TR Replies

TRIP DETAILS

Park at gold pond, gold creek trail head
tour past gold pond
take a right at a over grown road on right with a broken gate
take road up around 500' switching back and forth
get to a clearing go up and stay to right
at 3700' you are at the base of some large cliffs and one arrow couloir that start at 5400'
stay to the right and connect the open spots in the trees veering to the right to avoid cliffs above.
It levels out at...

We didn't drive to the end of the road, just the first trailhead after the one right by the Interstate.

author=Marcus link=topic=19600.msg83348#msg83348 date=1297816382]
Nice -- which route did you take that you encountered so many creeks? 

I'd have to defer to Adam on the route questions...  We started up from the snowpark a mile or so from the Interstate, and shortly after leaving the parking area we took a right through what looked like it might have been a logging road a long time ago, but young trees covered it now.

The Valentine is Great!
I’m going to do that next time I go skiing and take a picture for my wife. Maybe then she will go skiing with me some time  :)

author=BigSnow link=topic=19581.msg83316#msg83316 date=1297785574]
That second picture looks like a classic avi trap.  How long was it and were you confident that the conditions on the top of that were as solid as when you started out at the bottom? 
Alan

Alan
That’s a good question because before turning the corner I had no idea what was up there- it could have ended in 15 feet or had a monster cornice high above baking in th...

I am glad you were able to get on that slope and get some turns.

Thanks for the great trip report Amar. I always enjoy reading your trip reports. Looking forward to reading many more.

I too got hooked on backcountry skiing on Camp Muir a few years ago. I have many happy memories of the place. Now that I'm back home in Scotland, I'm using those skills and forming new 'friendships' with favourite places in the Scottish Highlands. Thanks to Camp Muir I'm finding a new appreciation for the mountains in my own back yard. The Cai...

author=John_Morrow link=topic=19581.msg83270#msg83270 date=1297732752]
We have searched but have never found a clean line through the cliffs between the upper and lower NE slopes of Union.  All those gullies seem to have potential but did you happen to see if any go through? 

The line we took was not off Union Peak proper, but off the East-West section of the ridge connecting Union Peak to the Pass. I think it would take a rappel to ge...

On 35 deg. +  N.W slopes we could get the top inch or so to move, but could not release anything bigger with repeated cuts on rollovers.  Moonlight was fairly baked, wet, and heavy over the crust so point releases were expected, and we saw plenty of them on steeper areas.  With some conservative terrain choices we stayed well out of the action.  I did not note any hoar's, but not surprised you found some.

I was wondering if you had any snow at all; glad you found nice powder.  Sally and I ended up messing around on Skyline.

Neat stuff.  We have searched but have never found a clean line through the cliffs between the upper and lower NE slopes of Union.  All those gullies seem to have potential but did you happen to see if any go through? 
The snowmobiles did stay off all the slopes we all skied yesterday. However, they did destroy the NE Bowl of Jove Peak and Lake high marking, which is plenty deep in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness to know where they were.
Thanks,
John

Nicely spaced trees in first picture... I like them. Please post GPS map to location. Thanks.

author=trumpetsailor link=topic=19570.msg83230#msg83230 date=1297712216]
How far down? We spent the weekend nearby (and slightly lower) on Tonga/Fisher Lake (TR coming), but never felt anything nearly that twitchy in anything but the new.

The CT1 and CT4 were from my pit and were at 37cm.  The CTV was from a classmates pit and I cannot recall the depth.  There were other pits in slightly different areas that were much less sensative.  A...

I take it that you, too, are a sick glutton for punishment. Many would start measuring exponential gains from a benchmark based on a memory encompassing good conditions.

author=robert link=topic=19570.msg83229#msg83229 date=1297711881]
CTV, CT1 & CT4 on a buried surface hoar layer near the ridge crest at about 5100' on a east aspect.

How far down? We spent the weekend nearby (and slightly lower) on Tonga/Fisher Lake (TR coming), but never felt anything nearly that twitchy in anything but the new.

Awesome, Amar!  Best wishes for the next 100 Muir trips! 

Other ski warriors out there looking for some variety may want to check out several challenging lines descending east between Paradise Glacier terminus and McClure Rock ('the Muir wall'). 

I look forward to many more of your stimulating trip reports & comments.  Will your book cover records such as individuals with the most ski descents or most routes skied from each summit? 

100 times up Muir is a milestone for sure, but is this this first histogram ever posted to Turns All Year? That might be even more of a milestone!

Sorry, I'm a sucker for analytical nerdiness. Nice work.

Nice.  Did you go up and over Nordic Pass, or around on the xc trails?  If up and over, how were the woods?

Congratulations!
No kidding about the wind today, 12 hours averaging above 100 mph, with a peak gust of 155 mph.
  2-12-2011
          Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center
          Camp Muir, Mt Rainier National Park, Washington
          Data also courtesy Mt Rainier National Park
         
          Wind sensors unheated and ma...

^^^ A very accurate account of the Baker backcountry today.  We started a little earlier and had an excellent run in the Diamond Trees to start the day, but it quickly digressed into what you described above. 

It didn't take much effort skinning out of Swift Creek around 2 PM given the sustained 50 mph tail wind!

Congratulations, Amar.

I haven't skied the Muir snowfield nearly as much as you have, but I agree that it's one of the classic ski routes in North America. The route from Paradise to Muir has tremendous history, both happy and tragic.

author=Amar Andalkar link=topic=19542.msg83094#msg83094 date=1297529480]
... Apparently Laura agrees that the Muir Snowfield is a great place to introduce newcomers to our sport! ...

I would guess a lot of us learned to bc ski on Muir Snowfield (as well as how to skin, climb with skins, self-arrest :-0).  Unfortunately for me, my new wife (over 20 years ago) decided I should learn on the Nisquall.y Glacier, with breakable...