Home > Trip Reports > 9/30/08, Ptarmigan Ridge - (Last turns in Sept.?)

9/30/08, Ptarmigan Ridge - (Last turns in Sept.?)

9/30/08
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
3800
5
Posted by Snowman98 on 10/2/08 7:33am
Realizing that our respective consecutive ski-months would be interrupted, Travertine and I did the thing any responsible TAY-skier would.  We slowed the work schedule to make a dash for Ptarmigan Ridge Tuesday afternoon.  With HB as our photographer, we left the Artists Point parking lot at 1:40 and found lots of hikers, excellent views of Shuksan & Baker and, eventually, a skiable snow patch.  We lapped 2.5x on a 400+€™ vertical patch of snow (E/SE aspect €“ maybe the same as Andy on 9/27) to afford just over 1k vertical.  Our last turns were made after 5 p.m., which may give us the honor of €œLast Turns in September€?? Nice to meet and ski with you James.

Way to squeak it there, gents.  The only way to go later would be headlamp skiing....
or fly to Kamchatka.

Jeff, great to meet you and expedition photographer HB.  It's a great place to be, even for just a little skiing.

Here's to hoping there is some new snow before October runs out.

Mack - nope, Kamchatka would be earlier because it is on the early side of the date line.  The Aleutian islands, though, would do the trick.

Ptarmigan Ridge is my playground of chose from August through September. Since my topo maps do not give names for most of the landmarks along the Ridge, I have had to make up my own titles for reference purposes. Photo 1 is blueberry ridge (the colour is still apparent, although the berries are gone). For much of the summer it is possible to ski from Photo 2 to Photo 1. The snowfield in Photo 2 is the hairpin turn snow finger, since the hiking trail makes a sharp bend there. The snow fingers on the right side of Photo 3 are extensions of the SE Coleman Pinnacle snowfield. I am happy to share these playgrounds with fellow TAYers.

author=Telemon link=topic=10971.msg44955#msg44955 date=1223005608]
Ptarmigan Ridge is my playground of chose from August through September. Since my topo maps do not give names for most of the landmarks along the Ridge, I have had to make up my own titles for reference purposes. Photo 1 is blueberry ridge (the colour is still apparent, although the berries are gone). For much of the summer it is possible to ski from Photo 2 to Photo 1. The snowfield in Photo 2 is the hairpin turn snow finger, since the hiking trail makes a sharp bend there. The snow fingers on the right side of Photo 3 are extensions of the SE Coleman Pinnacle snowfield. I am happy to share these playgrounds with fellow TAYers.


There's no doubt it's a really scenic and casual destination for mid summer snow, espeically with so little elevation you have to gain on the hike.  In mid August my brother and I were able to start skiing from a point well short of Photo 1 into the snow field NW of Coleman Pinnacle with only one short carry.

Yep - that looks like the patch! Nice job guys.

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Snowman98
2008-10-02 14:33:31