Aug 5, 2011, Mt. Rainier, Lower Flett

Snow starts in earnest as you enter the meadow, but with frequent sections of dry trail. (I put skis on a little too soon.) Snow was continuous from where I left the main trail to my high point: the big, gentle amphitheater between Echo and Observation. It may require a carry or two to get to this point in a few days.

Despite swirling clouds, I could see runnels on the lower Flett from a mile away, but they weren€™t that bad up close. Skiing was pleasant on the big slope, pretty lumpy in the lower, flatter section. Even with all the bumps, skinning was pretty easy the whole way.

BTW, the upper headwall looks to be in good condition. Smaller suncups, minimal runnels.

This tour was a great test for my crackpot experimental bindings which accept hiking boots and therefore eliminate the need to carry ski boots (unless you want to ski better). The skis have waxless bases, but I used skins today, and they were easy to get up the hill. Skiing down the big hill in hiking boots was not especially pretty or easy, but it kinda worked.

This is a description of the binding:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BzMmVnyzoffDMzc0NjhjNzItMjE1YS00ZWIyLTljNTAtOTI1NjI4MjkzYTAw&hl=en