TR Replies
I didn't ski the chutes. I climbed up about 700VF (cimbers left) above Muir to ski the chute to the West. By the time I did that I felt like I'd had a full day!
I call going up - "once"
and coming down - "twice".
;D
and coming down - "twice".
;D
author=philfort link=topic=10153.msg40802#msg40802 date=1211746004]
we only saw one other person all day. A guy walking around in the upper basin with what looked like a large outdoor TV antenna.
We ran into a guy doing the same up near eagle point when I asked him what he was doing he said he was tracking the Marmots. According to him the Olympics have the biggest marmots in the world.
Yeah Ryan - it was your cup of tea, too. A little spicey w/ a couple of shenanigans up top that would likely keep most away - esp. considering the snow conditions.
Nice line guys, looks like a lot of fun!
author=trumpetsailor link=topic=10169.msg40855#msg40855 date=1211861138]
I'm convinced, but haven't yet proven, that cycling Paradise to Muir three times in a day is within reach of a normal (fit, and subsequently exhausted) mortal. . Perhaps someone here'll give it a go!
Wow, what a great idea , I'll get right on it. ;)
Seriously though, you should give it a go. I'll cheer you on from the top of P...
I don't think one could have seen our tracks immediately after skiing it (with the exception of the very top) because the sluffs did a good job erasing them all.
We were up there too, on Sat and Sun. You probably heard our dog barking at some point. The Park Service would not allow him to ski, and he made sure to vocalize his dissatisfaction with the regulations. We had good turns in the Mt Angeles couloir, right down to the road, and that steep face off the north side of the ski area was great too. I think we hit it pretty soon after you did on Sunday. We went to Mt Townsend for some bushwhacking on Monday. Road was passable to within ~1.5 m...
Here is a picture of Sundial from Upper Royal Basin taken Memorial Day:
Great looking line. We could not see your tracks from the basin but it is good that you got it when you did because it rained consistently Sunday night through Monday morning. That line was on our short list of tours while deciding where to ski Monday but the rain limited our options.
Great looking line. We could not see your tracks from the basin but it is good that you got it when you did because it rained consistently Sunday night through Monday morning. That line was on our short list of tours while deciding where to ski Monday but the rain limited our options.
Great report and pics Ron! I really hope to do this tour with you and crew one of these years... Let me know if any "baby steps" tours come up for June that I might join in with to bag my turns for the month. My streak is still alive, though just barely gimping along. ;)
Cheers,
Marco
Cheers,
Marco
Pete,
You need to explain to your family that the ski clock applies physics of the spacetime continuum, whereby all the gravity you are harnessing in your tour bends time, making your 2pm promise good for 4pm.
This is what I tell myself whenever I make that fateful decision to go for another run or two. I am all talk though because my family looked it up and found that in classic mechanics time cannot be bent, gravity puts skiers to bed by 8:30, and you are still late.
You need to explain to your family that the ski clock applies physics of the spacetime continuum, whereby all the gravity you are harnessing in your tour bends time, making your 2pm promise good for 4pm.
This is what I tell myself whenever I make that fateful decision to go for another run or two. I am all talk though because my family looked it up and found that in classic mechanics time cannot be bent, gravity puts skiers to bed by 8:30, and you are still late.
a friend and I toured up to the ne buttress of chair yesterday and skied down to snow lake from under the north face. great conditions out there!
The standard gully above the thumbtack had some moats encroaching at the top, but it was still plenty good. the other gullies closer to the base of the NE butt looked like mixed snow and rock from above.
Saw some people drop the gap on the Bryant couloir too. looked a little spicy! :)
The standard gully above the thumbtack had some moats encroaching at the top, but it was still plenty good. the other gullies closer to the base of the NE butt looked like mixed snow and rock from above.
Saw some people drop the gap on the Bryant couloir too. looked a little spicy! :)
The spur road is snow covered down to 4000' as of this past weekend, spotty from there (with some spots 4 feet deep, some spots bare ground).
FYI- Others may want to note that the road to the upper trailhead has a major washout about 1/2 mile in at the first creek crossing. It will be unpassable to vehicles until is is repaired.
Great trip, nice to meet you fellows.
Great trip, nice to meet you fellows.
author=DCM link=topic=10166.msg40836#msg40836 date=1211830600]
We skinned up the road until the snow ran out, ~1/2 mile from the switchback. A short bushwack cut off the switchback and brought us back to snow on...
Is the spur road snow covered, dirt, or spotty?
GREAT tour, Ron! Thanks for posting the pictures.
No rain Sunday night or Monday. Bonnie and I skied the Birthday Bowl on Monday.
No rain Sunday night or Monday. Bonnie and I skied the Birthday Bowl on Monday.
European perspective . . .
I've been skiing in France + Switzerland a lot in recent years, not much in the Cascades. When I did more spring skiing in the Cascades I did some unroped skiing on glaciers, with happy results.
