Home > Trip Reports > Anvil to Nisqually Bridge 5-21-09

Anvil to Nisqually Bridge 5-21-09

5/15/09
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
3173
8
Posted by Don Heath on 5/22/09 12:58pm
Brad (Moscawulff) and I left the Paradise parking lot under blue skies, no wind, tee shirt temperatures, and nicely firm snow.  Pan face was a little hard, but edgeable.  The snowfield was practically perfect in every way.  The helicopter ferrying cargo up to Muir was doing a good job of climbing up the Paradise Glacier side, keeping noise to a minimum on "our"side.  RTAY - Rotary Turns...

We lunched and sacked out on the rocks at Anvil, then pointed 'em down the steepest slopes available.  After a while we angled west to find the chutes.  It was my first time, and I was nervous, thinking - I wasn't ready, that it might hurt, etc.  But Brad was gentle and encouraging, and very loving...OK sorry, enough of THAT!  It's just that there are so many good analogies.
It was a little chundery, from old sluffs, caused by a layer of soft stuff over a firm base.  The top few inches sluffed a very little on every turn, but after two turns, I was having too much fun to worry about it.  Every turn, all the way to the glacier was just sweet!  I hunkered under the cornice, with his camera, as Brad hucked off it - hopefully there's a shot or to to do it justice.  AFPOBPF.  Another f-ing picture of Brad's perfect form.

Once down, the snow got stickier and slower, especially as it turned gritty and brown between the rockfalls.  We saw some biguns from up high, and scooted quickly through the choke point, with nothing coming down while we we traversed through.  Beware!  We were on the West side, and it became a walk-ski down to the bridge.  We dismounted about 1/4 mile from the bridge.  We both punched through snow bridges a few times.  Once at the bridge, it took a half hour or so of hitchhiking before a friendly tourist picked us up in his chairlift back to the car.

OK - now a personal note of thanks to the TAY community.  Curse you all!  And I mean that in the best possible sense.  You see, skiing, for me, is a passionate hobby, and a near limitless avenue for self improvement.  The Nisqually Chutes have been a long time goal for this budding intermediate skier.  Being able to ski them confidently gives me a great amount of satisfaction.  That's all good, and I thank all of you for your inspirational trip reports over the years.  Unfortunately, you never let up!  You all just keep ratcheting the bar higher.  I found myself at the bottom of the Chute, looking up at Brad's perfect turns and my wide variants, exulting in the joy of skiing.  For about 10 seconds.  And then I saw the Finger.  Curse you all! 

A few more pictures

http://picasaweb.google.com/Rustyknees/AnvilToNisquallyBridge52109?authkey=Gv1sRgCOH8qcnA0-v-_wE#slideshow/5338839664934464546
Rusty Knees -what was your start time?  What time was "corn o'clock?"  Thanks.

author=spltbrdr link=topic=13409.msg55846#msg55846 date=1243113616]
Rusty Knees -what was your start time?  What time was "corn o'clock?"  Thanks.


Hi Sltbrdr, We started skiing from Anvil around 2:30, I think.  We didn't hit real corn till the bottom of the chutes.  Up higher, it was jsut a soft film of soft new over the firm base.  Top of the chutes it was 2-3" of soft, mushy, snow.  I don't think yould call it corn untill near the glacier.  But it was definitely all good, skiable snow, and a lot of fun.

Don ,
Nice report . think I'll try buy my way out of mush with some elevation.

A friend skied it today and said the lower 1/3 was real mushy and a fracture line & avy debris to skier's left.  We went to Reflection Lakes to skin to Castle but at 0830 there was a wet easily breakable crust over 6+ inches of sugar snow over another breakable crust on the first 100 yds up, we turned around and went home.

Rusty Knees - Thanks for the update!!

Good job Rusty!
First time down the Chute is always a memorable experience.
Stewie and I camped in the Tatoosh last nigh 5/22 and had  a great view of the chutes.
Skiing was not great today but we got some turns in.

Very, very nice, Don. Glad you two finally made it.  :)


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anvil-to-nisqually-bridge-5-21-09
Don Heath
2009-05-22 19:58:41