Northwest Conditions Thread

[grafta]

Can anyone advise what Baker road is like early morning during a dump?

[GorgeDad]

Originally Posted by ShredLife

it was very windy today. vis on MHX side was really bad... rode on HRM side all day and it was sicko

Thanks. Trying to figure out when i can get up there this week.

[NWBoarder]

Originally Posted by grafta

Can anyone advise what Baker road is like early morning during a dump?

Bring Chains, and check the WSDOT site. I believe if it gets to bad the road will close, but it doesn't happen all that often. Wrath will have a better answer, but he might be sleeping by now so he can get up to get the goods tomorrow.

[wrathfuldeity]

Originally Posted by NWBoarder28

Bring Chains, and check the WSDOT site. I believe if it gets to bad the road will close, but it doesn't happen all that often. Wrath will have a better answer, but he might be sleeping by now so he can get up to get the goods tomorrow.

I'm awake...working nights and also got to work in the afternoon....but per report from the daughter, yesterday tues...waist to chest fluffy.

As for the road...

Early morning dumps...Glacier to the hill...before 6-630 am you will likely be on your own...very few cars and the plow will perhaps have been through once. Best hitting Glacier at 730-8 the non-very-early employees are driving up and just follow them. The big line up is between 830-930...which is not usually bad, it just is.

Bring chains, shovel and blanket, get in cue...(btw...really no reason to pass 1-2 cars because there is a line and you will pull into the parking lot....5 seconds sooner. And the risk spinning out or going in the ditch for 5 seconds). On gaper tourist days when there's lot of snow or it's slick you will see tourist, the non experienced or hotrodders in the ditch...last Saturday there were 5-6 of them. If a car/truck is doing the slow steady conservitive cruise (that don't use their brakes...no brake lights constantly going on/off) its a local who knows were the hazzards are...just follow them and you'll get there. I've chained up 3-4 times in 10 years with a rear wheel drive volvo wagon and only ended up in a snow bank once (no chains) going down...but I consider myself an experienced snow/ice driver.

DOT keeps the roads fairly drivable...meaning less than 4-6 inches of snow...but it can be packed, slush, ice, greasy or wet. Dot only closes the road due to a slide or very high avy danger. Though very early am or late night...idk 9pm to 5am they don't plow much...so it can get too deep to drive. Going up....leave enough room to keep rolling, don't stop. Going down...leave enough room to stop, try not to use your brakes, just be in a lower gear...lots of folks slide off in to the trees or a bank when breaking for a curve.

If you need to chain up do it at the plow shed or there is a couple of places on the straight aways before that are flat with alot of room and after the DOT shed there are a couple of pull outs on the curve...though some times it tough to get going because of the line of cars and a slight incline. A half mile after the DOT plow shed is when you start to climb.

There are 3 hairpins, the third one is the deal breaker...if you barely make the first hair pin...chain up for the third one. The 3rd one is a very sharp right that is on an incline and if you stop or can't make it...you will FU*&^*&&%$% up the line. You have to be going...rolling enough to make it around and up...you don't want to lose traction and start spinning the wheels...yet be going slow enough to not slide or drift into the other lane...you can't see the traffic in the on comming lane nor have to break and lose your momentum and get stuck spinning.

If it is puking and dark...early mornings or eve...visability can be a real issue, especially if you don't know the road and where to keep your momentum or where to slow down to make the curves/turns.

[grafta]

Originally Posted by NWBoarder28

Bring Chains, and check the WSDOT site. I believe if it gets to bad the road will close, but it doesn't happen all that often. Wrath will have a better answer, but he might be sleeping by now so he can get up to get the goods tomorrow.

Originally Posted by wrathfuldeity

I'm awake...working nights and also got to work in the afternoon....but per report from the daughter, yesterday tues...waist to chest fluffy.

As for the road...

Early morning dumps...Glacier to the hill...before 6-630 am you will likely be on your own...very few cars and the plow will perhaps have been through once. Best hitting Glacier at 730-8 the non-very-early employees are driving up and just follow them. The big line up is between 830-930...which is not usually bad, it just is.

Bring chains, shovel and blanket, get in cue...(btw...really no reason to pass 1-2 cars because there is a line and you will pull into the parking lot....5 seconds sooner. And the risk spinning out or going in the ditch for 5 seconds). On gaper tourist days when there's lot of snow or it's slick you will see tourist, the non experienced or hotrodders in the ditch...last Saturday there were 5-6 of them. If a car/truck is doing the slow steady conservitive cruise (that don't use their brakes...no brake lights constantly going on/off) its a local who knows were the hazzards are...just follow them and you'll get there. I've chained up 3-4 times in 10 years with a rear wheel drive volvo wagon and only ended up in a snow bank once (no chains) going down...but I consider myself an experienced snow/ice driver.

