Feb 3, 2010, White Salmon Glacier, Mt. Shuksan
2/3/10
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
3430
8
The lack of recent trip reports from the Baker area and very little new snow since a week ago seemed to indicate conditions were poor around here. But folks to the south kept adding trip reports with great skiing so we thought wed better check it out.
With no real destination planned, Chuck, Don, and I headed up the highway and were greeted with a surprise view of Mt. Shuksan. With that view and the good avalanche forecast, we decided to give the White Salmon a try. None of us had been there before and we didnt know the specific details of the route.
Of course, we took the wrong way in (a higher traverse than needed from the access to Rumble Gully just above Chair 8) which added cliff/gully navigation and an extra couple of hours. Reaching the bottom of the White Salmon basin (~3,200 ft) at 1030, we started skinning in earnest. Our good visibility slowly declined throughout the day, but the snow was excellent: a few inches of new on progressively deeper stable old cold snow the higher you went. It was about a foot deep by the top of the White Salmon. Boot packing proved easier than skinning when we got to the sustained steep slope of the White Salmon. At the top, around 3pm, we quickly switched to descent mode as it was now snowing pretty hard and only our boot pack trail gave us immediate depth perception. The descent was excellent (considering the flat light) and we found the right way in/out (starts at a landing from the clearcut just below the bottom of Chair 8, then drop ~700ft to the valley and head up to the basin) which will save at least 1.5 hours on our next trip.
Thanks Don for the pictures.
With no real destination planned, Chuck, Don, and I headed up the highway and were greeted with a surprise view of Mt. Shuksan. With that view and the good avalanche forecast, we decided to give the White Salmon a try. None of us had been there before and we didnt know the specific details of the route.
Of course, we took the wrong way in (a higher traverse than needed from the access to Rumble Gully just above Chair 8) which added cliff/gully navigation and an extra couple of hours. Reaching the bottom of the White Salmon basin (~3,200 ft) at 1030, we started skinning in earnest. Our good visibility slowly declined throughout the day, but the snow was excellent: a few inches of new on progressively deeper stable old cold snow the higher you went. It was about a foot deep by the top of the White Salmon. Boot packing proved easier than skinning when we got to the sustained steep slope of the White Salmon. At the top, around 3pm, we quickly switched to descent mode as it was now snowing pretty hard and only our boot pack trail gave us immediate depth perception. The descent was excellent (considering the flat light) and we found the right way in/out (starts at a landing from the clearcut just below the bottom of Chair 8, then drop ~700ft to the valley and head up to the basin) which will save at least 1.5 hours on our next trip.
Thanks Don for the pictures.
One more - looking down our run. A very sweet fall line.
What, no videos?
waiting for my tech guy ...
Nice. Did you note any open (or thinly veiled) crevasses? Wondering how the low snow totals have affected the winter fill-in.
We did not notice crevasses in our line. We stayed on the east side near the rock wall most of the way as it appeared to be the best fall line and provided better visibility than the open white slopes slightly west.
Looking west, we did notice bare glacier ice on some rollovers and some indication of open or more thinly bridged crevasses. Most of this was about mid-way up as the lower part appears to no longer have real glacier (lots of avy debris and water ice on rock slab, but not glacier). The upper part seemed well covered.
Looking west, we did notice bare glacier ice on some rollovers and some indication of open or more thinly bridged crevasses. Most of this was about mid-way up as the lower part appears to no longer have real glacier (lots of avy debris and water ice on rock slab, but not glacier). The upper part seemed well covered.
Hugging the east side of the White Salmon is precisely where Amar punched through a crevasse in April a few years ago. One leg went in up to his crotch. So, for others, take note of it.
author=David_Coleman link=topic=15479.msg64742#msg64742 date=1265327294]
Hugging the east side of the White Salmon is precisely where Amar punched through a crevasse in April a few years ago. One leg went in up to his crotch. So, for others, take note of it.
I remember that report.
Here are pictures of the White Salmon showing some of the crevasses in October 2008.
Jeez, I hate it when foks out my secret stashes ;D
nice work.
nice work.
Reply to this TR
Please login first: