May 21, 2004, DAMROD (+Chinook Pass)
5/21/04
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
2557
1
Mike and I did the DAMROD today. For those who haven't been keeping up with the latest developments, the Drive Around Mt. Rainier in One Day is the fossil fuel version of the insanely athletic RAMROD (Ride Around...). Since we were expending very little of our own energy doing the DAMROD, we were able to get in a little skiing at Chinook Pass as well.
But to start at the beginning...The drive around the west side of Rainier revealed enough sucker holes in the overcast to give us hope that we would be able to see The Mountain from the asphalt meadows of Paradise, but the fog started somewhere above Longmire. By the time we reached Paradise, the fog had turned wet with heavy mist, guaranteed to soak in 15 minutes, so we continued on the DAMROD route to Reflection Lakes, where we found the same. Thus our only hope for respectable skiing lay farther counterclockwise on the route, so we continued on. As we reached Cayuse Pass, there was still fog, but it was now dry fog so we motored the optional side trip up to Chinook Pass. Both we and the car began showing signs of the long day at this point, but made it nonetheless. Still foggy, but still dry and with some serious patches of blue sky, so we loaded up the skis and booted up a north chute of Yakima Peak, at which time the fog came back in for the rest of the day.
<SNOW INFORMATION>
The snow was quite good for turns, mostly 2-4" of loose and wet on a solid base, and we skied on down into a drainage until the slope kind of gave out. Went back up to the saddle overlooking the road and skied down to the car, nice snow but fairly skied up. There appears to still be quite a bit of snow around Chinook Pass.
</SNOW INFORMATION>
With sandwiches, chips, and beer to reinvigorate us after our strenuous outing, we were able to complete the DAMROD in a respectable 9 hours, not a personal best but still satisfying given the absolutely horrid driving conditions at the higher elevations.
Here's a shot of Mike, in the throat of the chute, demonstrating his unique technique for steeps:
But to start at the beginning...The drive around the west side of Rainier revealed enough sucker holes in the overcast to give us hope that we would be able to see The Mountain from the asphalt meadows of Paradise, but the fog started somewhere above Longmire. By the time we reached Paradise, the fog had turned wet with heavy mist, guaranteed to soak in 15 minutes, so we continued on the DAMROD route to Reflection Lakes, where we found the same. Thus our only hope for respectable skiing lay farther counterclockwise on the route, so we continued on. As we reached Cayuse Pass, there was still fog, but it was now dry fog so we motored the optional side trip up to Chinook Pass. Both we and the car began showing signs of the long day at this point, but made it nonetheless. Still foggy, but still dry and with some serious patches of blue sky, so we loaded up the skis and booted up a north chute of Yakima Peak, at which time the fog came back in for the rest of the day.
<SNOW INFORMATION>
The snow was quite good for turns, mostly 2-4" of loose and wet on a solid base, and we skied on down into a drainage until the slope kind of gave out. Went back up to the saddle overlooking the road and skied down to the car, nice snow but fairly skied up. There appears to still be quite a bit of snow around Chinook Pass.
</SNOW INFORMATION>
With sandwiches, chips, and beer to reinvigorate us after our strenuous outing, we were able to complete the DAMROD in a respectable 9 hours, not a personal best but still satisfying given the absolutely horrid driving conditions at the higher elevations.
Here's a shot of Mike, in the throat of the chute, demonstrating his unique technique for steeps:
Great steep skiing shot there, Charles. I particularly like the implied tension manifest in the way the background shrubs all lunge horizontally, straining for life-giving light and air.
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