Sep 2-3, 2011, Middle Sister Oregon (24 months!)
9/2/11
OR elsewhere
3300
5
A partial copy/paste from my wife's blog. For the rest of the story and more photos go to http://www.lindseyclark.com
This is the second year that Erik, Kaya and I have made a pilgrimage to Middle Sister via the Obsidian trail to get in our September turns. The snow on Middle Sister is not easily accessible, but the approach is through spectacular country, and the snow is reliable. Last years adventure was memorable and worth repeating.
We left the Obsidian trailhead at around noon on Friday. It was a challenging first few miles being burdened with a heavy and awkward pack, but my body quickly adapted to the load. We reached the stream crossing after about five hours of hiking, then cruised up a prominent, treed ridge back to last years perfect bivouac site at about 7,300. This site is a favorite for its ski in/ski out location!
After taking some time to unload gear and relax, we all headed up the adjacent bowl for some pre-dinner turns. 7 PM is the perfect time to ski in September on the West side of Middle Sister. The sun cups are soft and the lava rock, expansive views and sunset are a pretty dramatic backdrop. Our fun, fast and easy turns were lit by a particularly spectacular sunset that evening with the sky full of layers of smoke from the forest fires down below.
We woke on Saturday to crazy gusty winds that were totally demotivating. After slow preparations, we set out at about 9 AM. Crampons were really the only option as the snow was frozen solid. Kayas built-in crampons seemed to work nicely! We made a direct trajectory toward the summit block, ascending what we refer to as the RenCol bowl: a large, steep, persistent snowfield between the Renfrew and Collier glaciers. Its a non-technical route with some moderately steep snow climbing toward the top.
Erik asked me if I felt confident skiing the slope I was about to climb. I said, "Of course!" Really, I should have thought it through a bit more. 45-degree frozen sun cups? Easy! (Not really.)
I dropped in with confidence and within the seconds it took me to make my first two turns, I realized a few things. 1: I was skiing right above multiple patches of lava rock. 2: The snow was shiny. Shiny = icy. 3: It was steep! I could hear Stefano De Benedetti's adorable Italian accent running through my head: When you are in the situation that if you fall you die¦ You think very much about turning. I wouldnt consider this to be no-fall terrain, but I was indeed thinking very much about turning.
I traversed to a safer location and worked my way down the slope. Not my most beautiful ski descent, but I held it together and enjoyed the ride.
We leapfrogged back to camp, with the snow improving as our elevation dropped. Kaya seemed psyched to be skiing with us, and stayed right on our tails during the entire descent.
We arrived at the trailhead by 7 PM, and were back in Bend and eating Hungarian sausages by 8. Another fun September ski mission complete. Cheers to 24 consecutive months of snow worship!
This is the second year that Erik, Kaya and I have made a pilgrimage to Middle Sister via the Obsidian trail to get in our September turns. The snow on Middle Sister is not easily accessible, but the approach is through spectacular country, and the snow is reliable. Last years adventure was memorable and worth repeating.
We left the Obsidian trailhead at around noon on Friday. It was a challenging first few miles being burdened with a heavy and awkward pack, but my body quickly adapted to the load. We reached the stream crossing after about five hours of hiking, then cruised up a prominent, treed ridge back to last years perfect bivouac site at about 7,300. This site is a favorite for its ski in/ski out location!
After taking some time to unload gear and relax, we all headed up the adjacent bowl for some pre-dinner turns. 7 PM is the perfect time to ski in September on the West side of Middle Sister. The sun cups are soft and the lava rock, expansive views and sunset are a pretty dramatic backdrop. Our fun, fast and easy turns were lit by a particularly spectacular sunset that evening with the sky full of layers of smoke from the forest fires down below.
We woke on Saturday to crazy gusty winds that were totally demotivating. After slow preparations, we set out at about 9 AM. Crampons were really the only option as the snow was frozen solid. Kayas built-in crampons seemed to work nicely! We made a direct trajectory toward the summit block, ascending what we refer to as the RenCol bowl: a large, steep, persistent snowfield between the Renfrew and Collier glaciers. Its a non-technical route with some moderately steep snow climbing toward the top.
Erik asked me if I felt confident skiing the slope I was about to climb. I said, "Of course!" Really, I should have thought it through a bit more. 45-degree frozen sun cups? Easy! (Not really.)
I dropped in with confidence and within the seconds it took me to make my first two turns, I realized a few things. 1: I was skiing right above multiple patches of lava rock. 2: The snow was shiny. Shiny = icy. 3: It was steep! I could hear Stefano De Benedetti's adorable Italian accent running through my head: When you are in the situation that if you fall you die¦ You think very much about turning. I wouldnt consider this to be no-fall terrain, but I was indeed thinking very much about turning.
I traversed to a safer location and worked my way down the slope. Not my most beautiful ski descent, but I held it together and enjoyed the ride.
We leapfrogged back to camp, with the snow improving as our elevation dropped. Kaya seemed psyched to be skiing with us, and stayed right on our tails during the entire descent.
We arrived at the trailhead by 7 PM, and were back in Bend and eating Hungarian sausages by 8. Another fun September ski mission complete. Cheers to 24 consecutive months of snow worship!
Wonderful pictures, and a great trip report. That is an ambitious ski this time of year. Thanks
Nice report and great effort! I hadn't looked at TAY for a few weeks and it was neat to check in and see an ambitious trip from Oregon. Looks like your dog was loving it.
DG: I like your Oregon stoke! We should get together for some turns sometime.
Sidestepper,
That sounds great - we live in Portland. Voly ski patrol keeps me pretty busy during the winter but I love to get out into the bc, especially for those spring tours, so just drop a line if you're heading out!
That sounds great - we live in Portland. Voly ski patrol keeps me pretty busy during the winter but I love to get out into the bc, especially for those spring tours, so just drop a line if you're heading out!
Nice trip report! I'd considered heading in there over Labor Day but went to Hood instead due to time constraints. Looks like I missed out! Glad to see you had a good time and congrats on the 24 months!
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