April 30, 2011, Little Tahoma from Paradise

Snowbell and I made a go for Little T leaving Paradise a little after 5 am. A dusting of snow overnight on top of the deposited snow the previous few days made for a pleasant skin up to Pan Point.  Greeting campers awaking to the morning light we crossed below Anvil Rock onto and across the Cowlitz Glacier. We were able to keep the skis on crossing the Cathedral Rocks gap ~8400 leading to another traverse across the very filled in Ingraham Glacier.  A short boot was required crossing the ~8600 gap that lead to the Whitman Glacier. The final skin up the Whitman was mentally challenging under the late April sun, little breeze, and soft snow.  Kept close tabs on any snow movement up to 10,400 ft where we stashed the skis and made a summit attempt on mixed rocks/snow by foot, but turned away after postholing in thigh deep snow and hearing an alarming whoomf.  Quickly retreated back to our snowriding tools. Ski cut across a SE convex slope produced no movement. None the less, we remained cautious and quickly rode the ~1800 ft  back to our skin track. With time to spare, rather than retracing our skin track back across the Ingraham and Cowlitz Glaciers,  we roped up (wasn€™t necessary, but good practice) and skinned up the Ingraham and crossed Cathedral Rocks around 10,100 ft, just below Cathedral Pass.  Unable to see beyond a rollover onto the Cowlitz Glacier from our vantage point on the ridge, we cramponed up and scouted for a clean line. We found one, but was hardening up quickly in the shade.  Back to downhill mode for one last time we rode off Cathedral Rocks and made our way across the Cowlitz, traversed below Anvil, and into the soupy clouds to Paradise.
Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/TrevorL.Williams/LittleTahomaApril2011#