August 8, 2010, Mt. Baker, Ptarmigen Ridge
8/8/10
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
3786
1
A wet day, but we (my son Nick and our friend Kris, and I) plowed on anyway in anticipation that the forecast for drying weather and afternoon clearing would hold for the mountains as well.
We learned that drizzle in calm conditions causes almost no wetting, but in a steady wind (even rather light wind) one gets soaked!
No pictures for this trip, didn't want to take the camera out and figured that pretty pictures of the area can be had on this forum many times over, so why post fog?
Snow amounts were stunning to me. I have done this trip as a first week August trip a good number of years and never have I seen this much snow. We donned skis at the trail junction to Chain Lakes and except for a couple of short heather gravel crossings right near the start of the climb, we made our way all the way to the bump just North of Coleman Pinnacle where we stopped. If anyone does go in the next couple of days, they will encounter a few short snow crossings prior to reaching the trail junction, however those will be gone after that. Still, even in this south facing aspect one can ski from the trail in a couple of places.
We did one descent from our high point. Skiing conditions were very bumpy sun-cups for the first couple of hundred feet, thereafter they seemed to soften to make it rather pleasant. We descended quite far, until a creek cut off the snow.
Most of the traverse was very sun-cupped and pretty bumpy on our ski down. Remarkable that we could essentially ski from our high point out near Coleman all the way back to near where we put the skis on.
Alan
We learned that drizzle in calm conditions causes almost no wetting, but in a steady wind (even rather light wind) one gets soaked!
No pictures for this trip, didn't want to take the camera out and figured that pretty pictures of the area can be had on this forum many times over, so why post fog?
Snow amounts were stunning to me. I have done this trip as a first week August trip a good number of years and never have I seen this much snow. We donned skis at the trail junction to Chain Lakes and except for a couple of short heather gravel crossings right near the start of the climb, we made our way all the way to the bump just North of Coleman Pinnacle where we stopped. If anyone does go in the next couple of days, they will encounter a few short snow crossings prior to reaching the trail junction, however those will be gone after that. Still, even in this south facing aspect one can ski from the trail in a couple of places.
We did one descent from our high point. Skiing conditions were very bumpy sun-cups for the first couple of hundred feet, thereafter they seemed to soften to make it rather pleasant. We descended quite far, until a creek cut off the snow.
Most of the traverse was very sun-cupped and pretty bumpy on our ski down. Remarkable that we could essentially ski from our high point out near Coleman all the way back to near where we put the skis on.
Alan
author=BigSnow link=topic=17290.msg72865#msg72865 date=1281337493]
Snow amounts were stunning to me. I have done this trip as a first week August trip a good number of years and never have I seen this much snow.
Agreed.
Reply to this TR
Please login first: