Oregon Ski Guides their favorite season in the backcountry, and
you’re likely to hear spring mentioned as often, or more than winter.
Of course, ski guides love powder as much as the next hound. But if you ask, they’re
liable to stare off at the nearby peaks and start listing the lines on their checklist that
hold stable snow long after Mount Bachelor is swarmed by mountain bikers. Spring is
the time of year that the remaining snow turns into something we lovingly call “corn” –
little pellets of ice that pass under your skis like butter melting over warm, steep toast!
The volcanoes that dominate the skyline of Oregon hold snow late into the year, and
have enough vertical relief to make a single ski run worthy of the effort it takes to
get out there. Pucker Up, Early Morning Couloir, and the south face of South Sister
are just a few of the big notable lines in our backyard. And don’t forget, Mount Hood,
which has almost as many ski runs as it does climbing routes. In fact, most of the best
runs on Hood are the climbing routes.
Stable snow and the chance to ski steep terrain in more predictable conditions is what
draws motivated skiers up and out of the desert heat. But there are barriers to entry.
Melted-out trails mean hiking with skis (and often boots) on your back for long miles
to access the snowline. Mount Hood offers convenient access thanks to the Timber-
line Lodge, but the peaks of the Three Sisters Wilderness generally take a lot more
commitment. Ski camping is becoming a popular way to get the most out of these
local mountain slopes. With all that hiking, and the generally balmier temps, it can be a
fun escape to set up camp and get multiple days out of a ski tour.
If you’re interested in extending your skiing beyond the resort season, there are a few
things you’ll need to know, and plenty of local knowledge to tap into.
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