June 11-12 Fuhrer Finger
6/15/11
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
1838
4
Nic, Will, Michael and I left the car about noon Saturday morning to ski the Fuhrer Finger. Out of the gates we had some technical binding issues. After some fiddling we corrected the cable length on the g3's with an overhand knot. We were back on our way about 1pm.
We went around the left side of the Wilson to the ridge, although plenty of parties were still able to navigate up through the glacier proper. We camped at 8500 feet on the ridge. It was a beautiful night, clear above the cloud deck with a 3/4 moon. Very little wind, and not too cold. I had just a 35 degree bag in a bivy sack and was plenty warm.
The late climb up in the heat took it's toll on our party. Nicmade the call to stay at camp and recover. So three of us headed out at 4am on sunday morning. We were well behind some parties who's headlamps we could see halfway up the finger by the time we left. One more in our group headed back to camp before starting up the finger. After a third person in our group bonked we decided to call it just shy of 12,000 at the top of the finger. This turned out to be the best choice for skiing anyways.
The snow felt about right at 10:30 and skiing was good through the finger. It was just a bit rough at the bottom. The snow on the Wilson was smooth and perfect corn.
We picked up the rest of our party at camp, packed up and skied down the ridge to paradise bowl. A few high clouds kept the corn perfect down to 5000 feet. Since half our party didn't really get any skiing up high, we were very happy to have such good skiing below camp.
We stumbled over the boulders in the lower nisqually and finally found our way to the bridge. The lower nisqually will be highly unpleasant in a week or so. Another party skied out the van trump to christine falls. Must have been a success as well since we saw them lounging in the road when we were driving away.
We thought it would be more crowded after the ranger told us 36 people were camped in the area, but we only crossed tracks with 3 other folks while climbing. Everyone must have been on the Kautz. Wish I had summited, but what an amazing route just for skiing - can't wait to get up there again.
We went around the left side of the Wilson to the ridge, although plenty of parties were still able to navigate up through the glacier proper. We camped at 8500 feet on the ridge. It was a beautiful night, clear above the cloud deck with a 3/4 moon. Very little wind, and not too cold. I had just a 35 degree bag in a bivy sack and was plenty warm.
The late climb up in the heat took it's toll on our party. Nicmade the call to stay at camp and recover. So three of us headed out at 4am on sunday morning. We were well behind some parties who's headlamps we could see halfway up the finger by the time we left. One more in our group headed back to camp before starting up the finger. After a third person in our group bonked we decided to call it just shy of 12,000 at the top of the finger. This turned out to be the best choice for skiing anyways.
The snow felt about right at 10:30 and skiing was good through the finger. It was just a bit rough at the bottom. The snow on the Wilson was smooth and perfect corn.
We picked up the rest of our party at camp, packed up and skied down the ridge to paradise bowl. A few high clouds kept the corn perfect down to 5000 feet. Since half our party didn't really get any skiing up high, we were very happy to have such good skiing below camp.
We stumbled over the boulders in the lower nisqually and finally found our way to the bridge. The lower nisqually will be highly unpleasant in a week or so. Another party skied out the van trump to christine falls. Must have been a success as well since we saw them lounging in the road when we were driving away.
We thought it would be more crowded after the ranger told us 36 people were camped in the area, but we only crossed tracks with 3 other folks while climbing. Everyone must have been on the Kautz. Wish I had summited, but what an amazing route just for skiing - can't wait to get up there again.
We followed your tracks out to the bridge about 3PM. Those last few hundred yards of scrambling and bushwhacking were a suffer-fest (at least for us).
Glad you had a good descent. The ski out to van trump was great, then barely covered. We managed to ski almost all the way to the trailhead, though it took some creativity getting through the sparse snow patches in the forest. A more technical descent than the finger, I'd even say.
Yup, we (party of 4 who I think was registering at the same time as you guys) were confused when climbing to camp because we expected to find a tent city at 9200'. Instead, we didn't find a single tent at 5:30 p.m. (though we did eventually have 2 parties join us).
We were the headlamps you saw on the Finger around 3 a.m. :)
Good call on turning around at 12,000'. It seems that they shut off the oxygen supply above that point, which made things slow going for us above there... and the snow was past corn when we eventually got back to the Finger around 2 p.m.
And then there was the whiteout that covered our descent from camp back to the Nisqually. A bit nervewracking for some of us, at least. :)
A cool route and trip nevertheless!
We were the headlamps you saw on the Finger around 3 a.m. :)
Good call on turning around at 12,000'. It seems that they shut off the oxygen supply above that point, which made things slow going for us above there... and the snow was past corn when we eventually got back to the Finger around 2 p.m.
And then there was the whiteout that covered our descent from camp back to the Nisqually. A bit nervewracking for some of us, at least. :)
A cool route and trip nevertheless!
What a perfect weather window. Thanks for the trip fellas!
Here's me trying to add a couple photos of Red on the finger...
Here's me trying to add a couple photos of Red on the finger...
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