DOT keeps the roads fairly drivable...meaning less than 4-6 inches of snow...but it can be packed, slush, ice, greasy or wet. Dot only closes the road due to a slide or very high avy danger. Though very early am or late night...idk 9pm to 5am they don't plow much...so it can get too deep to drive. Going up....leave enough room to keep rolling, don't stop. Going down...leave enough room to stop, try not to use your brakes, just be in a lower gear...lots of folks slide off in to the trees or a bank when breaking for a curve.

If you need to chain up do it at the plow shed or there is a couple of places on the straight aways before that are flat with alot of room and after the DOT shed there are a couple of pull outs on the curve...though some times it tough to get going because of the line of cars and a slight incline. A half mile after the DOT plow shed is when you start to climb.

There are 3 hairpins, the third one is the deal breaker...if you barely make the first hair pin...chain up for the third one. The 3rd one is a very sharp right that is on an incline and if you stop or can't make it...you will FU*&^*&&%$% up the line. You have to be going...rolling enough to make it around and up...you don't want to lose traction and start spinning the wheels...yet be going slow enough to not slide or drift into the other lane...you can't see the traffic in the on comming lane nor have to break and lose your momentum and get stuck spinning.

If it is puking and dark...early mornings or eve...visability can be a real issue, especially if you don't know the road and where to keep your momentum or where to slow down to make the curves/turns.

Originally Posted by Snowolf

I am an experienced ice and snow driver and do this shit in a semi. Wrath is spot on and from reading his advice he know what he is talking about. Follow his suggestion to the letter and you will make it. You might be shitting yourself a little, but you will do fine. Don`t follow his advice to your own peril. And what he says is spot on about not passing if there is a line of cars; its stupid. Now if you got the turtle doing 10 MPH and being an obstruction, yes get the fuck around at your earliest, safe place to do so. This is the guy who looses his momentum and spins out and fucks everybody behind him.[/IMG]

Wow, massive thank you to you guys for typing that out! Much appreciated

Copied and printed and keeping an eye on that weather

[qwezxc12]

Stevens Pass was off the hook today... ~30" in the last 2 days, and it was snowing most of the day. I had some misgivings heading north on the 405 this morning at 6:20, as there were cars all over the place, and people were driving like complete douchebags. Funny thing was, once I got out of the city, and got on Rt2, there was no more drama.... guess everyone knows how to drive in the snow once you get away from metro.

Anyway, once there I made a bee-line for Mill Valley, as the last time I was there it was closed (in prep for the employee Christmas party I think). Up Tye Mill, and a bunch of laps around Southern Cross... that stuff was DEEP everywhere, especially in the trees. I ventured in and while I had fun surfing, I got caught several times and got buried. It took forever to get un-strapped and wallow out to a place firm enough to ride out from a standstill. I do not have much (any) deep pow experience, so today the learning curve was steep. When my legs gave out, I lapped Tye Mill and Skyline on the front side, had a few beers for carb replacement and rode some more. Awesome day





For the 1st time out, I am happy with the 165 Barracuda/Cartel combination, but I think I'll need to set back an inch or so from reference; it felt like I needed too much back leg in the deep stuff. I just need more snow to ride in back home...

[ShredLife]

Originally Posted by qwezxc12

I got caught several times and got buried. It took forever to get un-strapped and wallow out to a place firm enough to ride out from a standstill. I do not have much (any) deep pow experience, so today the learning curve was steep.

its all good. i have *alot* of deep pow experience and i had to dig out of wallowing at least twice today... when it's this deep, the snow is heavy PNW pow, and you're riding on volcanos (flat spots) its just going to happen from time to time

[DrnknZag]

Guess I screwed up not heading up to Stevens yesterday. Was supposed to go today, but with the freezing rain in the Seattle area and most of the snow tracked yesterday, I decided to not waste a day of PTO.

[wrathfuldeity]

Originally Posted by qwezxc12

I ventured in and while I had fun surfing, I got caught several times and got buried. It took forever to get un-strapped and wallow out to a place firm enough to ride out from a standstill. I do not have much (any) deep pow experience, so today the learning curve was steep.

For the 1st time out, I am happy with the 165 Barracuda/Cartel combination, but I think I'll need to set back an inch or so from reference; it felt like I needed too much back leg in the deep stuff. I just need more snow to ride in back home...

Glad you got it. Its a whole different way of riding that really demands choosing your lines wisely...so if you biff you still have some slope to ride. A little trick if you biff and have a enough slope is to build up/pack down a little shelf to set your board on, then get on the board strap in (the tricky part) and try to ride out...anyway sometimes easier than trying to hike out of chest deep.

[Qball]

These warm temps are ridiculous!! Fuck it. Bring on the sunny weather and build some sweet parks with all this snow. Just no more rain please.