April 22, 2011, Mt Shuksan, top, around, hanging
4/22/11
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
9477
12
Chris, Richard, Dave Z and I played hooky yesterday to get Richard out before he goes to California for work. We had a great day out. Parking at the gate to White Salmon lodge the night before (getting old need our sleep). Two more cars rolled in a little after 4 am. We were walking by 5am. Dropped down to the bottom of the valley right away after the end of the road. Some pretty big avy debris down there, but thanks to a good track set by the other party we made good time.
We set the track up the bottom of the white salmon, the other party had gone up the buttress, we converged at about 5,000. Mountain still in the clouds so we waited for about 45 minutes discussing up options and the snow. Our main concern was windloading. Set an up track after the mountain cleared that was not very friendly, but we worked on minimizing the consequences of a slide in case we were wrong in our stability assessment.
The mountain was now out in full force and it was spectacular!
A few breaks here and there, up Winnies Slide, Hells Highway, the Sulfide and suddenly we were at the base of the pyramid. Brought the skis to the top and skied off the summit. Good conditions, not very icy. Brewed up some water and talked about our descent plans. Saw from the top that the other party had headed down the hanging glacier and thought we would give it a go too so we went around the East side of the mountain and skied down to their line and followed it out. Good exposure, not very icy, all down safely.
Great day in the hills for sure.
We set the track up the bottom of the white salmon, the other party had gone up the buttress, we converged at about 5,000. Mountain still in the clouds so we waited for about 45 minutes discussing up options and the snow. Our main concern was windloading. Set an up track after the mountain cleared that was not very friendly, but we worked on minimizing the consequences of a slide in case we were wrong in our stability assessment.
The mountain was now out in full force and it was spectacular!
A few breaks here and there, up Winnies Slide, Hells Highway, the Sulfide and suddenly we were at the base of the pyramid. Brought the skis to the top and skied off the summit. Good conditions, not very icy. Brewed up some water and talked about our descent plans. Saw from the top that the other party had headed down the hanging glacier and thought we would give it a go too so we went around the East side of the mountain and skied down to their line and followed it out. Good exposure, not very icy, all down safely.
Great day in the hills for sure.
Nice Oyvind, thanks for the report. Dave was trying to lure me along yesterday -- glad you got the good weather.
Sweet trip Oyvind ... living through other's TRs this week.
Beautiful photo. A great day in the mountains.
Many people, including myself were admiring your ascent route from the ski area.
So many trips getting done this weekend - amazing - spearhead day trips, forbidden tour, nisqually ice cliff, watson traverse.................guess the guns were loaded for a break in the weather! Happy Easter ;-)
strong work guys, and great pics. congrats!
Great trip Oyvind (and crew), on a great line! Glad you all had such a good time.
It was a great day in the mountains. Really fun seeing your tracks on Shuksan after returning from the Watson. Good effort buddy. Here is Louie's write up of the Watson.
http://www.wildsnow.com/4981/watsons-traverse/
Congrats to all the great trips put up over the weekend.
http://www.wildsnow.com/4981/watsons-traverse/
Congrats to all the great trips put up over the weekend.
Hi Oyvind:
Excellent ski & report. I'm writing to ask you about the quote below. A friend and I attempted Shuksan one day after you but had to abort the trip because of an equipment glitch. We parked at the lodge, got up at 3AM, left around 3:30 (mistake), followed the boundary road leading to C-8 lift, cut across (mistake?) the clear cut, then descended diagonally through the trees and a bunch of gullies in complete darkness, trying to stay high (mistake). We did save a couple of hundred feet elevation but hit extensive avy debris and wasted tons of time and energy. (Doing all that on head lamps didn't help. Going back we basically retraced our track since we at least knew it, and one of us had a binding hanging on an Ablakov wire--and a prayer.)
