Home > Trip Reports > November 22, 2009, Bullion Basin

November 22, 2009, Bullion Basin

11/22/09
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
5632
4
Posted by sprice on 11/22/09 8:30am
Seriously winding and dumping all day. Too much snow to get any speed on moderate slopes. Lots of sluffs & slabs of the top 8-10 inches. The winds kept us off the ridges. Started digging a pit and set off an 8" thick sluff that kept propagating up and right for several hundred feet. But great to be out before turkey day! I hope the snow base doesn't all wash away over the next week.
Actually it was my boyfriend's 'goat starring' eyes that set it off.  No seriously, we believe it was skier triggered, 2 of 'em with a dog and as they were turning right above a rocky area.  We skied down similar aspect further skiers right and no movement to be found. Powder was beautiful and blower but that wind sure was cold. On the ski back out a small slide had released from cliff band above and covered the skin track...yikes. 

We had a natural go off a couple hundred feet above us in Pickhandle basin minutes after we decided to turn around. Scary stuff out there.

Boo (split boarder) and myself were also in the area above Bullion Basin.  I set off a pretty good size soft slab that flowed around me as I stood still on the slope.  I would say it was a soft slab just over one foot thick.  that definately was my first time seeing the obvouus cracking split ahead of me on the snow.  I was able to work my way our of the snow, and we headed home!  Great power day!


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6821
november-22-2009-bullion-basin
sprice
2009-11-22 16:30:33