from May 16, 2005:
Skiing, snowboarding, and split boarding,
Muir snowfield, Panorama Point, Mount Rainier, Washington, May 6, 2005
Chris skinning in fog
below Panorama Point | 
Split boarding Eric pauses
on the Muir snowfield | 
Looking down Muir snowfield | 
Mount Rainier and Nisqually
Glacier through the fog | 
Rene skiing near
Panorama Point | 
Eric and John split boarding | 
Eric and John snowboarding
near Pan Point | 
Eric snowboarding | 
Eric split boarding
near Panorama Point | 
Rene | 
Rene | 
Chris skiing above
Golden Gate | 
John snowboarding
above Golden Gate | 
Rene skiing Golden Gate | 
Eric snowboarding
Golden Gate | 
Eric split boarding
Golden Gate | 
Chris | 
John |
Photos by Charles Eldridge
| Backcountry skiing, snowboarding, split boarding trip report:
Muir snowfield, Panorama Point, Mount Rainier, Washington, May 6, 2005
I met Eric and John, with split boards, and Rene and Chris, with fat Seth Pistols, in the Paradise parking lot under foggy conditions. Coverage above Paradise was adequate, if not ample, and the snow had a coat of very white new snow. Skinning up to the base of Panorama Point we discovered ropes and a sign saying that the winter route was closed. There was a ledge of snow on the summer trail and we were able to skin the whole way to Pebble Creek with one short carry. I waited at the bottom of the Muir snowfield for the others and enjoyed a snack in the sunbreaks.
From there we skinned up the far right side of the Muir near rocks because the fog kept coming and going. Looking up we could see Rainier's summit in the sun and there were plenty of sucker holes, so we were optimistic that the visibility would continue to improve. We gathered at about 8500 feet and decided to pull the skins and traverse over to the entrance to the Nisqually Chutes. Before we were ready to go, however, dense fog set in and we were not to break out of it until later when we had descended below 7000'.
Still optimistic, we traversed over toward the entrance, using Eric's altimeter and the very brief moments of slightly better visibility. We poked around the western edge of the Muir, descending a little, looking for the entrance but just couldn't find it. When Eric cut a small 35 degree slope above some cliffs and triggered a wet sluff which poured over the cliffs, we decided that that was our signal to give up, so we traversed back to our skin track and followed it down out of the fog.
The skiing and boarding was actually very nice - the new snow was fast and buttery. Not wanting to deal with a carry down Panorama Point, we crossed Pebble Creek and scooted over to the east-facing slopes just above Pan Point, where we found very nice conditions on the steep little drops there. The surface layer of new snow slid readily, making good hissers. We poked around a little above Edith Creek basin, hoping to find a direct way down, but all connections were melted out to the west of Golden Gate, so we made our way east and skied the nice slope into the basin. Once to the gentler slopes in the basin the snow became slow and grabby, but the creek was still bridged and it was possible to ski right to the parking lot down the trail.
Charles |
|
|
|
