November 1, 2011, Talum Glacier area, Sherman Peak
11/1/11
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
2622
4
With all the Heliotrope TRs, I thought I should add one for the other (south) side of Mt Baker.
We planned to climb and ski the Talum Glacier on Sherman Peaks SE side. The rain crust described in other trip reports is also alive and well on Mt. Bakers south side. We topped out around 8500 ft and were able to ski down to 5,400 ft before booting the Scott Paul Trail.
Avoiding early season crevasse issues and the rain crust turned our trip into a recon of the area rather than a successful summit. The steeper slopes more resembled moderate ice climbing than ski lines. Wind had swept away most of the fresh snow above 7,000 ft, except for pockets here and there. The Talum Glacier has some beautiful lines, but I probably wont attempt it again until the snow pack is fat.
Thanks Chuck, Scott, Jason, and Tob for getting out on another good weather day this fall.
Some Pictures:
1) Sherman Peak (Squak Glacier on left; Talum Glacier on right)
2) Scott, Chuck, Tob, Jason
We planned to climb and ski the Talum Glacier on Sherman Peaks SE side. The rain crust described in other trip reports is also alive and well on Mt. Bakers south side. We topped out around 8500 ft and were able to ski down to 5,400 ft before booting the Scott Paul Trail.
Avoiding early season crevasse issues and the rain crust turned our trip into a recon of the area rather than a successful summit. The steeper slopes more resembled moderate ice climbing than ski lines. Wind had swept away most of the fresh snow above 7,000 ft, except for pockets here and there. The Talum Glacier has some beautiful lines, but I probably wont attempt it again until the snow pack is fat.
Thanks Chuck, Scott, Jason, and Tob for getting out on another good weather day this fall.
Some Pictures:
1) Sherman Peak (Squak Glacier on left; Talum Glacier on right)
2) Scott, Chuck, Tob, Jason
More pictures:
3) Lower Squak Glacier with Craig View (right foreground)
4) Jason “axe-boarding” down around 8,300 ft
3) Lower Squak Glacier with Craig View (right foreground)
4) Jason “axe-boarding” down around 8,300 ft
Thanks for posting Eric. Lets get out again soon guys! Maybe next time when can use the non- business end of our Whippets....
Yes, it was good to get out! I'm glad you took a picture of the axe-boarding for posterity....I was not about to stop to get out my camera! In those conditions, the Talum would make a much better ice climb than ski. I will try and post up a few more pics tonight....
Here are some more photos:
1. The view south to Sloan et al.
2. The south end of the Sisters range, with the Olympics behind
3. Booting up where the Talum steepens about 8100'
1. The view south to Sloan et al.
2. The south end of the Sisters range, with the Olympics behind
3. Booting up where the Talum steepens about 8100'
Reply to this TR
Please login first: