Jan 31, 2010, Tatoosh â The Castle
1/31/10
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
2296
3
Jan 31, 2010 Tatoosh The Castle
Quick trip report. Lots of tracks on the Castle the 3 of fresh snow definitely didnt cover the weeks worth of skiing. Snow was very heavy below around 5300, but pretty light up higher, and last weeks snow was still deep and nice (when not tracked out). Snowed intermittently all day, but no significant accumulation. Good stability. We didnt dig any pits, but I snowboarded over one steep wind-deposited rollover at around 5900 with no indications of instability, and other less-dangerous slopes were similarly stable. Skied mostly North and East exposures.
I wanted to scout a new (to me) descent, so we went heading out the east side of the north ridge that descends from The Castle in-between Reflection Lakes and Louise Lake drainages. Found some mostly buried tracks leading in that direction, as well as a couple of uptracks in places we definitely were not expecting them. In any case, we got some good, untracked turns, as well as some good untracked postholing (thanks Ben!) trying to determine through the super-thick trees if we were about to ski off of some cliffs (all signs pointed to yes). There might be some good descents off this ridge, but we really didnt find anything worth the effort there are a lot of other descents off The Castle that dont require as much traversing, navigating heavy trees and dodging cliffs at the bottom. Although, I suppose if the rest of the mountain is tracked out, it could be a useful trick? We had a great time and enjoyed the scenery, but as always, your mileage may vary.
Cheers!
Jason
Quick trip report. Lots of tracks on the Castle the 3 of fresh snow definitely didnt cover the weeks worth of skiing. Snow was very heavy below around 5300, but pretty light up higher, and last weeks snow was still deep and nice (when not tracked out). Snowed intermittently all day, but no significant accumulation. Good stability. We didnt dig any pits, but I snowboarded over one steep wind-deposited rollover at around 5900 with no indications of instability, and other less-dangerous slopes were similarly stable. Skied mostly North and East exposures.
I wanted to scout a new (to me) descent, so we went heading out the east side of the north ridge that descends from The Castle in-between Reflection Lakes and Louise Lake drainages. Found some mostly buried tracks leading in that direction, as well as a couple of uptracks in places we definitely were not expecting them. In any case, we got some good, untracked turns, as well as some good untracked postholing (thanks Ben!) trying to determine through the super-thick trees if we were about to ski off of some cliffs (all signs pointed to yes). There might be some good descents off this ridge, but we really didnt find anything worth the effort there are a lot of other descents off The Castle that dont require as much traversing, navigating heavy trees and dodging cliffs at the bottom. Although, I suppose if the rest of the mountain is tracked out, it could be a useful trick? We had a great time and enjoyed the scenery, but as always, your mileage may vary.
Cheers!
Jason
author=JasonGerend link=topic=15427.msg64504#msg64504 date=1265010011]
Lots of tracks on the Castle – the 3” of fresh snow definitely didn’t cover the week’s worth of skiing.
Brenda and I spent both Sat and Sun in the area. Nearly all the tracks were from the weekend. It's getting to be a very busy place up there, but still plenty terrain.
I usually judge snow quality by whether Brenda's having a good time or not. This weekend was pretty high on the quality meter. Real powder up in the basins, with heavier stuff below still skiing well. Visibility was an issue at times, but the absence of wind was so nice. Moderate temps, no wind and steady light snow are making for good stability and great skiing.
Nice pictures! The tracks on the right are from Brian, me and Ben - we must've descended just a little before you. Did you follow our tracks down through the trees, or go another way out? I agree that there's getting to be a lot of tracks on The Castle, but I too think that there is still plenty of room for us all (and the backcountry is still nothing like the lineup at any surfing spot I've ever surfed at). I saw some tracks across the valley on another slope that I was contemplating for the day - it's fun to see how people are getting creative and finding some good descents off the beaten track.
Cheers!
Cheers!
There's definitely some goods up there, glad you guys got some good turns in.
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