Anyhow, when you say you parked at the "gate to White Salmon Lodge" do you mean the big gate on the road (the one with the unlocked padlock), and the turn-off 0.3 mi/?/ before the big parking lot? Is that the best spot to descend to the White Salmon? When we drove in around 10pm that night we saw a couple of cars parked at that short turn-off (it ended in a huge snow berm); not knowing why they were there, we drove on to the parking lot since we thought we had to go basically via C-8. If you start from the main parking lot (and assuming that you can see where you're going) how would you descend to the toe of the glacier? Directly down the clearcut?
Thanks,
Niko
Excellent ski & report. I'm writing to ask you about the quote below. A friend and I attempted Shuksan one day after you but had to abort the trip because of an equipment glitch. We parked at the lodge, got up at 3AM, left around 3:30 (mistake), followed the boundary road leading to C-8 lift, cut across (mistake?) the clear cut, then descended diagonally through the trees and a bunch of gullies in complete darkness, trying to stay high (mistake). We did save a couple of hundred feet elevation but hit extensive avy debris and wasted tons of time and energy. (Doing all that on head lamps didn't help. Going back we basically retraced our track since we at least knew it, and one of us had a binding hanging on an Ablakov wire--and a prayer.)
Anyhow, when you say you parked at the "gate to White Salmon Lodge" do you mean the big gate on the road (the one with the unlocked padlock), and the turn-off 0.3 mi/?/ before the big parking lot? Is that the best spot to descend to the White Salmon? When we drove in around 10pm that night we saw a couple of cars parked at that short turn-off (it ended in a huge snow berm); not knowing why they were there, we drove on to the parking lot since we thought we had to go basically via C-8. If you start from the main parking lot (and assuming that you can see where you're going) how would you descend to the toe of the glacier? Directly down the clearcut?
Thanks,
Niko
author=Oyvind_Henningsen link=topic=20616.msg87851#msg87851 date=1303568759] Parking at the gate to White Salmon lodge the night before (getting old need our sleep). Two more cars rolled in a little after 4 am. We were walking by 5am. Dropped down to the bottom of the valley right away after the end of the road. Some pretty big avy debris down there, but thanks to a good track set by the other party we made good time.
Hi Niko - we parked underneath the Eagles at the gate / turnoff road to the white salmon lodge. I have done the diagonal traverse downwards and it sucks. I have done the higher traverse and that is doable ok. I do prefer to go up the road towards C8, take the spur road on left just before the short uphill to the chair, at the end of this road drop the clearcut to valley bottom. This is really fast with the snowpack we have now. You do loose elevation, but i think it is faster and more efficient. Many years ago my friend Joe and I came out in the dark doing and upward traverse in a much lower snow year - steep slopes with devils club with skis on the pack going uphill - we spent 2 hours traveling 1/2 mile - created some cherished memories ;-)
My experience echos Oyvinds. I skied the WS twice last winter. The first time, I followed a distinct track that traversed from the clearcut into the trees on skiers right and quicky petered out. The downward traverse towards the bottom of the drainage got ugly, so I hiked back uphill, coming out near the base of C8. Back at the clearcut, I found wands and flagging that lead, more or less, straight downslope to the valley bottom. There was a group of Koreans working on a new route on Shuksan last winter, over a period of weeks (anyone know how that turned out?) who had put in the flagging. That route worked well enough but there are slight varitions that may be better, depending on the snowpack.
I am curious to know if/how it works to approach via the gated road at the turnout before the WS lodge. That climb back out the valley to the ski area is brutal at the end of a long day and it would be nice if you could avoid it.
I am curious to know if/how it works to approach via the gated road at the turnout before the WS lodge. That climb back out the valley to the ski area is brutal at the end of a long day and it would be nice if you could avoid it.
Thanks, Oyvind, Bigeo. It's comforting to know we weren't the first to suffer as a result of trying to be smart...
Think of what a difference another chair, to the bottom of the valley, would make, improving the vertical on C8 for day skiers and making the return from Shuksan so much more pleasant. Come on, Mt Baker owners, it's a small investment.
(:--
N
Think of what a difference another chair, to the bottom of the valley, would make, improving the vertical on C8 for day skiers and making the return from Shuksan so much more pleasant. Come on, Mt Baker owners, it's a small investment.
(:--
N
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