In Europe I do lots of springtime skiing on glaciers, and this is what I see:
* Nobody ever ropes up for skiing down.
* Almost nobody ropes for skiing up.
* Some people solo on glaciers (including me sometimes)
Examples:
I've been skiing in France + Switzerland a lot in recent years, not much in the Cascades. When I did more spring skiing in the Cascades I did some unroped skiing on glaciers, with happy results.
In Europe I do lots of springtime skiing on glaciers, and this is what I see:
* Nobody ever ropes up for skiing down.
* Almost nobody ropes for skiing up.
* Some people solo on glaciers (including me sometimes)
Examples:
We tried Silver Star yesterday. There is no longer snow down to Highway 20. We ran into continuous snow at around 4400 feet and the trail below that is a mess of blow-down and obstacles.
We were able to drive to the Elbow Lake TH on Friday night (~2300'), MP ~10.5?, on our way to attempt Lincoln Peak.
Last June 18 we were able to drive to ~3600' on the road that zigzags above Rankin Ck. I have heard from various sources that the road gets gated until June 15, but that is definitely not the case this season. In snow-free conditions the road is drivable to about 3800' where it is blocked by rocks and trees before another spur continues on the other side...
Last June 18 we were able to drive to ~3600' on the road that zigzags above Rankin Ck. I have heard from various sources that the road gets gated until June 15, but that is definitely not the case this season. In snow-free conditions the road is drivable to about 3800' where it is blocked by rocks and trees before another spur continues on the other side...
We saw your tracks from the north shoulder of Earl today. Bean Creek was indeed raging - a definite wader. We got to continuous snow just after the last big gully before you pop up into what I think of as the basin proper.
We shuffled over for a short but sweet run on one of the peaklets above Beverly Creek, then crossed Bean and skinned up the remnant snow on the west face. We were able to get to w/in maybe 5 feet of the top of the north shoulder. The ski back down was sweet - nice...
We shuffled over for a short but sweet run on one of the peaklets above Beverly Creek, then crossed Bean and skinned up the remnant snow on the west face. We were able to get to w/in maybe 5 feet of the top of the north shoulder. The ski back down was sweet - nice...
author=trumpetsailor link=topic=10162.msg40854#msg40854 date=1211860161]
I suspect they'll be quite efficient at breaking trail on those fabulous knee+ deep skintrack powder days! (the skis, like all skis, cry out to be skied downhill in powder)
I love hearing those words ! Congrats on your new trailbreakers. ;)
hey zap - i got a solid 300m of slush turns there so it was worth it. I figure the ski's still buried below about 3 ft of snow - it's at 1400m or so. I'm going to wait another month before starting to look
Sounds like a great trip and impressive line! Nice work!
Nice report, Ron, with the usual astute observations on weather and snow conditions. Great tour, great pics, great company. Thanks!
Nice to meet you too! Did you ski the Chutes?
The thunderstorm was cool too. I miss them from home in Virginia...
As for lapping the snowfield, the long days are the key - start early (earlier than I did today ::)) and just crank along all day. I'm convinced, but haven't yet proven, that cycling Paradise to Muir three times in a day is within reach of a normal (fit, and subsequently exhausted) mortal. Continuous snow makes it easier going both ways....
The thunderstorm was cool too. I miss them from home in Virginia...
As for lapping the snowfield, the long days are the key - start early (earlier than I did today ::)) and just crank along all day. I'm convinced, but haven't yet proven, that cycling Paradise to Muir three times in a day is within reach of a normal (fit, and subsequently exhausted) mortal. Continuous snow makes it easier going both ways....
author=Zap link=topic=10162.msg40830#msg40830 date=1211812104]
So what "new fat skis" did you buy ???
None! :) Thanks to the folks at G3 that offered the "fill in the online ski/marketing survey, maybe you'll win skis" deal, I won a pair of skis. Thanks G3! Never having skied on anything fatter than my Atomic Kongurs, it seemed like a good opportunity to go big and try out the El Hombres. Worried th...
Nice to meet you - I was impressed to see you skinning up a second time!
A very nice day, at least until the thunderstorm.
A very nice day, at least until the thunderstorm.
The tour was another great reminder of why we always need to "go take a look" before relying on the forecasts
Ouch! Guess who relyed on forcasts. Nice job gang I'll try and ditto you next week .
My preferred system for glacier travel is for each person to carry 20m segments in addition to the rope joining the skiers. Then each person has an unencumbered rope to drop to the victim, set up a hauling system, etc.
also, if you do any rock climbing, namely solo climbing, BD makes a super light chest harness that I've used both for rock and mountain ascents. It's a good investment, as it can also be used for multi-day trips requiring a tyrolean.
Lee, There appears to be an imbalance between sweat equity and skiable vertical on this trip. I can understand why you haven't been there in 11 years. You kids are animals. ;)
Did you locate that runaway R:EX ?
