June 15, 2002, Coleman-Deming, Mount Baker, WA
6/15/02
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
2814
0
After a quick bivy in the road, three of us headed up the gullies to the right of the Heliotrope Ridge Trail around 5am and traversed onto the Coleman Glacier at around 6500 feet. The snow was surprisingly easy to access from the back of the parking lot and the bushwacking, and movement from patch of snow to patch of snow, very minimal for mid-June. We stuck to skier's right of the main creek until the top of the first climb where we ramped off left towards the glacier.
Ski crampons were helpful in the lower part of the climb and on the steeper parts of the glacier which transitioned from firm spring corn to mush depending on aspect. The route seemed well bridged, although we stuck close to the boot track and kept our skis on. Two of our party remained at the col and only one solo member continued to the top of the Roman Wall switching to crampons and axe for the top 200 feet or so.
The upper part of the wall made for very firm skiing(huge kudos to the Coleman Headwall skiers - I could have mixed a margarita in my pack with the shaking I got) quickly changing to soft sluffy snow as the aspect changed to the west about 400 feet down. A small schrund guarded the bottom of the headwall heading on to the Easton so it seemed advisable to traverse off and hop crusties down the small rib used as the primary ascent route for folks on the Coleman-Deming instead of continuing down the steepening slope aiming for the bridge at the centre of the slot.
After re-grouping, our party happily skied mush down the balance of the Coleman until on the final slopes below the camp spot at 7000 feet. Here the snow developed a firmer base under a thin layer of corn, and this made for easy turns all the way to the strip of trees near the parking lot. The exit gully made for a very pleasant exit avoiding the boot-pack down the main hiking trail. We lengthened our trip by getting lost in the forest for 15 minutes and popped out near the outhouses around 3:40pm. The trailhead road will be fully melted out by the time you read this....
Jonathan
Ski crampons were helpful in the lower part of the climb and on the steeper parts of the glacier which transitioned from firm spring corn to mush depending on aspect. The route seemed well bridged, although we stuck close to the boot track and kept our skis on. Two of our party remained at the col and only one solo member continued to the top of the Roman Wall switching to crampons and axe for the top 200 feet or so.
The upper part of the wall made for very firm skiing(huge kudos to the Coleman Headwall skiers - I could have mixed a margarita in my pack with the shaking I got) quickly changing to soft sluffy snow as the aspect changed to the west about 400 feet down. A small schrund guarded the bottom of the headwall heading on to the Easton so it seemed advisable to traverse off and hop crusties down the small rib used as the primary ascent route for folks on the Coleman-Deming instead of continuing down the steepening slope aiming for the bridge at the centre of the slot.
After re-grouping, our party happily skied mush down the balance of the Coleman until on the final slopes below the camp spot at 7000 feet. Here the snow developed a firmer base under a thin layer of corn, and this made for easy turns all the way to the strip of trees near the parking lot. The exit gully made for a very pleasant exit avoiding the boot-pack down the main hiking trail. We lengthened our trip by getting lost in the forest for 15 minutes and popped out near the outhouses around 3:40pm. The trailhead road will be fully melted out by the time you read this....
Jonathan
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