January 10, 2005, Mt Baker
1/10/05
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
2581
2
Got an early start and spent a beautiful mostly sunny day skining up Table Mtn twice and then once up Mt Herman to finish it off.
First run up I stayed in bounds because I was alone and skied down Austin. It was icy where steep and 6 inches of good light snow on the mellower angles.
Second trip up met a buddy looking lonely at the out of bounds gate and went up with him to just below Table. I skied the gully to the right of Table down (not able to kick any slides down) and he went a little farther right and dropped off a cliff (out of my leauge).
A short jaunt across the valley floor and we were again acending but this time in brilliant sunlight. Pinwheels were starting to come down and we both acnowledged the potential danger of a warming snowpack. Attempted to kick slides free all the way up unsucessfully but could always feel the crust by pole testing. At the top we decided to ski the shoulder down and to ski one at a time from safe spot to safe spot. This worked until I skied farther than the cliff jump that he wanted to take. He took his line off the cliff and I was alone. (be careful picking your partners) I knew there was a cliff band to the right all the way down so I stayed left in amazing untracked snow. I realized it was untracked because it wasn't the best line down toward the end, very steep and windblown. Tried kicking more slopes loose without success and skied down whatever I thought was wind loaded enough to cover the rocks. Found my buddy comming down after skinning back up the valley a bit and all was well.
If either of us would have been caught in a slide I would've regretted not digging pits. Being more cautious and not loosing my head in fields of powder would've helped keep our group together but I think we should have stayed connected by me skinning back up to him or him following me down when we realized I was too low.
A day well spent.
First run up I stayed in bounds because I was alone and skied down Austin. It was icy where steep and 6 inches of good light snow on the mellower angles.
Second trip up met a buddy looking lonely at the out of bounds gate and went up with him to just below Table. I skied the gully to the right of Table down (not able to kick any slides down) and he went a little farther right and dropped off a cliff (out of my leauge).
A short jaunt across the valley floor and we were again acending but this time in brilliant sunlight. Pinwheels were starting to come down and we both acnowledged the potential danger of a warming snowpack. Attempted to kick slides free all the way up unsucessfully but could always feel the crust by pole testing. At the top we decided to ski the shoulder down and to ski one at a time from safe spot to safe spot. This worked until I skied farther than the cliff jump that he wanted to take. He took his line off the cliff and I was alone. (be careful picking your partners) I knew there was a cliff band to the right all the way down so I stayed left in amazing untracked snow. I realized it was untracked because it wasn't the best line down toward the end, very steep and windblown. Tried kicking more slopes loose without success and skied down whatever I thought was wind loaded enough to cover the rocks. Found my buddy comming down after skinning back up the valley a bit and all was well.
If either of us would have been caught in a slide I would've regretted not digging pits. Being more cautious and not loosing my head in fields of powder would've helped keep our group together but I think we should have stayed connected by me skinning back up to him or him following me down when we realized I was too low.
A day well spent.
So you were not actually on Mt. Baker????
No, I guess it's called Baker BC. Table Mtn and Mt Herman are connected to the valley that the upper parking lot of the Mt. Baker Ski Area is located.
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