Did you locate that runaway R:EX ?
Was not criticizing the use of a sling as a chest harness - as I said, it's a great tip. Just noting that there can be unpleasant or dangerous side effects as a result of sudden, forceful constriction of the chest cavity like you'd experience during the arrest. There's a reason most people climb with seat harnesses instead of chest harnesses - except for those odd caver types.
Another option for a chest harness is to use a "kiwi-coil" when tying in with the rope you are already using... As far as tying knots in the rope goes, that would work better if you have another piece of rope to (1) send to the victim for prusiking out or (2) set up a hauling system with. Reason being, the knots would be very hard to ascend around (especially if near the lip) and next to impossible to pull through a hauling system.
to be clearer - I meant using a figure 8ed sling as a chest harness. Is this better?
What would you suggest instead of a sling as a light chest harness?
Chest harness = great tip. Secondary tip. If you're using a sling for a chest harness ... be very careful because the harness can rapidly and forcefully constrict your chest as the fall is arrested. It can also provide unwanted chest constriction depending on how you are oriented after a fall.
author=sb link=topic=10137.msg40835#msg40835 date=1211829352]Additionally (not part of the protocol, but suggested):
Carry a long sling to use as a chest harness along with a prusik. Then if you fall in you’ll not end up upside down...
...If there’s just two of you put several figure 8 knots in the rope between you and your partner. Hopefully, these will jam in the crevasse lip and make stopping the fall and setting up an anchor much easier.....
Let me throw out a protocol for glacier travel in the Cascades.
If there is even one crevasse visible every member of the party has at least a 20m piece of rope, a set of prusiks or ascenders (ti-blocs don’t weigh much and are a bit handier than a prusik), a light etrier (Petzl makes an ultra light one) or at least a cord with a foot loop, a light harness (CAMP makes a nice ultra light one), a few slings, carabiners, and a pulley or two. That way, if someone falls in, or...
If there is even one crevasse visible every member of the party has at least a 20m piece of rope, a set of prusiks or ascenders (ti-blocs don’t weigh much and are a bit handier than a prusik), a light etrier (Petzl makes an ultra light one) or at least a cord with a foot loop, a light harness (CAMP makes a nice ultra light one), a few slings, carabiners, and a pulley or two. That way, if someone falls in, or...
Congrats to both the new in-laws and the corn skiers! :).
author=telemack link=topic=10113.msg40694#msg40694 date=1211329149]
Think there will be enough snow left on June 1?
I was up there both May 17 & 18 and it sure was sweet. With the snow as consolidated as it was, the base was amazingly firm for being so hot. Skinning and skiing in shorts rules! Of course the road flooded out Monday May 19, but road was rebuilt by Thursday. Road still technically "closed," but if you&...
I was on the other side of the water, looking back at you from Victoria. My son, Gabe, got married under a beautiful sky. And while I wouldn't have minded being on top of a beautiful ski, it was a wonderful weekend from my side of the strait, too.
Nice trip, David! I was wondering if something in that area was possible this late as a continuous tour.
I was there with two others, starting up at 11 AM, going up to 8500' The other two dropped into the Nisqaully chutes for a run down and skin up to Pan Pt on softening snow with some sluffs and snowballs, but OK. I stayed above for a nice ski down and some lapping back up. Snow was nice smooth with 1 to 3 inch deep tracks until the bottom of Pat Pt then an bit slow and grabby as it baked in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day on the mountain. We felt and looked a bit baked, too, expecting...
The gate has been open for at least several weeks, and possibly all winter.
Crossing the Middle Fork at the Green Creek trailhead (about where you can drive to right now) seemed quite reasonable a few weeks ago. Just carry sandals and a pack towel. I don’t know about the crossing further east, though.
I followed for a while the tracks of a group on snowshoes that did head up from the last left turn, presumably to climb in the Black Buttes, and recrossed their p...
Crossing the Middle Fork at the Green Creek trailhead (about where you can drive to right now) seemed quite reasonable a few weeks ago. Just carry sandals and a pack towel. I don’t know about the crossing further east, though.
I followed for a while the tracks of a group on snowshoes that did head up from the last left turn, presumably to climb in the Black Buttes, and recrossed their p...
I saw rainier from the summit of old snowy. It looked good, but quickly clouded over later in the day. It was interesting to see clouds coming from the west and the east at the same time. Too bad the westerly ones held rain!
Nice pics, as all ways Jim! It sure is nice to be strolling... back on the flanks of our little gem ;D
Steve, thanks for the report. I've been interested in trying to access Baker and Black Buttes via Middle Fork Nooksack Road (FR 38) for quite some time. But I was under the impression that the road is gated just before Wallace Creek, at what looks like about 1950 ft on the USGS map, until June 15 (see MBS Road Report and Ridl...
Nice. Definitely one of my favorite ski descents off Pilchuck from years past.