TR Replies
Thank you for a great afternoon. Plus "Mind the Track".😄
@markharf you are 100% correct, this is the South face, not the North.
@mark-p: Hannegan ridge, do you mean Hannegan pass, peak and Ruth Mtn? Yes, great spring skiing in particular, though the approach via trail can be a bit obnoxious. Lots of good trip reports out there for this area.
Super lame. I hope they contacted you. Glad you got some great runs!
always good to get info on other backcountry options near Baker. Have you done Hannigan ridge?
Encouraging for sure, although the photos, elevations and description all correspond to the south face, not the north. I've backed off that large exposure once or twice, then regretted it just as you did; gotten waylaid by the half-buried alder before finding the trail, too.
They are checking for pass holders and registration fyi or at least were today
The Straight Glacier is a great ski and unique area. Way to get out there!
Thank you for taking the time to post the information!
Have fun! If it's not windy, and fully sunny, could you possibly get some kind of corn?! Please report back :)
Thanks for the great trip report, Alisse! I think that knowing where to go and then doing it in October are plenty creative! Let's face it, options are quite limited. I've been dreading going up Thursday for my least favorite ski month, now I am quite excited 😁
Enjoyed several days touring out of the Brian Waddington hut north of Pemberton in BC.
El Nino snow conditions allowed my to drive my high clearance 4WD van a few km and 1000 vft up the FSR past the usual winter parking lot, shortening the road skiing portion of the approach . El Nino conditions made the hiking trail portion of the approach much more demanding than prior trips when there was a decent skin track to follow. There we bare sections of trail.&nb...
😔Mike, thanks for the report. What do we call in it now, the Spider Couloir? It joins the list of glaciers that aren't glaciers...Crescent, Inter, Unicorn, Lyman, Lynch, Sarvant, Conrad.
Mike- I have enjoyed reading your Spider Meadows reports in previous years. It's been on my list for a long time, but haven't made it yet. Bummer to see its current state! Glad to see your dog is still up for adventure!
Mike, thanks for the report. Of course this is old news to most of us, but so shocking to see a reliable old friend gone. A few years ago we skied on the Lyman side and Mike told me the first time he walked past it when he was a little kid the glacier was 40 feet tall above the lake, now of course there is nothing.
Such a good lollipop! Looks like a really fun day despite the haze and blue ice for the skis. Nice squiggles.
Quite possibly, Alisse, but we need more snow...or at least a big mid-October flurry!! A pint of bourbon is far lighter, though. 😂
Congrats! Will you have a 27-year tayaniversary celebration? I'd haul beers to celebrate that!
The only report I remember of someone skiing the Straigh Glacier twice. (I also didn't know that's what it is called.) I love the Mt. Loop Hwy. Thanks for the post.
Thanks for the trip report. I honestly wouldn't have thought to do the Inter glacier this late in the season but hats off to you for hoofing in up there and getting some turns. Is there a climbers boot track from Glacier Basin up to the glacier or did you just pick your way up until the snow started?
Also, thanks for the history of mining up there. I've seen the old machinery along the Mt Ruth summer trail but didn't know how extensive the operation was.
Thanks for the chunk of history. Very interesting. And that is a LOT of ice gone down the white river. :(
Sick double inversion in photo #1. What time of day was that taken?
I am amazed that you had the gas to double-summit that mountain and ski such a gnarly line on the second lap
I appreciate the report.
It sounds like you went up the ridge, or did you take the glacier center?
Inspiring, as always. Can't imagine why your knees would be creaky.
Bummer to not succeed, but good call. The mush this year is gnarly!
One of the best unsuccessful trips! Thanks, you two ❤️
Awesome, nice work! I was literally just wondering how the NFNWR was and bam, here’s your TR (gotta say, also impressive work on some of those linkups in your TR archive, I’m happy just to get ONE lap in a lot of those spots and you’re doing multiple like it's NBD!). It’s interesting how that face seems to be a little different each year. Here’s how it looked last time I was there, shit like 10 years ago now 😱 (7/7/14):
Thanks for report - nice job. Love the pic with the yellow Black Crows, give a nice sense of the the pitch.
Kyle,
The link to your site provided the Trip Report. It was wonderful to read the conditions and the photos to see the environment. 😀
Thank you.
Zap
Beer at the westfalia in the parking lot. Would post a pic but the media tab does not seem to be working
Solid Show!
Did you stop for a pilsner at Paradise cafe patio?
Thanks for the report!
Sounds like a bit of a sufferfest, but wow that's some beautiful country to have to yourself.
Your trip report explains what it feels like "going up". Plus, the photos add to the feel. 😀
Thanks
Zap
Yes, the SW ridge to the false summit of Naches was surprisingly perfect corn O'clock and not mushy. It had good cover that will not last long.
The W and E facing venues had very good snow cover but looked mushy to our eyes and had signs of loose snow on the move with potential for hisser sloughs.
It will be interesting to see what the pineapple express, and skier grooming do for that. But I would venture a guess that things will be pretty darn good after the rain, for a...
Loooong, Steeeeep! Good job.
Thanks for the report! Doesn't look too slushy. Watched the vids.Nothing like a double feature on a rainy day !
@kamtron: the benefits of being in the fishbowl! Look forward to seeing them.
@bigeo: this was our 2nd attempt at the Coleman - our previous experience was similar to yours.
I got some photos of you guys skiing the Coleman headwall on Friday with my zoom lens. I'll eventually post them up here.
Nice work and well put on the CGHW...it's the real-deal.
Wow, that's one helluva twofer! Well played. I appreciate your cautionary words on attempting the CH. Three of us climbed the N Ridge several years ago with the idea of skiing down the Headwall. By the time we reached the summit plateau we were in a total whiteout. We diverted to the Roman Wall because there was a bootrack to follow and booted halfway down to the divide before we could see and ski. Every time I have looked at the Headwall since, I have thought that our bad luck wi...
There is indeed - https://www.cascadebackcountryalliance.com/
Is there an Evergreen MTB Alliance sort of advocacy group currently for ski touring and better access points in WA? I’d be stoked to volunteer time and effort if there’s work ongoing towards this. Or does such an organization need to be created?
Looks awesome! Do you have a GPX you'd be willing to share?
The biggest potential user group would be for snow play, actually. People in the area have very few options beyond driving to Hwy 2 or even 90. That has the potential to serve a lot of people that don't have an easy way to get to the snow. The usfs is interested in more access like that, with the side benefit that ski tourists, snowshoers, and Nordic skiers could have a new place to go.
You're right that there are a lot of obstacles, but we are going to try.
Good luck with the campaign Kam, I'm in, but don't hold out much hope.
Over the years I've contacted the head ranger of the district many times, and tried to get others to e-mail. One year they actually opened the Heather Lake gate once the snow melted to the upper gate, which remained closed. This was a perfect compromise, giving us easy access when there was still lots of snow, but was never repeated. I'm afraid that road/mountain is a magnet for nit-wits and miscreants who have rep...
There are a group of us organizing to get the road opened as a sno-park in winter. Stay tuned for when you can lend a letter of support to the usfs. It is a great location and would be nice to be able to drive up to the old lot in all seasons
I appreciate your report!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/qxiszf3QkyioEmaS9
From '100 Classic Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Routes in Washington' by Rainier Burgdorfer, 1999 édition.