TR Replies

Nice trip - nice to know about the Depot Creek Approach - we went to Spickard and Redoubt via Perry Creek traversing to Whatcom Pass several years ago. That approach was pretty brutal.

Bill G

7/7/04 1:48am

Paul Belitz

Check your private messages! ;D

7/7/04 1:34am

cascadesfreak

I personaly did not understand why you lugged in your ladies all that way, with the mileage, brush, down trees, waterfalls, steep terrain, boulders, etc.

You're soooooooo jealous ;D Of course we brought skis; can't pass up that sweet fresh-shucked corn, even if it takes a lot of effort to get to it ;)

7/7/04 1:29am

Plumbbob

Thanks for posting the trip report Paul. John and I enjoyed meeting you and Dave last weekend and I had a great day with you on the NFNWR! It 'made' my trip south this year. John and I had two days on the Snow Dome on Mt. Hood the 27th and 28th. Then hiked up the south side of Mt. Adams and skied from the top and down the SW Chutes on the 30th. Did a trip up to Wenatchee to visit family for three days and then met you and Dave in the parking lot at Killen Creek on t...

7/6/04 11:07pm

Ned_Flanders

What do you mean you didn't bring skis??????

Kam/Cass, why did you bring skis?? I personaly did not understand why you lugged in your ladies all that way, with the mileage, brush, down trees, waterfalls, steep terrain, boulders, etc.

Kam,Cass, and Ryan, nice job on Mount Spickard. Maybe Kevin will write a trip report on our climb of Mount Redoubt altough it didn't involve skis.

BTW, I will post the lyrics to both of my hit songs, "My name is Chris Cass"...

7/6/04 10:35pm

cascadesfreak

Nice account of the trip Kam! It's definitely an unforgettable approach...I think the scars on my legs from the logs and brush will be lasting for quite awhile....of course the skiing was worth it ;D

A few more photos are posted at:

http://www.cascadesfreak.com/gallery/MtSpickard-July2004

--Chris

7/6/04 9:15pm

skip

And me with a wedding to attend! Alas, we again find all too evident the plight of the tragic hero that is me.

Fantastic report - congrats on the trip.

7/6/04 9:13pm

Paul Belitz

Sweet! Spectacular terrain, looks like fun.

7/6/04 8:50pm

David_Coleman

July 4, 2004, Flett-Russell Glacier, Mt. Rainier

Hey Kam - I should have called you...I know you would have torn this route up! ;)

7/6/04 8:00pm

Jonathan_S.

First off, many thanks to Robie for being our tour guide on the mountain and gracious host at his home!

And what a great route - sure the trail hike is a painful way to start off and then eventually end the day, but the Flett and Russell are worth it. Snow conditions were excellent, and the Russell offers an interesting variety of expert faces and rolling terrain (which can be combined in an infinite number of possibilities).

Pics are located here:
http://www.jshefftz.phot...

7/6/04 7:45pm

Jonathan_S.

July 3, 2004, Mt Rainier, Interglacier

What a great outing, as well as an honor to be with Silas to cinch month #81 (or whatever he's up to now)!

Additional pics from me are available at:
jshefftz.photosite.com/2004interglacier

7/6/04 7:06pm

Alan Brunelle

July 5, 2004, Ruth Mtn.

The first significant snow starts just as you reach below the cliffs south of the pass. It is not continuous until you round the corner to the ridge connecting to Ruth proper. Neither I nor the other skiers skied the snow along the ridge, the bootpath off snow was more efficient than donning skins. So that limits the skiing to the slopes immediately on Ruth. I don't know how long the gullys below the glacier will be continuous for a full descent into the valley.

7/6/04 6:44pm

skip

July 5, 2004, Ruth Mtn.

Nice report, thanks.

Approximately how many miles above the TH did you find snow? (I've been thinking about going up Ruth for a while now...)

7/6/04 6:24pm

Joedabaker

June 26-27, 2004, Sourdough Chutes Fest - MRNP

Yea Ron-In order to have a good sourdough you have to work the starter. I posted a report and had 3 more days of great skiing. Still some lines left check out the report and pics.
JDB

7/6/04 6:19pm

ron j

July 3-5, 2004, East Trail Sourdough to Dege

Great, Die Hard effort, Joe.
You found more great lines after the rest of us had moved on. Good show.

7/6/04 5:53pm

ron j

June 26-27, 2004, Sourdough Chutes Fest - MRNP

Nice job on the pics, Joe.
Thanks for posting them.
Did I hear that you were a super die hard and went back this last weekend for yet ANOTHER dose of sourdough??
Did you still find some good lines?

