TR Replies

Awesome, I really wanted to do this trip last week, but didn't want to go solo. It's cool to see that you guys got out there and were able to do it. That's exciting to see and inspires me to make a more conscious effort to plan better for it next year.

Ron-
New camera is Nikon Coolpix P5000.  It's small and has 3.5 optical zoom for 36mm-126mm range, an optical viewfinder, fully manual and lots of other options, and 10 megapixels.  I think it'll be a good compromise between the old skool Canon F1 that used to get me really great skiing shots and the ultralight Coolpix S1 that I've been using since my F1 got stolen.  I want better skiing shots, but I don't want to lug a beast.

author=Lowell_Skoog link=topic=7543.msg30210#msg30210 date=1184130503]
Conditions are everything, and clearly the ice cliff was different this year than during the July 2000 descent. There was no sidesteppable ramp that year.

Lowell,

I'm not trying to detract from Carl and Rene's descent at all.  Like I said, Dave and I pulled a dumb-monkey trick.  They definitely skied the money shots.  But you...

Thanks Ron.  Lowell and Carl with Bruce Goodson did it in 3 days back in 1996.  Lowell wrote a nice article that got published in Backcountry magazine in Nov 2002.  I believe Lowell also attempted it with Gordy in a day (of course) some time later, but got turned around.   Lowell also mentions a couple of other parties who did it in 1986 and 1990, both in 5 days.  The Boulton Gang also did it on foot in 1969 in 6 days. 

http://www.alpenglow.org/ski-history/subjects/R.html

...

Wow.
Nice one, Paul.
I don't know that anyone else has ever done it in three days, have they?

Did I ever tell you Lowell, I was up there the day your brother skied the n ridge (it was my first climb of baker)? I passed him and partner by on the way up and Carl was carrying a lot of gear (like he was apt to do). I didn't realize until I had meet him years later that they were one and the same.

And, of course, nice work Sky and Dave. :)

Way to nail it!  Like the TGR TR too ;D

I called it quits at the last shrund/crevasse when I crossed the snowbridge and looked at the nice steep slope Oyvind and party had skied. A fall there would deposit you into the biggest, ugliest crevasse on the Elliot.

It was only Oyvind and Monika who skied that slope.  I took one turn and judged the conditions to be very dangerous given the consequences.  I side stepped down.  There's a big ice cliff there in addition...

Great pics, jd,
You're covering plenty of solo ground, that's for sure.

Nice camera!  Looks like you guys had a long day, nice work.  Glad I missed the blue ice/ski mix, but it would have been nice to have joined you for the climbing. 

Oh, looks like I mis-read my notes -- that was supposed to be "a 7-day ascent."

Ha!  What are you doing next Saturday?

Great job you guys!  I wish I coulda been there.  How soon will you be ready to go back up?  :)  I think my training regiment while you were up there of driving 4 hours to the coast, drinking for 12 hours and driving 4 hours back has me in tip-top shape.  I'm ready for a 1-day ascent!

Great Photos!!  Max and I did our best to clear the slush for you.  Glad it worked out...  It was nice to meet you and we'll hope to meet again.
Steve

Skiing down is definitely the way to go but I gotta admit, the last little ski down the Interglacier with my full backpack just about killed me!  And thank goodness the Rainier rangers didn't steal our cached shoes ... that would have been horrible! 

What a GREAT trip!  Thanks again everyone (and Pete for organizing!) It was so fun being up there w/such fun friends and meeting some nice new folks from TAY.  Can't wait to do it again ... but next time Na...

That's a sweet tour, Justin.
Way to nail it before many of the good lines are gone.
And ditto on what Scottie said - thanks for checking out the slush cup for us.
Great photos, too!

Here it is about a month earlier looking from the Paradise Gl on Rainier.  

Awesome job!!!  Sounds like the weather Gods were with you and you had an enjoyable trip and great group!  I was wishing I was with you - or at least hanging at Schurman with a beer while watching you slog up and ski down - as I admired Rainier from the city/coast.  Skiing's the way to get down, huh!

Great pics guys...Great to meet you up there!
I probably don't need to start a new thread since the route was described so well already.  Jeremy and I were fortunate to have slept through our alarms set for 3:30 am! We started up at 5:30 and descended around 1:15 and that may have been a bit too early given the conditions.  It was a bit firm on the top section under the bergshrund but softened considerably around 12,000 ft.   We recovered several items on our way down including a therm...

Way to finally tick this one off Pete.  Thanks for thinking far enough ahead for the rest of us to join you -- great trip.  Glad I got it in before the over-eager ranger stole my shoes...

Crosspost at TGR do we???  ;)

Great report Chris.  Sounds like a great crew to be with too!

Ron, super job on the photos.  These ones actually do a great jobs of conveying the steeps.  For some reason my "steep shots" always seem to make the terrain look like the Daisy run at Stevens.  Is there a technique to it?

Mack, 6 weeks off skis is not advisable given your proximity to the goods.

JW, sink 'da boat and ride the ferries now and then.

I agree...you guys are crazy. I want to be just like you when I grow up! ;D
Your photos and stories are always so inspiring, it's great to see somebody really pushing the limits of ski mountaineering on some of the mountains that I can see every day!

Well done, you guys.
Great pics, too!

Nice report, great photos, JD!

Glad it helped man!  Sounds like you guys took advantage of some of that nice snow still left!  Lap time rocked!  For sure!