Boston Basin Ski, 12/7-8/02

The second week of December and still no snow to speak of [sigh].  Jonesing for turns, Bill, Jeremy and I set out for Boston Basin, figuring the Quien Sabe Glacier was better than nothing.  Starting late in the day we drove as far as milepost 20 where the road was gated for no apparent reason.  From milepost 23 the hike up the trail was brutal owing to all the blown down trees from last springs avalanches.  Arriving at our camp just as it got dark we pitched the tent and played some spades.  Three handed spades is ok, but in my experience better than playing gin rummy and trying to keep your little piles of cards from sliding around on the shifting sleeping bags.  



The crescent moon over C-J Couloir on Johanesburg.  


Well, there wasn't a whole lot of snow up in the basin.  The next morning we got a leisurely start and cramponed up to the Boston-Sahale col.  The Quien Sabe Glacier has some crevasses that run most of it's width.  Crossing a snowbridge over one of these unroped Jeremy punched a foot though.  "That's not Kosher" he mused at loud.  



We eyed the west face of Sahale but decided to save it for another day given the thin icy conditions.  


Arriving at the col we had some great views and some welcome rays of sunshine.  Contrary to the usual weather pattern; the valleys west of the crest were clear  while clouds filled the valleys to the east.  



Baker, Eldorado and Forbidden to the west.  




The view to the east.  

Click on image for larger view.  




Bill checking out the ridge towards Sahale.  


We quickly started to get cold so descending seemed like a good idea.  While we had climbed the east side of the glacier the west side looked like a better ski descent.  For the most part it was, except for a scary section that involved traversing and sideslipping steep bulletproof ice above a gaping crevass.  



Jeremy in the distance having just crossed a snowbridge.  



Bill traversing over to the snowbridge.  The sketchy section was up in the shade above his head in the picture.  



Lower down on the glacier.



ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US.  I actually skied through all this.  



Bill, however, was the champion of keeping his skis on.  


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