Dec 20, 2011, -- Tatoosh
12/20/11
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
2814
1
Skiied W facing gullies and NW facing slopes finding variable sun and wind crusted snow with occational pockets of non-terrible snow. Found some somewhat enjoyable snow in the trees on NE aspect slopes. Road between Reflection lakes and Narada falls very beaten up by snowshoe tracks and icy. Narada falls slopes yields about four decent turns before reverting to survival skiing on chunky crusty.
What Randy did not mention was that conditions were stable enough to take the summer trail accross the W face of Pinnacle and ski a small gully down to the Plummer / Pinnacle gully, then a traverse out back to the nice glade skiing above Reflection Lk.
Dec. 21, 2011, Mt. Rainier, Tatoosh Corn
Yeah! We finaly got a few thousand ft of vertical happiness!
After fighting the Castle / Pinnacle Bowl, we went back up and over to the sunny side and skied the Castle / Hal Foss bowl. Some lingering snow that was once powder was had in the shade of the trees. Sunny slopes got pre-corn off the ridge all the way down to the cliff band where the shade gave more breakable crust.
The roads from Paradise and to Reflection Lk are now beat out enough they can be traveled by skating, striding (thanks to a dusting of snow, use Swix Purple today), or walking.
Dec. 21, 2011, Mt. Rainier, Tatoosh Corn
Yeah! We finaly got a few thousand ft of vertical happiness!
After fighting the Castle / Pinnacle Bowl, we went back up and over to the sunny side and skied the Castle / Hal Foss bowl. Some lingering snow that was once powder was had in the shade of the trees. Sunny slopes got pre-corn off the ridge all the way down to the cliff band where the shade gave more breakable crust.
The roads from Paradise and to Reflection Lk are now beat out enough they can be traveled by skating, striding (thanks to a dusting of snow, use Swix Purple today), or walking.
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