October and November turned out to be a pretty good start to the ski season.   I’ve managed to sneak in a few quality ski days (and a number of marginal ones) over the last few weeks in the Cascades.  The season started off in early October with some great low-density snow up on Heliotrope Ridge on Mt. Baker, followed by a good stint of alpine climbing weather (new route trip reports are on the way!), then more snowfall and skiing in the Snoqualmie Pass area and beyond.  Let’s hope this is a sign of things to come…

With ski season beginning, that also means that avalanche season has already begun.  If you’ve never taken an avalanche awareness and rescue course or it’s been a few years, now is the time to sign up.  Simply reading the avalanche bulletin is not enough, nor is just owning an avalanche beacon.  I’ll be teaching AIARE Level 1 avalanche courses all winter for the American Alpine Institute and I know there is still space available!

Here’s a little photo journey through the last two months on skis!

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