Home > Trip Reports > May 24/25, 2009, - South Sister (via Green Lakes)

May 24/25, 2009, - South Sister (via Green Lakes)

5/15/09
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Posted by stoudema on 5/26/09 12:17am
Todd and I met at the trailhead of the recently opened Cascade Lakes Highway and started skinning the 4 miles into Green Lakes at about noon. We had planned on meeting Buell and riding the South Sister on Monday, and riding Broken Top on Tuesday.  We ended up only riding the South Sister, but still had a great trip.

Todd crossing Fall Creek.........


About 3:30 or so we found Buell and made camp. Dinner followed after discussing plans for the next morning's assault.  We decided to ascend the lava flow and up from there, rather than straight up the drainage.

South Sister from camp showing the riding for the next day....


Broken Top from Camp..............


We awoke at 4:00 on Monday morning and started climbing at 4:30. The snow was set up pretty hard, and crampons and axes were mandatory in the steeper sections. We hooked up with the south side route at about 8:00 and continued on up to the summit.
Buell and Todd climbing a steeper pitch.........


Matt and the Lewis Glacier......


The summit photo showing the North and Middle Sisters, Mt Jefferson, and others in the distance.....


The view looking down the Prouty Glacier looked promising, but after further inspection by Buell, we headed down towards Green Lakes riding an easterly aspect.  Looking down the Prouty from the summit.....


After waiting around with others on the summit for the snow to to soften, we started decending at about 11:00. We took slightly different lines going down, so we I didn't get any good riding pictures. The ride down was great spring corn, and some of my favorite terrain to date.  I rode down the Clark Glacier and then traversed over to the Lewis, then into the giant bowl above Green Lakes.  Buell took a line off the Hodgecrest and onto the lower Lewis, then into the bowl.

Here's Buell with the main bowl in the background - you can't really see our tracks, they're very faint and in the middle of the bowl (not to the left).....


Back at camp, we made the decision to head out and not ride Broken Top. Buell had already put some big lines up on BT, and had to leave. Neither Todd or I were feeling well (bronchitisish crap) so we broke camp.  Todd on the 4 mile skin out.....


After 2.5 hours of skinning downhill in "ski" mode on the splitboards, we finally made it to the car.  Overall, a great time and can't wait to go back.
Nice trip!  That W aspect of BT is sick looking!  Still waiting to go hit lines on that.  Looks like you guys were in the same vicinity we were earlier this season.  Way to nail the summit and tear it up!

South Sister looked good! Wish I could have gotten up it, but middle sister had to do.

Here's a shot of south sister from just before you went.


author=Jason_H. link=topic=13448.msg56005#msg56005 date=1243395761]
Here's a shot of south sister from just before you went.


Dang!  Now I wish we did hit the Prouty - looks like the chute was it pretty good shape.

Stugie - BT looked sweet.  Wish we would have hit it.  Buell did 3 separate lines on it on Sunday.  I'd like to go back this weekend and hit the crater bowl.

West Face of Broken Top in Feb...



I bet Buell got some killer good lines!

author=Jason_H. link=topic=13448.msg56005#msg56005 date=1243395761]
South Sister looked good! Wish I could have gotten up it, but middle sister had to do.


What did you ski on Middle? We saw someone's tracks down the Diller Headwall on Sunday. If they were yours, did you remotely trigger the big slab on the adjacent hanging face?

There was 2-6 inches of wet snow over very hard snow. I sent all the wet stuff down to the bottom of the mountain (and the diller hw). Once the snow softened more than we had, I could see it going bigger than it did (another layer), especially with all the warm heat of the following few days. It snowed on us during the hike in and we skied before noon the day after. I didn't feel concerned with the conditions we had, but would've in the warmer days to come. So I guess what you saw could've been us? It wasn't a slab though, just sluffs. Although, the tracks were certainly ours ;)

Christy on the Diller HW.

Reply to this TR

6458
may-24-25-2009-south-sister-via-green-lakes
stoudema
2009-05-26 07:17:26