Home > Trip Reports > September 5, 2004, Mt Rainier, Muir Snowfield

September 5, 2004, Mt Rainier, Muir Snowfield

9/5/04
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
10224
4
Posted by Amar Andalkar on 9/5/04 11:39pm
Well, not really that much new to report since the Sept 4 reports. I could have gone Saturday with the other TAY folks, but figured the weather would be better on Sunday. Plus the 5th was my birthday, and I'd never skied on my birthday before, so that clinched the decision. Unfortunately, none of my usual partners could make it, so I was solo. I got a leisurely start from home, left Paradise at 9:30am and made it to Muir by 12:30pm. Partly sunny at Paradise in the morning with occasional views of the mountain through shifting fog bands, then totally clear above Pan Point. I carried AT skis and boots the whole way up, I really should have skinned up from about 8000 ft where the snow became continuous, but just didn't want to stop or take my pack off to change.

I relaxed in the calm sunshine at Camp Muir for an hour, then skied down on really nice corn along the east edge of the upper snowfield near Anvil Rock. Despite my late start, I was the first skier of the day, although a handful of other skiers were hiking or skinning up as I descended. Unfortunately, the late start meant that I got caught in the rising fog banks near 9000 ft, and the rest of the descent was in wispy clouds and then increasingly dense fog. Skied all the way to Pebble Creek with two short carries near 8000 and 7300 ft, the snow became heavier and stickier lower down. Note that the recent new snowcover was getting thin in many places below 9000 ft, the sunny weather forecast for the first half of this week will probably expose the old dirty and icy surface on most of this part. I had planned to take a second run on the continuous snow from 8000 to 10000 ft, but the rising fog put an end to those plans. All in all, it was the second-best September snow I've yet skied, trailing only the legendary mid-Sept 1997 corn at the same location, and my own modest streak is now up to 35 months. A fine day with 2800 vertical ft of nice skiing as a birthday present.

Amar Andalkar
click here for an enlarged version of this photo.


Silas and I went today (Monday, 9/6), and I was thinking exactly the same thing about Sept. skiing. That was the best since my first ÊSept. of consecutive months - 1997. I went in mid to late Sept, and I remember new snow from several storms covering everything down to below Pebble Creek, with skiing quality comparable to today's between 9 and 10K - fantastic. If this keeps up I might have to ski again in September!

Great photo, Amar!

I wasn't in Washington yet in '97, so for me Monday's trip to Muir was the best September skiing I've had.  
Figure there's no need for yet another trip report on the same stretch of snow that everyone else is skiing, but it was great finally meeting Mr.Turns-All-Year (Charles) up at camp muir, hope to run into you and Silas again this coming season.

I had a great day up there too, and sorry to say I completely missed you guys.  Sky said he thought he saw Charles but I must have had my head down.  Saw the 2 snowboarders who must have been jimjar & snoslut, didn't see Pete either.

I'm wondering if I might ski again in September as well!  That was great!

Stop it, I'm going to cry man, am I the only skier/snowboarder I know who wasn't at Muir yesterday?  Strep throat's a bitch.

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september-5-2004-mt-rainier-muir-snowfield
Amar Andalkar
2004-09-06 06:39:49