Sep 11, 2010, Ptarmigan Ridge
9/11/10
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
2844
5
Kacie and I headed down to Artist Point to grab some September turns, after seeing how great the cover still is from previous trip reports. We left rainy Vancouver Friday evening and camped out in the Artist Point parking lot for the night.. almost drove off the road in some of the densest fog Ive ever seen! We waited around in the morning for the clouds to lift and started seeing the snow we had been expecting. We started hiking mid morning and reached the end of Ptarmigan Ridge a couple hours later. We went to the end and skied the chute the Traslins put lines on earlier in the week.. definitely the longest, most consistent line in the area.
Snow was fabulous corn.. some of the best of the summer which surprised me. We got 4 relatively significant runs in on our way back to the car, and we skied practically every vertical meter that we climbed. You really can't ask for much more for this time of year!
That concludes my 12 months of skiing.. but it seems I have a long way to catch up to a bunch of you :)
Snow was fabulous corn.. some of the best of the summer which surprised me. We got 4 relatively significant runs in on our way back to the car, and we skied practically every vertical meter that we climbed. You really can't ask for much more for this time of year!
That concludes my 12 months of skiing.. but it seems I have a long way to catch up to a bunch of you :)
Congrats on year 1! I think that long line you guys did has been informally named the "Goat Throat" by either Jimmy (Lordhedgie) or Telemon, after goats were seen in that area several weeks in a row.
Thanks for the encouraging report - I'm heading there next week, but may not ski.
Thanks for the encouraging report - I'm heading there next week, but may not ski.
Congratulations!
Saw you in the parking lot when you came out. We came in at about 7 pm and cheated in September turns - 2 runs of a total of 150 vertical ! A busy September made a sure thing necessary. We spent the day on the coleman glacier doing research on ice anchors in glacier ice. Great views till about noon when it clouded up. Baker looked beautiful with new snow. Saw some skiers ascending Heliotrope.
Oyvind
Saw you in the parking lot when you came out. We came in at about 7 pm and cheated in September turns - 2 runs of a total of 150 vertical ! A busy September made a sure thing necessary. We spent the day on the coleman glacier doing research on ice anchors in glacier ice. Great views till about noon when it clouded up. Baker looked beautiful with new snow. Saw some skiers ascending Heliotrope.
Oyvind
author=Rusty Knees link=topic=17414.msg73416#msg73416 date=1284331547]
Thanks for the encouraging report - I'm heading there next week, but may not ski.
I suggest even just throwing em in the car, in case; there is a sweet line we hit that goes down into the valley, starting at the connection of Ptarmigan and Chain Lakes, i.e. ~20 minute walk from the parking lot (can see the line from the lot). Super easy to get to and so fun!
author=Oyvind_Henningsen link=topic=17414.msg73419#msg73419 date=1284336482]
Congratulations!
Saw you in the parking lot when you came out.
Oyvind
aha.. we were wondering what you two were up to, arriving as the sun was setting! Saw you coming down the patch on the left of the road as we were leaving.. didn't even notice the snow below Table, since we drove up in fog. Pretty insane to still be able to drive right to turn-worthy snow!
Good one......
Looks like the snow was softer.....
Looks like the snow was softer.....
author=Oyvind_Henningsen link=topic=17414.msg73419#msg73419 date=1284336482]
... We spent the day on the coleman glacier doing research on ice anchors in glacier ice. Great views till about noon when it clouded up. Baker looked beautiful with new snow. Saw some skiers ascending Heliotrope.
Oyvind
I have been thinking of heading into the Coleman seracs to do some topped rope ice climbing practice. How is it this year? What did you learn about the anchors. Just curious.
Alan
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