Feb 2, scare on the white salmon.
2/15/11
2956
4
Skinned up the White Salmon yesterday and was met with a scary surprise when I fell right through the skin track about half way up, thankfully I was able to pull myself out with only a minor struggle. Be careful out there! we definitely need more snow.
All in all the snow was pretty meh, the top 1k was pretty decent, but very grabby beneath that.
All in all the snow was pretty meh, the top 1k was pretty decent, but very grabby beneath that.
Glad to hear you had a "roundtrip".
The stuff of nightmares right there! Glad you avoided the drop.
Hey Dan, really glad you're OK. Thanks for the report.
The White Salmon is deceptively dangerous in winter (or winter-like) conditions, as I discovered firsthand 3 years ago when I similarly punched one leg through into a crevasse on skins. That was in April, after a LOT of recent new snow:
April 26, 2008, Mt Shuksan, White Salmon + Crevasse
(note that the thumbnailed images in older TRs are STILL not working, but you can click the broken-image icons to see the full size pictures)
The hole where I punched through, looks tiny from this angle, but it opened into a black void below:
The White Salmon is deceptively dangerous in winter (or winter-like) conditions, as I discovered firsthand 3 years ago when I similarly punched one leg through into a crevasse on skins. That was in April, after a LOT of recent new snow:
April 26, 2008, Mt Shuksan, White Salmon + Crevasse
(note that the thumbnailed images in older TRs are STILL not working, but you can click the broken-image icons to see the full size pictures)
The hole where I punched through, looks tiny from this angle, but it opened into a black void below:
Thanks guys! I am very fortunate that this experience only ended up as a learning one, and not worse. From now on whenever I travel on glaciers, especially ones that I have never been on, I will carry rope and insist that my touring partners stay at least within sight and hearing distance. It sucks to yell out for help and hear no reply. Thankfully though luck was on my side this time and I was able to yank myself out, followed by a nice semi controlled slide down the hill a ways.
All that being said I am stoked to have finally skied on Shuksan, I used to stare longingly at it for hours at a time back when I bumped chairs at Baker 4 years ago. I really cant wait to get back there and hit the north face!
Here are a couple more pics
my slide line after reaching sweet freedom:
[img width=1000 height=750">http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4105/5413715502_5f3f64bc74_b.jpg" />
The carnage, the snow I knocked down clogged the hole a bit so I don't know how far down it really went:
[img width=600 height=800">http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5098/5413116429_7a9d10e626_b.jpg" />
For another day:
[img width=600 height=800">http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/5413730062_f209d8f816_b.jpg" />
[img width=600 height=800">http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/5413727460_d50a11fa0c_b.jpg" />
All that being said I am stoked to have finally skied on Shuksan, I used to stare longingly at it for hours at a time back when I bumped chairs at Baker 4 years ago. I really cant wait to get back there and hit the north face!
Here are a couple more pics
my slide line after reaching sweet freedom:
[img width=1000 height=750">http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4105/5413715502_5f3f64bc74_b.jpg" />
The carnage, the snow I knocked down clogged the hole a bit so I don't know how far down it really went:
[img width=600 height=800">http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5098/5413116429_7a9d10e626_b.jpg" />
For another day:
[img width=600 height=800">http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/5413730062_f209d8f816_b.jpg" />
[img width=600 height=800">http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/5413727460_d50a11fa0c_b.jpg" />
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