Lane Peak: Zipper

Now several days into a dry, cold snap (amazingly, NWAC showing green all aspects, all elevations, all zones), and one gets the impression you could pretty much have your pick of steep snow routes anywhere in the Cascades.  My partner and I are just getting warmed up for the season, and so we elected to try the Zipper on Lane Peak, and found (perhaps unsurprisingly) very cruiser conditions.    Firm neve at the base of the Zipper couloir made for perfect crampon and ice axe conditions.  The snow became progressively (but only slightly) less consolidated the higher we went, but there was lots of opportunity to choose either looser snow (in the very middle of the couloir) or icier snow (on the edges).   Still, either excellent step-kicking, or excellent crampon-ing, and so travel was fast.   We did rope up and placed one picket (no screws), but many parties would be happy soloing in these conditions.