January 20, 2011, North Sister, Circumnavigation

We were able to drive within 3 miles of the Pole Creek Trailhead before encountering the usual big drifts of snow at the first junction.  We snowmobiled from there to the trailhead.  We bushwacked from the trailhead up to the Villard Glacier, and from there skied a steep icy face down to cross the moraines of the Linn Glacier.  We were on about 10-20cm of consolidated powder above the megacrust skinning up the Collier Glacier.  It would be a quality ski right now.  Wrapping around Prouty Point on 3D rime, we started encountering thickening clouds and busted down the Hayden Glacier on sun-effected powder.  Fun, but not let 'er rip kind of stuff.  Great coverage on the Hayden and Collier. 

Bushwacking back to Pole Creek TH was epic in thick woods to the snowmobile.  Skiing was somewhat marginal, but we didn't have huge expectations following the tropic thunder we experienced last week.  All in all a great day.