December 9, 2004, Crystal
12/9/04
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
2085
0
What a difference a 30" storm can have on a mountain. Art, Brent and I left the Crystal parking lot at 9am. The payloader was busy clearing the parking lot, Lower Exterminator looked ever so enticing without a bump and a coating of fresh powder. The area was full of activity with employees preparing for Saturdays opening. All the lifts were being tested and the cats were grooming the slopes. O yeah, there was no wind, blue sky and the sun was shining. Hard to believe the monsoons were predicted to arrive in a few hours.
We followed the groomed cat track up to the base of REX and noticed the winch cat had groomed Iceberg Gulch. Cruising up Sunnyside cat track, we noticed the untracked face of Sunnyside glistening in the sun. As we climbed under REX we noticed 2 sets of tracks had descended Sunnyside and skied "to ground" most of their run. We decided to pass this opportunity. Chatted with the patrol doing avy control work and they summarized the conditions as getting dangerous. Their charges released Powder Bowl to ground. We stood at the top of Iceberg and noticed a slab release to ground below Green Valley chair and a section of the bowl below REX. All the releases went to ground and had a 2 foot crown. The patrol was descending their crew by noon when the predicted warm front was supposed to arrive.
The winch cat was working Green Valley and we decided to ski the untracked just outside the cat. Art and I began a barking feast down the slope and thru the trees. Powder was flowing over our knees and the texture was light. No face shots BUT no rocks either. We headed to the top of Iceberg and carved figure 8's in the untracked on skiers left of the groomer. As we descended towards the base of REX the snow was heavier. The air was warming and the clouds were arriving but we decided to climb Rolling Knolls to see the new Campbell Basin mid mountain lodge. As we arrived at the lodge the snow started and it was warm. Pinwheels were rolling below the Campbell chair as we traversed towards K2 Face then skied the trees down to Rolling Knolls. Half the slopes were groomed and the rest were untracked. At the base of the Forest Queen 6 pack lift, the drizzle began and by the time we reached the van, it was raining.
It was a great half day and we should have stopped after that first run but the male hormone overcame reason - AGAIN.
Zap
We followed the groomed cat track up to the base of REX and noticed the winch cat had groomed Iceberg Gulch. Cruising up Sunnyside cat track, we noticed the untracked face of Sunnyside glistening in the sun. As we climbed under REX we noticed 2 sets of tracks had descended Sunnyside and skied "to ground" most of their run. We decided to pass this opportunity. Chatted with the patrol doing avy control work and they summarized the conditions as getting dangerous. Their charges released Powder Bowl to ground. We stood at the top of Iceberg and noticed a slab release to ground below Green Valley chair and a section of the bowl below REX. All the releases went to ground and had a 2 foot crown. The patrol was descending their crew by noon when the predicted warm front was supposed to arrive.
The winch cat was working Green Valley and we decided to ski the untracked just outside the cat. Art and I began a barking feast down the slope and thru the trees. Powder was flowing over our knees and the texture was light. No face shots BUT no rocks either. We headed to the top of Iceberg and carved figure 8's in the untracked on skiers left of the groomer. As we descended towards the base of REX the snow was heavier. The air was warming and the clouds were arriving but we decided to climb Rolling Knolls to see the new Campbell Basin mid mountain lodge. As we arrived at the lodge the snow started and it was warm. Pinwheels were rolling below the Campbell chair as we traversed towards K2 Face then skied the trees down to Rolling Knolls. Half the slopes were groomed and the rest were untracked. At the base of the Forest Queen 6 pack lift, the drizzle began and by the time we reached the van, it was raining.
It was a great half day and we should have stopped after that first run but the male hormone overcame reason - AGAIN.
Zap
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