TR Replies
@Dylan Do you happen to have other photos of Spider you would be willing to send my way? Thanks for the cool TR. That's mighty fast
Awesome! I've only been back there a couple times on foot but it always seemed like it had a lot of skiing potential.
Bummer about the break-in :(
Great photos provide the "look" of the snow coverage in areas I ski.
Thanks.
avajane, you're correct, I believe there is a winter cat skiing op on Bailey
https://www.catskimtbailey.com/
Thanks, eatskisleep! Yeah it was really cool to get back there, and also to see Blanca Lake from above! As well as stunning views of Sloan, etc.
Cool…Is that the place that has a Snowcat operation in the winter?
Score!! Bony times in the North lands. Have fun down there!
Thanks for the report, this one always seemed so cool to me. Probably had the whole place to yourself! And man, sorry to hear about your car! So frustrating that just parking at a TH these days is a reason to get a window busted in.
Thanks for the report. Not sounding promising for mid June on Thielson. Hoping for better on the other four volcanoes.
As of 5/24, you have to walk a couple miles on the Thielsen trail before reaching snow. South face is still skiable from a couple hundred feet below the Chicken Ledge and melting fast. NW bowls hold more snow, but also some rock beginning to show.
Mt Bailey has snow all the way down to the road, and is a better bet if you want to ski to the car (in the next couple weeks or so!). I did way more walking out than I would have liked on Thielsen.
Cool You got out there! Any thoughts on how the road might be now after all this heat? Considering whether it’s worth it to bring bikes.
Nicely done video. Definitely a good area to visit. Avoiding the cliff scramble when there's snow is totally worth it.
Nice! Keep posting and put in some pics for those of us chilling up North
Excellent. Looking forward to a report.
Wish I was going now. With out generally warm spring weather, it is becoming apparent that my annual June ski trip needs to become and annual May ski trip.
blackdog I'm not sure but hoping to gather more Intel on the Southern OR peaks in the next week...
Heading south Mid June: Diamond, Scott, Thielson, Bailey, and McLoughlin. Concerned the heat jacked an otherwise fat snow pack. Any thoughts what things in the south might look like in a month?
Andrew,
Pretty similar to that. My fav varies in the last third a little west from that
I pass the tarn.,skip the first gulley on your left then slight left to gain the wide ridge and hook right to exit to road on west side of Sunbeam.
Occasionaly we ski this late winter with longer days and lots of flat work!
Gary Vogt and Ed Strauss introduced me to this drainage years ago. Leather boots and skinny skis era
Robie
Thanks for report and pictures….
And how are your pictures straight and not randomly sideways? I post with my IPhone.
Nice, Dylan! Beast mode for sure. I have yet to do that tour and really want to.
Robie, is this what you're talking about with Sunbeam Drainage? I saw someone's route on peakbagger going down there but didn't know anything more about it, it does seem like it could be nice! I'll have to try that if I do unicorn again, thanks for the info!
Andrew,
Thanks for the conditions report on
"Ski it while you still can" Unicorn.
One option for a more meaningful exit
Is skiing west into the next drainage and /or traversing high on west side of Foss peak ridge. Summit Foss peak and then ski out north thru Sunbeam drainage. It requires a walk to car or spotted car. Or a stashed bike or skateboard. Pretty much all downhill road from Sunbeam creek to snow/bench lake trailhead.
Robie
Thanks for the report. We could see the Tatoosh snowfields from Paradise lot while lower sections of Muir snowfield were socked in. Good to know the warm snow skied well...
@cumulus We did have ice axes out for the steep/crevassed sections: That section in the video was a benign bit shortly after roping up (I think you can wait to rope up higher), so we opted to cruise through then pull out ice axes as the slope steepened and crevasse signs emerged.
Man that looks nice! Love that side of the mountain.
Watching the vid (1:30) made me wonder what your rational was for roping up as a 2 person team. Roped together with no axe to arrest, a crevasse fall may pull both of you in? Seems safer without a rope...
Hard to say but I would think the couloir would have plenty of snow still. Likely to be a lot more bare spots down low though!
Nice Zap! I snuck in a DD at sunset last night in good conditions, I think it's the last one for the season for me as it's down to a ski width or less in places and a few "green" turns but still goes top to bottom. Cowboy and Mill valley probably have a week or two left with a little creativity...
Hah I found an iphone at 12k on Rainier that similarly just needed a charge to work again. Never found the owners, though
Cool report. Nailed it for sure. It's always motivating to ski underneath a big serac wall waiting to drop on a hot day!!!
Same thoughts as lilb907, this demystifies this line for me a lot
@lilb907 we can't just be scratching our way down these things now, can we?! Entry couloir was pretty mellow, it looked wide enough to make turns in all the photos I've seen as well. I think the crux of this line is routefinding & passing the schrund, the skiing itself wasn't that difficult...although we did have hero snow so take that assessment with a grain of salt. I heard you were skiing with my friend Sean up in AK!
Well done! Sorry about the injury, glad you're ok. We tried to do it in a single day push on Saturday and left the parking lot too late at 4:30am. We bailed back down the cascadian at what I call the "lunch rock" on the ridge below the false summit around 8400' due to the warm/soft conditions. The log crossing was the most heart-pounding event of the day for me, haha. Whoever set the skinner out linked remaining snow patches from the creek to Long's Pass with the prescience of some sort of je...
Nice line. Skied in great style too. Been wondering how wide that entry couloir is.
Am thinking about heading up there this weekend, do you think it’ll still be filled in enough?
The Sherwins around noon is a "fat ski day" and surfing.
Belly slides are GREAT with small legs and surf conditions. Could it be a couple "belly sliding" next to each other for a big juicy dinner?😀
@jon-rambo, that's wild. It must have died a few days after you lost it and then survived the rain and snow since there was no charge left in the battery to short anything. When I charged it up yesterday, it was still in airplane mode and thought it was September 9th, so that checks out... Strong work, Apple engineers!
DM me if you can. I'm in Seattle if you want to come pick it up.
I don’t believe it!! You found my phone.
Would you believe me if I told you I lost it last year on September 3rd?
Can’t believe it survived the winter. Here is my instagram if you want some proof that it’s mine 😀
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLqWd2Xh0ssQXwJGXvDgLYNltqJwzdJOlUb7oA0/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
It really is a nice spot, but I’m always late. So often by the time you can drive close it is cooked. Beautiful pictures.
Strong work Tim! Always fun seeing your yearly new line on Rainier.
Sweet, thanks for the share. I think I remember you posted a TR back then? Oh yeah, here it is: https://turns-all-year.com/trip-reports/may-2-2014-dark-peak-first-ski-descent
Thanks for the memories
@happycamper 9070 still is pretty snowy- as of Sunday it was basically solid snow to the spray fields when I skiied the zipper via Roaring ridge approach. Big berm at the entrance as well, and very good coverage around Mt. Catherine. Give 2 more weeks and you should be able to drive fairly far up for easy approaches to Silver Peak area.
Love going up there on those sunny days just after the lifts close. Will miss Alpental for the next couple years - but worth it I think.
My memory is dim on this, but it seems like the melt on the lower slopes happened faster this year.
Anyone venture up FS 9070 to Olallie yet?