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Topic: July 15th, Mt Rainier, Mowich - Edmunds Headwall (Read 2086 times)
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eduardo blanchard
5Member
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Posts: 22
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Booth and Colin Haley and myself skied the Edmunds Headwall on the Mowich face on July 15th. Since I moved to Seattle a couple winters ago and slowly became acquainted with the surrounding mountains, the Mowich face quickly burrowed itself into my conscience, its hanging glaciers, steepness and shear magnitude reminding me of certain parts of Les Alpes. As this spring unfolded, and suspicions grew that the high slopes of Rainiero were in decent nick, I wanted to make the most of a small window in between family visits and summer relocation. Seemed like the 14th - Bastille day- would be a possible descent date- a fitting homage to the nation that pioneered steep skiing and that is suffering from so much malaise sportive this summer hehe… In the end, we had to make do with Bastille plus un.
We left the Mowich lake trailhead (where we bumped into TAYers Keith Henson and Telemack) Wednesday late morning. I like the fact the drive there from Seattle is so much easier and pleasant than Paradise. As soon as I saw the face, I was very excited- in the previous days I'd been reading Sky Sjue et al's report of the route from just over a year earlier, and the top section of the face looked a lot whiter this year.
After a few hours hiking we made it onto Ptarmigan ridge, and found a very nice little wind shelter around 8.5k. We enjoyed a lovely evening eating caviar, drinking champagne and discussing the various forms of showing one's full love to scrumpets. In this arena, Colin is surprisingly non-extreme. We left the next morning around 5, and promptly made it to the Mowich glacier - the choss downclimb was minimal and we could ski most of the way down from the ridge. We traversed the glacier slowly gaining height until we were below the Edmunds Headwall. The rimaye crossing was uneventful (climbers left), and the climb thereafter progressed smoothly. As we were traversing above the upper schrund, in a cool and surreal moment, two fellow skiers almost simultaneously appeared from the sunset ridge, Dan H and Eric W- very cool to meet them! The five of us went on to Cap Liberté where it was bloody windy. We then skied some blower rainier summit pow pow to a cool wind shelter above the Mowich Face where we hanged out and waited for the Sun to shower Mowich in corn radiation. At 3.30pm we set out. We skied the upper face together, in beautiful snow conditions over immense exposure- truly memorable turns. Dan and Eric then went their way towards Sunset ridge, while we headed down the Edmunds. The top schrund where it's a touch steeper and firmer was definitely focus time. The rest of the descent, where it mellows out considerably, was corn-fast-ish-turn paradise. We got lucky and timed it just right- soft enough at the top, not too soft at the bottom. The Mowich glacier ski was fun too, but getting a bit sticky towards Ptarmigan ridge. The climb back up the ridge wasn't much fun, but it could have been much worse… Got to camp, packed up, packed out, got packed by a cop in Wilkeston, and missed the Autobahn.
A perfect day 
The line.
Colin on the way up
Myself, Eric and Colin traversing above the upper schrund
Skiing
Booth...
... boothing it french style
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Jason_H.
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Posts: 764
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That looks so good. You guys scored.
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kath
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Posts: 191
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yikes!
sweet pix too ..
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Waddle0620
5Member
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Posts: 38
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One of the coolest reports, and ambitious I have ever seen. Great job!
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davidG
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Posts: 725
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Love the 'no big deal' attitude. Great line, great style.
10 points
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"Maybe we should ban hikers from anywhere that there is a potential threat to surface water?" [courtesy Newtrout, 2011]
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wolfs
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Posts: 567
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Very cool.
I was skinning up the Russell on the 15th, just in time to see you as little descending flies on the great big sugar cone of Rainier. What it looked like was ... Was a little unusual at the time to see various of you ski different lines, but of course the separate TRs (Eric/Dan's , and yours) later explained that ...
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Keith_Henson
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Posts: 511
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WOW! One of you guys was Colin Haley! Probably better that I didn't know or I would have embarrassed myself gushing.
I have been following Colin's climbing career for years and he is one bad ass mountain man.
Congratulations. But for climbers of this caliber, it was a walk in the (national) park.
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Keith A Henson, Puyallup AAC "Let's go! That powder's not going to ski itself." www.KeithHenson.net |
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alecapone
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Posts: 722
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"various forms of showing one's full love to scrumpets. In this arena, Colin is surprisingly non-extreme."
DOn't worry dude, it will come to you. Somethings get bettter with age. 
Awesome, and again timely report Eduardo!
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scott
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telemack
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Posts: 1321
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Fine job, boys. Glad you had soft snow.
You meet the nicest folks in the parking lots if you open with, "Hey, we have skis too!" 
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There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval.
George Santayana
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PNWBrit
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Posts: 389
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I like the cut of this TR's jib.
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Snow Bell
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Posts: 507
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Muey suave!
Gracias.
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Life is going to slide by you one way or another
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FreeBird
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Posts: 274
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I thought I saw turns over there...
Sick!!!
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davidG
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Posts: 725
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I like the cut of this TR's jib.
dude, you wax awesome on occasion.. 
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"Maybe we should ban hikers from anywhere that there is a potential threat to surface water?" [courtesy Newtrout, 2011]
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