August 20, 2005, - Muir Snowfield andParadise Glacier

Tnt and I decided to hit Paradise for some late summer turns on August 20th. The appeal of August skiing on Rainier is hard to explain to people who haven't done it. The mountain holds snow year-round at elevation, and the combination of reliable access, long days, and genuinely good corn on the right aspects makes it worth the drive even when conditions are imperfect.

We encountered snow on the trail a little below 8,000ft and crossed over onto Paradise Glacier. We opted to head up to Camp Muir even though we knew the skiing coming back down that way wouldn't be ideal. The sun cups on the Muir Snowfield were enormous by late August standards, and small rocks were littered across the run. Neither surprise — late summer on Muir is more of a slog than a ski descent, and anyone heading up in August should calibrate expectations accordingly. Still, the view from Muir on a clear day makes the boot-pack worthwhile.

Paradise Glacier was better. The surface was more consistent and the pitch more forgiving than the snowfield, and we got some decent turns in before the heat of the day caught up with us. The one thing to stay aware of in late August is the crevasse situation. Quite a few were open by the time we were out there, enough that route selection required attention. August on Rainier is a different terrain management exercise than spring, and it rewards people who take the crevasse exposure seriously.

Ultragrrl, snoslut, and Josh spotted us heading toward the glacier near Anvil Rock on their way past, which made for a nice surprise in what is otherwise a pretty solitary stretch of the mountain at that elevation.

A short day overall but a good one. Rainier in August is one of those things that sounds strange on paper and makes perfect sense once you're standing in ski boots at 10,000 feet in summer sun.

I write about hiking, skiing, and exploring Washington State at beexploring.com, covering destinations across the Cascades from the coast to the high country.