Jan 3 Mazama Ridge

Wanted to get one more day in before the holidays really ended...Rainier, hoped for Camp Muir...but as we arrived the weather high (above 7,000 feet) looked bad and like it would get worse.  We decided to head over to Mazama Ridge early - I think we were car number eight in the Paradise Parking Lot - we skinned up to the ridge, started on some of the slopes closer to Sluksin Falls and then worked our way South.  We dug one pit and it looked like 8" on top of a wet layer, but consolidated.  We skiied through the day and at lunchtime we were joined by a number of other folks that skiied further south on the ridge, they had tried various other places and found Mazama to be better.  They did a Rouchblock test near the top, some 6" sluffed, but the rest was solid.  Celebration for the New Year sufficient, more snow please!!!