7/6/04 8:31am

Joedabaker

June 28, 2004, Degenhardt Glacier

I have not seen much response to this report, but this is very impressive. Congratulations on a incredible trip!!
Keep posting those reports! I also appreciate Sky's reports. Very well documented trips. The names are great Chopping Block, Terror Creek, Terror Rake Col sounds like a Halloween theme.
I wish that I was blessed with the Kahunas to climb some of those lines. A man's got to know his limits.
It does not appear that you guys have many!
Keep living the dream!
JDB

7/6/04 7:59am

kam

June 26-27, 2004, Sourdough Chutes Fest - MRNP

Paul,

i like the photo of Dave skiing back to camp! ;D

-kam

7/6/04 6:15am

Joedabaker

Just when you think the thread has run out of gas--
I know it is late but here are my pics of the event.
http://community.webshots.com/album/159526687TItxXr

7/6/04 5:54am

Paul Belitz

I wrote a TR

7/6/04 3:05am

Jason_H.

There are several easier ways down Sherman, the talum for instance offers a great ski!!! and one I'm sure others have done before and you can access the west side from the easton. I'd be surprised if that east face has seen other tracks though but who knows. Other than the schrund jump it probably wasn't much over 40-45. You need to go get it Sky! 8) You should try the talum Tim. It looks like a great ski! There are some BIG cracks right now though. We had to climb the cleaver to avoid the...

7/6/04 2:58am

Sam Avaiusini

the fixed line I am talking about is just below and left of where Paul took this photo:

I wish there was this much snow yesterday. This is pretty much where we began skinning.

7/6/04 2:42am

skykilo

My red Beckey recommends ski descents of Sherman Peak, which seems suggestive that the summit has seen the edges of some skis.

I'd also be willing to bet that nobody has jumped that bergschrund quite like a Hummel, or better yet, a Benda!

Regarding Paul's comments, what fixed line is there on Mt Baker at any elevation coinciding with the cleaver? I'd be interested to hear about such a fixed line. I thought I had heard of one to get out of the cliffy terrain above...

7/6/04 2:18am

Sam Avaiusini

Yep, I've read about that fixed line. Do the B-P Cleaver instead, and avoid the cliffs altogether.

Actually, the handline I'm talking about is way below the B/P cleaver. Yesterday it was definitlely the way to go as there was no longer continuous snow to gain the ridge further up the snout. Taking the hand line, we were on continuous skinnable snow much sooner (right at the top of the fixed line) than if we would have walked up the sn...

7/6/04 1:52am

curmudgeon

I figured those were probably Hummel tracks I saw on Sherman from the Baker summit. Congrats. I have not heard of that line being done before, or any line on Sherman for that matter. Master Skoog will have to pronounce on that one.

And, yes, to all of you on Baker on the 4-5th -- wasn't that some "candy" corn?!

7/6/04 1:07am

Paul Belitz

Yep, I've read about that fixed line. Do the B-P Cleaver instead, and avoid the cliffs altogether.

Still gotta do the Headwall...... >:(

7/6/04 1:00am

Sam Avaiusini

Thanks Sam...sounds like you guys had some fun on Baker. That's a committing ski after 8k+ of vertical in a day. Who did you ski it with? I know Ben's been eyeing a return to the headwall since his stint there May '03 with Sky.

We were a group of 7. Dale Ramquist, Bill Frans and I skied the HW, while the others descended the Boulder. I think I would rather go back in May as well...the snout of the glacier was pretty melted out yest...

7/6/04 12:41am

David_Coleman

BTW, Jason...too bad Paul didn't tell you, you should have come along. We needed some style points for the camera ;)

7/6/04 12:33am

David_Coleman

Aggghhh, that dude needs to work on his form...I know I looked better higher up on the face 8)

Thanks Sam...sounds like you guys had some fun on Baker. That's a committing ski after 8k+ of vertical in a day. Who did you ski it with? I know Ben's been eyeing a return to the headwall since his stint there May '03 with Sky.

7/5/04 11:38pm

powscraper

Yeah actually turns out they were there but we just never ran into them...

7/5/04 11:37pm

Paul Belitz

I talked to Jim and Amy, they said they were heading to Adams Saturday and Sunday. ???

7/5/04 11:32pm

snoslut

Yeah I was planning on it but the sun beat me into submission so I had to head home for recouping. I beleive Jim went hiking and or mountain biking somewhere?

7/5/04 10:13pm

Jason_H.

Yep that was us and yea that was a fun line (know of anyone who has done it?). As for the schrund, it was nearly too big! Josh barely cleared it and Cyril had a nice straight run that gave him an inch or two. As for the cliff, Cyril and I were forced to rap off a small tree while Josh was able to find a way around the lower buttress via some ledges further down the ridge. Neither option was great but the rap was fun. My rope ended up getting cut somehow. Now it's gonna be shorter :) ???. &...

7/5/04 9:48pm

Sam Avaiusini

I knew those were Hummel tracks!!!! ;D
Park HW was in excellent shape yesterday. We had a bit of a 'schrund hop' at bottom too...man I'm tired now! Over 8,100vft in a single push like that has to be one of my bigger days in the mountains.

