Baker Round Table 1/30
1/15/09
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
4135
3
Brian and I met in Bham at 11:30 and were skinning by 1:10. Our calculated window of daylight was therefore 4 hours. Initially nice visibility and a high deck, yielding views of Shuksan and Baker summits.
Up at Artist Point there were several parties chilling and apparently planning to ski down into Bagely basin. We turned left for the other side of Table. As this was upwind, I was concerned that we would encounter wind-scoured ice death crust. But no, whatever snow was blown off, some more had blown on from somewhere else. Pretty much all day was 6-12" of new (heavy powder) over an ice base, enough for decent turns.
We crossed a party of snowshoers without beacons and then angled down across massive debris fields at the base of Table. I guess there must have been large wet slides on the south facing slope during the inversion. Then we skinned up to Ptarmigan Ridge and the decision point. The clouds were lowering and the wind was kicking up. Safe but boring to go back whence we had come. We decided it was reasonable and continued on down to Chain Lakes.
From there we found a lone skin track going up climbers left through the trees (thanks, morning skier!) and followed it where it was visible, not so much for trail breaking which was not a problem, but for confidence on a good route as more snow started falling and the wind kicked up further. The obvious main gully would definitely go where we wanted but the trees seemed safer.
There was still some daylight at 4:40 when we got to Herman Saddle. This was pretty much home free except now the dillemma of whether to goggle (and be basically blind in the fading light, shaded goggles) or not (be pelted with some horizontally moving ice/snow/sleet substance). The answer was not. Nice enought turns down to the Bagely basin and then cruise / trudge back to the car along the bottom.
My sense was that the crust under the new was not going anywhere. No symptoms of any kind of instability except one notable crown on a very steep location in Bagely Basin. The 6-12" new sluffed freely on top of the crust.
Brian had the camera, mostly bad light, hopefully there are one or two to post.
Up at Artist Point there were several parties chilling and apparently planning to ski down into Bagely basin. We turned left for the other side of Table. As this was upwind, I was concerned that we would encounter wind-scoured ice death crust. But no, whatever snow was blown off, some more had blown on from somewhere else. Pretty much all day was 6-12" of new (heavy powder) over an ice base, enough for decent turns.
We crossed a party of snowshoers without beacons and then angled down across massive debris fields at the base of Table. I guess there must have been large wet slides on the south facing slope during the inversion. Then we skinned up to Ptarmigan Ridge and the decision point. The clouds were lowering and the wind was kicking up. Safe but boring to go back whence we had come. We decided it was reasonable and continued on down to Chain Lakes.
From there we found a lone skin track going up climbers left through the trees (thanks, morning skier!) and followed it where it was visible, not so much for trail breaking which was not a problem, but for confidence on a good route as more snow started falling and the wind kicked up further. The obvious main gully would definitely go where we wanted but the trees seemed safer.
There was still some daylight at 4:40 when we got to Herman Saddle. This was pretty much home free except now the dillemma of whether to goggle (and be basically blind in the fading light, shaded goggles) or not (be pelted with some horizontally moving ice/snow/sleet substance). The answer was not. Nice enought turns down to the Bagely basin and then cruise / trudge back to the car along the bottom.
My sense was that the crust under the new was not going anywhere. No symptoms of any kind of instability except one notable crown on a very steep location in Bagely Basin. The 6-12" new sluffed freely on top of the crust.
Brian had the camera, mostly bad light, hopefully there are one or two to post.
Nice job for a short day. :)
I was on Herman 2 weeks ago and we dug a R-block on one of the warmer days of the inversion. It was rock stable, even though we could detect the 2 foot layer of snow that fell on the old rain crust, it would budge with some jumping like a banshee on the Rutschblock.
We did see a wet slough at 11:45 AM on the way up to the saddle coming from high up on the S. face of Mt. Herman but it was not propigating at all - came off of a fairly high angle rocky face.
That deep layer is bonded - good news for a while but I wonder how many climax slides we'll be seeing in May or June.
Dr. Telemark
We did see a wet slough at 11:45 AM on the way up to the saddle coming from high up on the S. face of Mt. Herman but it was not propigating at all - came off of a fairly high angle rocky face.
That deep layer is bonded - good news for a while but I wonder how many climax slides we'll be seeing in May or June.
Dr. Telemark
Definitely a good use of after work time of a short Friday in the office. I do have some pics, and will get them up soon (comp has crapped out, and roomates only has linux).
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