August 28-29, 2010, Helm Glacier
8/28/10
8768
11
I first thought of doing this trip a couple weeks ago when we went up to Garibaldi Lake for the Perseid meteor shower and subsequently climbed Black Tusk. Looking around just made us drool with the amount of snow still above 1800m. So a couple weeks later, my buddy Alex and I decided to go for it.
We drove from Vancouver to the Cheakamus Lake parking lot near Whistler and started the ~10 km hike up to the base of Helm Glacier where we set up up top! It had supposedly snowed 5-10 cm last Thursday which melted on the rocks below 2300 m, but it had remained on the snow surface and filled up the sun cups which was a great surprise.
We played around on Helm for about 4 hours before taking the long run down to camp, with some magical views of Black Tusk in front of us. We were then treated with one of the best from all the snow algae. Views were , we started our descent to the valley (with lots of odd looks and comments from hikers). A few pints later at the Howe Sound brew pub, and it was perfect ski weekend
Question is, does this count as the end of last season or the start of the new season, since there was new snow?? ;)
more pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/Gibbs.ski/StillAugust?feat=directlink#
We drove from Vancouver to the Cheakamus Lake parking lot near Whistler and started the ~10 km hike up to the base of Helm Glacier where we set up up top! It had supposedly snowed 5-10 cm last Thursday which melted on the rocks below 2300 m, but it had remained on the snow surface and filled up the sun cups which was a great surprise.
We played around on Helm for about 4 hours before taking the long run down to camp, with some magical views of Black Tusk in front of us. We were then treated with one of the best from all the snow algae. Views were , we started our descent to the valley (with lots of odd looks and comments from hikers). A few pints later at the Howe Sound brew pub, and it was perfect ski weekend
Question is, does this count as the end of last season or the start of the new season, since there was new snow?? ;)
more pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/Gibbs.ski/StillAugust?feat=directlink#
!!! :)!!! :)!!!
I'm currently residing in Tennessee, and the second picture just made me very homesick for the PNW. Thanks for the report.
I'm currently residing in Tennessee, and the second picture just made me very homesick for the PNW. Thanks for the report.
Second picture is awesome!
Nice TR, too.
Nice TR, too.
10k to that is nothing for what you got!
Nice pictures thanks for the stoke.
All pictures are awesome. Nice fresh-ease
Think I'll reflect on the last one for a while. ;)
Nice pictures thanks for the stoke.
All pictures are awesome. Nice fresh-ease
Think I'll reflect on the last one for a while. ;)
definitely a relatively easy hike in for 2 days of skiing!!
Looking more into it, apparently Helm is one of the faster receding glaciers in North America.. at least I can tell my kids that I skied it before it completely vanished? kinda sad
http://glacierchange.wordpress.com/2009/12/19/helm-glacier-melting-away/
Looking more into it, apparently Helm is one of the faster receding glaciers in North America.. at least I can tell my kids that I skied it before it completely vanished? kinda sad
http://glacierchange.wordpress.com/2009/12/19/helm-glacier-melting-away/
Great report! Freshies in August - you have gotta love summer skiing in the NW, don't you? Beautiful pictures - thanks!
Nice work with the trip.
This would make a great Random Tracks topic...I said "new season!" at first, then I remembered I've had fresh tracks in every month of the year except June, and now I'm confused. ???
What if someone gets the fresh in September, skis in October but gets no fresh, and then gets fat cold pow in November? Does the November dump cancel the September start?
Or does the storm pattern influence whether it is a "winter" snow or not?
One thing for sure: if we had to make this call, we'd have had some great fall tours!
author=mikec link=topic=17372.msg73155#msg73155 date=1283234889]
Question is, does this count as the end of last season or the start of the new season, since there was new snow?? ;)
This would make a great Random Tracks topic...I said "new season!" at first, then I remembered I've had fresh tracks in every month of the year except June, and now I'm confused. ???
What if someone gets the fresh in September, skis in October but gets no fresh, and then gets fat cold pow in November? Does the November dump cancel the September start?
Or does the storm pattern influence whether it is a "winter" snow or not?
One thing for sure: if we had to make this call, we'd have had some great fall tours!
It is easy to answer. The season does not end.
Great report.
That page about the Helm Glacier recession makes me think of the White Chuck Glacier on Glacier Peak. It has similar elevation and angle and is also disappearing very fast. From this story:
That page about the Helm Glacier recession makes me think of the White Chuck Glacier on Glacier Peak. It has similar elevation and angle and is also disappearing very fast. From this story:
Lowell's picture and article got me going again. Perhaps outdoor people and more specifically people on this website should think about their behaviors and actions and the effects upon our environment. I've often thought what an environmental waste it is to drive up the mountain, often several hours, to get August, September turns, ect in marginal conditions when you would have stayed home had this not been your holy quest of turns-all-year. We're killing the very thing we love by doing this. I guess this is why in the end I don't prescribe to turns-all-year.
Oh god, here we go... ::)
Well, Gee, Zee, do you ever drive up to a mountain to hike or climb in the summer? Perhaps you should just hole up in your hidey hole...year round. Peace!
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