Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2016/2017

Discussion about deep snow wheeling, vehicle builds, trip reports, etc
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Nobody
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2016/2017

Post by Nobody »

Here's a little video from yesterday.

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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2016/2017

Post by Nobody »

Here's a few from yesterday. Went up Boardman Lake road to do a little sledding with the family. It was white knuckle drive out the Mountain Loop. I had to clean my shorts and air down just out of Granite Falls.

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I really need a roof rack or something. Five people, snowshoes, snowtubes, snowshoes, cooler, chainsaw, highlift, tools, etc etc etc is really pushing the limits.
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Had decent little sledding hill going.
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And the obligatory stuck in the road pic
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Broke trail up to the trailhead. It was deep! Didn't have enough daylight to make snowshoeing to Lake Evan worthwhile. Probably should have gone up there first.
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christensent
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2016/2017

Post by christensent »

Went out of Darrington up towards Whitechuck Mountain. Went up two roads to about 3000ft, in both cases the ruts ended there and it was positively impossible to make even slight progress. The second time I tried I sank through at least two ice crusts and the axles just disappeared, had to do a full shovel dig-out which took just under one hour, never had to do that before. I think I'll install a reverse winch.

Overall the worst snow I've ever tried to wheel by far, but the ruts drove alright (as long as you stay in them, get 6" off to the side and you're digging even if only sinking in a few inches).

I swear my axle is down there somewhere...

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Some small fraction of a PSI, just made things worse today

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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2016/2017

Post by Nobody »

Nice! You were buried. I suspected it was going to be pretty tough out there. I was actually surprised how much the snow had already compacted on Pilchuck. Once things firm up a bit, we should be good!

Did you lose a bead, or were you just aired down that low?
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christensent
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2016/2017

Post by christensent »

Nobody wrote:Did you lose a bead, or were you just aired down that low?
I was just aired down, I have double beadlocks so can't lose it. I gave up on gauges and just pull the stems and wait until I'm about 5 seconds short of nothing coming out at all. Of course only for really deep soft stuff, in this case I immediately aired back up to a few PSI for departure in the ruts. On the right day it really makes a difference but often times I lose so much clearance it's actually worse like today. It's always a last resort effort before leaving.
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2016/2017

Post by Nobody »

You've got the right idea. So many people are unwilling to adjust air pressure to conditions. Sometimes theres just nothing that works. I suspect the best purpose built snow wheeling rigs wouldn't have made it much further than you, unless they were light enough to not break through the crust.
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2016/2017

Post by christensent »

Tinkham to 3900ft today. Relatively easy trail breaking but snow is too heavy to use any speed. Crawled very well. 5-6 foot total snowpack on the roadway up there.

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Scoobienorth
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2016/2017

Post by Scoobienorth »

Nothing to hardcore. Just touring around with kids gaining experience. I knew this season my wj would be way over weight for 33'. The early season powder and sugary stuff it did great in. But now as the snows adding up I'm geared to tall to crawl slow enough and to heavy to float. Still did alright. The auto trans over temp once badly too. Not sure how long light was on but it took 15-20 mins too cool down. Also got pushed for a ways. I need to build a dedicated snow rig. My grand works great and I hate to ruin it but it may happen anyways.

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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2016/2017

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christensent wrote:Tinkham to 3900ft today. Relatively easy trail breaking but snow is too heavy to use any speed. Crawled very well. 5-6 foot total snowpack on the roadway up there.
That looks like a pretty cool road. I like the sign sticking out. Are you usually solo on these trips?
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2016/2017

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Scoobienorth wrote:Nothing to hardcore. Just touring around with kids gaining experience. I knew this season my wj would be way over weight for 33'. The early season powder and sugary stuff it did great in. But now as the snows adding up I'm geared to tall to crawl slow enough and to heavy to float. Still did alright. The auto trans over temp once badly too. Not sure how long light was on but it took 15-20 mins too cool down. Also got pushed for a ways. I need to build a dedicated snow rig. My grand works great and I hate to ruin it but it may happen anyways.

Thanks for sharing. Good to see the kids out there! I "almost" put an automatic in my Bronco, had both a C4 and a 4R70W on my garage floor at one point. I just couldn't do it and stuck with the NP435. Too bad they don't put V8's in more mid-sized vehicles. Fingers crossed for the 2020 Bronco.
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2016/2017

Post by Scoobienorth »

Nobody wrote:
Thanks for sharing. Good to see the kids out there! I "almost" put an automatic in my Bronco, had both a C4 and a 4R70W on my garage floor at one point. I just couldn't do it and stuck with the NP435. Too bad they don't put V8's in more mid-sized vehicles. Fingers crossed for the 2020 Bronco.
I've got some jk axles to go in and I'm thinking I may go to a 5 speed manual and dual cases to get some gearing when I swap axles as I'll need driveshafts anyways. The auto stinks especially without deep gearing.but for all that work I almost should build a dedicated winter rig that's lighter as the wj works well as is. But it's fun anyways, and as always lots of options
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2016/2017

Post by christensent »

Nobody wrote: That looks like a pretty cool road. I like the sign sticking out. Are you usually solo on these trips?
Yes, almost always alone. Usually trying to find partners for skiing, so wheeling takes second priority and plans don't get made until day-of. On occasional I'll make plans and post up looking for others to go with.

I usually find it more fun if I have to get myself out unassisted anyways.
macelius
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2016/2017

Post by macelius »

Speaking of Tinkham, had a couple good runs all the way up to the lot since the snow fell, but went up there a couple of days ago to poke around for the second time in as many weeks, and there's still a pile of snow blocking the road, in fact there's a new one at exit 47, someone did go around the right side of the blockade at 42 and rutted out the ditch. Anyone know what gives, do they just not want people getting themselves in to trouble up there?
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2016/2017

Post by christensent »

macelius wrote:Speaking of Tinkham, had a couple good runs all the way up to the lot since the snow fell, but went up there a couple of days ago to poke around for the second time in as many weeks, and there's still a pile of snow blocking the road, in fact there's a new one at exit 47, someone did go around the right side of the blockade at 42 and rutted out the ditch. Anyone know what gives, do they just not want people getting themselves in to trouble up there?
I would guess DOT was told to block all roads on I90. Most likely as a result of the Franklin Falls disaster. In December there were hundreds of cars "snow wheeling" up the Denny Creek road, getting stuck, needing tows, getting stuck behind fallen trees, and just in general making a mess where nobody could move or get around. This went on for weeks (I like to call it the Denny Creek off-road proving grounds, where everyone goes to drive their pickup in the snow, I even helped push a Prius off the snowy bridge). Then there was a Seattle Times article on the beautiful frozen Franklin Falls and everybody just had to go, and it was just an absolute disaster and now the road is closed for the season (this is not normal, Denny Creek is typically open to wheeling all winter). I bet DOT just blocked everything.

If you have high break-over angle the exit 47 berm is easy to drive over, or if not it's an easy winch over. The exit 42 one is significantly taller and would take some real work to drive over, and the ditch bypass really isn't appropriate or ethical. Don't quote me on this, but as far as I know it's perfectly legal to drive over a berm onto an official road-way that has no sign indicating its closed, no grooming, and no gate.
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2016/2017

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I didn't hear about the Franklin Falls disaster. The berms I see around here aren't to block access, just a result of plowing. Are these obvious intentional barriers?
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2016/2017

Post by christensent »

Nobody wrote:I didn't hear about the Franklin Falls disaster. The berms I see around here aren't to block access, just a result of plowing. Are these obvious intentional barriers?
At least some of them I believe are to discourage entry (although I don't think it's illegal to drive over... they just don't want to go rescue you).

The upper Denny Creek road at Alpental has a truly spectacular pile of snow just right across the road entry and nowhere else. I really don't even know how they made it, it's got to be a solid 20-25ft tall above the snowpack if not more. You'd need large heavy excavation equipment to even dream of driving over it. I've been wanting to hammer a steel bar into the backside of the berm and winch over.

The Tinkham ones are smaller, but again they're just big piles of snow at road entrances but there are no piles anywhere else. There's a chance it's just a coincidental placement of snow but I really doubt it!
bobracing
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2016/2017

Post by bobracing »

Little more info with a link to the paper article.

http://www.pnwjeep.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=39248
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2016/2017

Post by christensent »

Anyone want to go wheeling on Sunday? Open to locations as far north as Darrington but I think we'd have better luck Stevens or south. Should be lots of fresh snow
macelius
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2016/2017

Post by macelius »

Thanks for the info's. The berms are definitely there purposefully, the one at 47 you could drive over for a while so they put another one in front of it. I figured something happened cause I was going up there all last winter and never remember it closed. One could definitely get over with a bit of winch or even some shoveling.

Im up for Sunday, we could open up tinkham, I probably don't have enough tire for what you guys might be up to elsewhere.. I might go poke around there today even, so if you see a silver dodge Raider wave me down.
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Re: Trip Report: Snow Wheeling 2016/2017

Post by macelius »

Tinkham and Denny Creek are still blocked, but Hyak is not, and covered in fresh snow. I could only get so far in before i started sinking off the sides of the packed tracks under the fresh. It's all fresh up on NF-9070-120.
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