May 25, 2003, Banshee Peak MRNP

Ken Zirinsky and Charles our web site host met at my house 7am with apprehensions about the weather for this tour.Our mantra "Well it is the dry side of the Park".We drove up 410 under ugly low clouds and rain got to the trail head at Frying pan creek,dressed and headed up in cloudy drizzle. More mantra. Snow on the  trail was more suited for boot till the last 1/4 of trail. We couldn't see chutes but from 2 weeks ago I knew there were some big cornices ahanging. We entered Summerland and stayed on the right of Frying pan creek till we found a snow bridge worthy of weight.As it happened the snow bridge was directly opposite of the summer trail to the shelter.MAntra and karma seemed to be working as we were skinning up and around under Meany Crest we were enjoying  great veiws.Still lots of clouds We didn't get our first veiw of Little Tahoma and  Mt Rainier till we were up at Panhandle Gap. Panhandle Gap was heaivly corniced but at East end there was small break and passable. We chose to stick to Burgdorfer's route and go east through a small saddle adjacent to Panhandle. Big chute and a little tricky till we figured it out by dropping a little lower.In fact Ken And Charles got to liking this chute so much they took a couple runs.Full mantra kicked in, Banshee ahead and Rainier poking in out of clouds.Banshee at around 7400' isn't very steep but is in Command of impressive cornices and has a spectacular veiw of the whole banana. The summit of Banshee was very windy up there so we didn't linger.At times the clouds were bumping our heads. The run down was disappointly slow due to sticky snow.Lots of other steeper runs to be had up there on way in and out.We put in about 3600' ,10mi and 10.5 hours. Ken probaly got closer to 5000' with his forays down in to "KEN's Canyon. We skied 70% back to the car with Charles connecting patches for 90%.Saw no other skiers but 2 snowshoers camping at Summerland shelter area.
"It's the dry side of the Park"