Home > Trip Reports > MRNP Tahoma Glacier - A West Side Story

MRNP Tahoma Glacier - A West Side Story

5/28/25
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
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Posted by timgibson11 on 5/30/25 7:26am
***I'm doing an in-person presentation about my Rainier ski project at Feathered Friends in Seattle on June 26 at 6 PM. It's free, details & registration here.
 
 
♫ 
Maria, Maria
She remind me of a West Side Story
Growin' up in South Tacoma
She livin' the life just like a........a........ a park ranger? 
 
As you've probably heard, all aspects of Rainier are melting out well ahead of schedule. Despite the twin challenges of low tide and worse-than-normal access, some of the more "exotic" lines on the mountain have already been skied this spring. Lucas, Tom and I were a little late, but determined to join the party. On Wednesday we skied a line that had piqued my curiosity for the last couple years: the Tahoma Glacier. So easy to see from a plane, so hard to get to/from on the ground.
 
When spring rolls around west-facing lines always seem like less of a race against the clock, which adds to their appeal in my book. We started up from Paradise at a very civilized 4:15 AM, summitted via the DC and made our way west - the summit was engulfed in cloud and high wind, but things cleared up after dropping a few hundred feet, giving us our first peek down the Tahoma Glacier. What an amazing place - a mile wide, flanked by huge rock walls on both sides, and littered with some of the biggest seracs on the mountain. 
 
I've noticed that GoPro footage turns out best when you ski close to stuff. Sometimes you get a little closer to "stuff" than you'd like. Tahoma Glacier is quite the crevasse maze, and navigating the cracks in low-tide conditions was a big effort. We carried two ropes and skied shorter pitches than normal, regrouping often to discuss the next move and keep eyes on each other. Lucas wore the sturdiest helmet in his collection for extra security. Aside from the cracks, ski conditions were decent overall - a little firm up high, a little sloppy down low, good in the middle where you really need it. While I didn't love the stress factor of testing so many snow bridges, the aesthetics of making turns down the Tahoma Glacier made up for it. I've been wanting to make a video like this for a while.  
 
 

 

12,000' descents don't come cheap, and this West Side Story finished with miles of hiking out along Tahoma Creek and Westside Rd. We finished in a little under 14 hours C2C, putting the final touch/exclamation point on my ski season. I'd say Tahoma Glacier is done for the year as a ski line too. 

This was the 10th different route I've skied on Rainier - will 2026 be the year I hit my goal of skiing 12 of the 24 lines on the mountain? I'm not sure where this one ranks among Rainier's ski lines, but it's certainly one of the most memorable days and one of the biggest adventures I've had on the mountain. Thanks to Sam for the exit beta, and to Lucas and Tom for making this happen. There's no way I would have done it without the A team. While I had the luxury of recovering at home, Tom got up the next morning to guide a group up (where else?) Mt Rainier.

Who wore it better, Mt Adams or Lucas?

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Top of the Tahoma

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Lower Tahoma

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Walking out the inexplicably closed Westside Road

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Such a wild position! Stoked to see more west side action!


The video gave me the heebee geebees during the upper part. Lucas's hard hat is the same one Clint Eastwood wore in the Eiger Sanction, Bitchin!


@carbonj: thanks for the historical tidbit! As you can probably imagine, there's a whole story behind the origin of that helmet.


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timgibson11
2025-05-30 14:26:40