Okay, I've got a group of five friends from Pennsylvania coming out and looking for an intro to the PNW. They are fit but want to try the backcountry experience. I'm comfortable evaluating snow stability but haven't been able to explore locations beyond Baker this year. Trying to narrow down the options is killing me as I weigh scenery, snow quality, safety, and terrain options for soem easy-intermediate backcountry skiing. Tentatively I was looking at:<br><br>1: A Coleman Pinnicle overnight with tracks on the north side of the ridge<br>2: A day or two at Muir snowfield as a trip to Rainier always blows people away. (Any Avy risk?)<br>3: A trip up to Whistler and a backcountry excursion up there<br>4: A drive up cascade river road to look around (We'll be in a huge 12 person van so we can't go everywhere). Is Sahale Arm going to be safe as things start warming up? Is it low angle enough? Is there another place around there we could go?<br><br>Suggestions or insight at this point would be appreciated. I know that the weather is going to determine the outcome but maybe someone could propose a easy to find option on the west side (Levenworth, Mazama) just in case.<br><br>Thanks in advance and wish me luck.
