Muir Snowfield- Not Too Shabby

Did a quick up-and-down to Camp Muir on the 20th. Got an early start, and was at Muir shortly after 9AM to avoid the punishing summer sun on the Snowfield. The top of the snowfield was predictably choppy, with little chunks of ice in the suncups. The good news is that snow was continuous down to Pebble Creek, with only one small little crevasse opening, and the 1k-1500 above Pebble creek was starting to soften up, so fun turns were had there. Saw numerous parties with touring gear coming up as I was coming down, most of them wisely choosing to maximize the skiiing potential with laps on the softer snow instead of making the ascent to Muir. Overall quite good snowpack for this late in the year, so I can't complain too much. Paradise was predictably a complete zoo, with a 3-mile backup on the west entrance to the Park. Ski the soft snow midday and get better turns, or beat the crowds with an alpine start and fight through the chatter. Pick your poison I guess.