January 20, 2004, Mt Rainier-Mazama Ridge
1/20/04
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
3159
5
Met up with Sag at Longmire gate around 8:30 am. He was nice enough to let me demo his 166 burton split. Gate didn't open until after 9 am which was disappointing but the sun was trying to peek thru so it looked promising despite the late start.
Boy skinning for the first time was sure fun. It took me a bit to get use to glidding but by the end of the day I felt comfortable. Was really nice being able to slide up gentle hills instead of humping it out on snowshoes. Except for that one steeper section that I kept slidding backwards down. We solved that with cramp-ons and a few pointers by Sag. Only problem was the time wasted to put the burton together. Voile seemed effortless. Glad the weather was nice and warm.
Anyways we yo-yo-ed the back bowls and on our way out we ventured off our up track a little before we were at the road. Overall the snow was in good condition - 3 inches of fresh on top of crust that had already softened up. As the day lingered on so did the snow. Was very sticky-icky on the way down. Anyway Sag was nice enough to board cut the first slope and nothing significant released. Sure made for some nice turns on the steeper sections. All day we could hear natural avi happening above the Muir snow fields and evidence of recent avi in the bowls north of us. Only bad thing was I had forgotten my shovel. Maybe it was the anticipation of trying a split for the first time. Hey like a virgin on prom night.
Anyways I really enjoyed the split set up and am sold on it. I'm leaning towards the Voile after seeing Sag put it to use. A word of advice though...make sure to ask Sag what he ate the night before before you follow him.
Boy skinning for the first time was sure fun. It took me a bit to get use to glidding but by the end of the day I felt comfortable. Was really nice being able to slide up gentle hills instead of humping it out on snowshoes. Except for that one steeper section that I kept slidding backwards down. We solved that with cramp-ons and a few pointers by Sag. Only problem was the time wasted to put the burton together. Voile seemed effortless. Glad the weather was nice and warm.
Anyways we yo-yo-ed the back bowls and on our way out we ventured off our up track a little before we were at the road. Overall the snow was in good condition - 3 inches of fresh on top of crust that had already softened up. As the day lingered on so did the snow. Was very sticky-icky on the way down. Anyway Sag was nice enough to board cut the first slope and nothing significant released. Sure made for some nice turns on the steeper sections. All day we could hear natural avi happening above the Muir snow fields and evidence of recent avi in the bowls north of us. Only bad thing was I had forgotten my shovel. Maybe it was the anticipation of trying a split for the first time. Hey like a virgin on prom night.
Anyways I really enjoyed the split set up and am sold on it. I'm leaning towards the Voile after seeing Sag put it to use. A word of advice though...make sure to ask Sag what he ate the night before before you follow him.
that wasn't me, thats what hero snow smells like ;)
We skinned up to Muir yesterday for a workout and some crystal clear views. There were some natural and skier triggered sluffs from Monday in the most recent snow near Pan Point and on other steep slopes. We did hear and then see a large serac break off on the Nisqually icefall. Breakable crust topped just about everything that had been heated by the sun on Monday. This softened once heated by the sun. The Muir snowfield varied between pockets of a few inches of wind deposited snow, breakable crust or the old wind stripped crust. Very warm in the sun, and little to no wind. We couldn't help but notice the surface hoar that could potentially play prominently in this weekend's terrain choices.
snoslut, nice trip report. How did you find the splitboard on the ride down vs your standard board? How was it on the crustier snow... I'm tempted to pull the trigger this season and get the voile. Just trying to justify the price... I see you have tried a voile as well. Was the Burton that much more of a pain to put together than the Voile?
Tired of snowshoeing and figure spitboard = less weight on the pack...
Tired of snowshoeing and figure spitboard = less weight on the pack...
Hey Pakman I couldn't feel a difference between the way the two rode...even in crustier snow and soft avi debris. Only thing was on my first run I had to get use to a more centered stance (didn't want to tinker with it) and longer board (162 to 166). Also I still have not tried the Voile yet. I was referring to Sag and the easy time he had on his. The Voile looked so much easier to put together than the Burton. And yes you will have less weight in your pack cause it's on your feet. 8)
snoslut, thanks again for the input on the splitboards. :)
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