Nice job Dave and Paul. Sounds like you survived 'less-than ideal' conditions on the face...and no one rag dolled! ;D

7/5/04 9:35pm

philfort

Jason, we saw your tracks on Sherman Pk yesterday (we were on the Boulder). Nice line coming down the ridge/face of Sherman - that looked like a huge 'shrund jump!
Did you guys rap off a cliff down lower where the snow ran out? We saw tracks going right up to the edge of a 100ft cliff, then continuing in the snow at the bottom.

7/5/04 9:33pm

Jason_H.

Yea, I did (have to study), but it is sooo hard when it's nice. I have some TR's ready to go. They'll be up by weeks end ;D.

7/5/04 9:30pm

Paul Belitz

Write some TRs, foo! ;)

Sending you an email crossed my mind, but I figured that you had to study. Next year. 8)

7/5/04 9:26pm

Jason_H.

Man, awesome. I wish I could've been there. You should've sent me an e-mail fools :)

I was up on Baker on the 4th and it was amazing! I've rarely had that good've a time. We skied Sherman Peak (a sattelite of baker), 10,140ft. We decided to climb the talum glacier and descend the east face. It was a great descent with a nice schrund to jump at the bottom.

Hey, Bob, I'm glad you could enjoy some washington goods. If you are down in the states again in the future, let us know or if...

7/5/04 9:09pm

Paul Belitz

I'll get the zip file to the pics up tonight, guys, I ran out of server space and jeopardized my email-recieving capabilities. Oops.

The 'snow' on the first roll at the top was actually a nice cross between sastrugi, neve penitentes, and rime ice. Possibly the worst surface I have ever attempted to ski. Traversing it was the nastiest part of the route. But the rest was really nice corn, becoming a tad bit slushy at the bottom. But it wasn't horrendously sticky, we figure-11'ed back to the...

7/5/04 8:23pm

powscraper

Hey Eric I was going to try to run into you up there because Jim said you might stay down for a while. Oh well... Hey where is Jim, anyway?

7/5/04 7:43pm

powscraper

July 4, 2004, Adams SW Chutes

Heheh... well if anyone got going faster than this guy then props to them, but I doubt it... ;)

TR's from the weekend on my site:

http://www.neolectric.com/~justin/NWframe.html

7/5/04 7:34pm

wickstad

I'd be curious at what hour the first onto chutes on the 4th went and at what point it got good.

.

I think there was a group of four and maybe another group of two that skied it before or at 12:30pm.
We determined to wait awhile after watching them ski.
I went for a warm-up run down the climbers route a few hundred feet where I met some climbers and told them not to worry they were in no way late for the chutes. (There had be...

7/5/04 7:10pm

Swanky

July 3, 2004, Mt Rainier, Interglacier

Yup, that was me. I must have just missed y'all. I spent the night at glacier basin and waited til about 8am before my restless legs could sit no more.

My first time on the Interglacier, and what a spectacular day. I'll definitely be back, though the snow this year may be getting cupped out. Lots of little gremlin rocks hiding in the snow too.

Still have yet to meet some fellow TAYders, so for now I'll remain an ultimate Gaper. Cheers y'all.

James

7/5/04 6:16pm

wickstad

Here's what I want to know: did anybody see that crazy skier going for the Mt. Adams speed skiing record off the summit, and the resulting carnage? lol ;)

I took a warm-up run a ways down the Climber's Route before we skied the Chutes. Maybe the record speed attempt took place during this time. I did not see carnage at the summit. Since that slope is in plain view of Pikers' Peak I'm sure someone must have.

7/5/04 5:25pm

snoslut

July 4, 2004, Adams SW Chutes

We exited the chutes around 8000ft or higher and ended up doing more of a climb with a traverse back up to 10000ft to access some of the longer lines we spied earlier. Going down any further would have made the hump back to counters mass longer. Thus next time I do the SW chutes without summit I would make it a day trip from car.

Anyways glad both of you enjoyed your lines despite the crowds.

Hey username nice to see you made it down south. I thought Baker would never let you go...

7/5/04 5:02pm

ron j

Good info, Wolfs, Thanks.

7/5/04 8:40am

powscraper

July 4, 2004, Paradise GL., MRNP

Hey wickstad Yeah that was us. I must say we either got really lucky with that traverse, or we're just really good ski mountaineers and don't know it yet... heheh. 8) ;D

We saw those tracks too, but we had just hit the Chutes like everyone else, and didn't want to go all the way down to the Round the Mountain Trail since we camped so high. If there's one thing this snowboarder has learned, it's stay high whenever traversing a volcano!

Here's what I want to know: d...

7/5/04 5:07am

skip

Ahh...Skip the Cliffs. It's a crowd favorite.

7/5/04 3:53am

JMor

July 4, 2004, Paradise GL., MRNP

Nice photos, thanks for sharing, it's always nice to see photos when I'm not able to attend another fine ski. The bike riding and camping were great though. ;D

7/5/04 3:09am

wickstad