Home > Trip Reports > Feb 2, 2012, Mt. Cashmere South Couloir

Feb 2, 2012, Mt. Cashmere South Couloir

2/2/12
WA Cascades East Slopes Central
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Posted by jwplotz on 2/2/12 1:32pm
This tour started out as most WA ski tours do for me during the winter:  Failed ice climbing plans.  Friends and I were planning on climbing Drury Falls, but 9,000' forecasted freezing levels put a halt to that.  So, I made a split decision to take advantage of the warm sun by skiing something south facing.

Mt. Cashmere has interesting couloirs that criss-cross down its southern flanks, nearly from the summit.  They aren't super steep, but give one the claustrophobic feeling of skiing a narrow gully.
Today I skied the couloir on the left.  Dan Helmstadter and I skied the right one last year.  They're about equal in pitch and length. This shot of Mt. Cashmere I took from the top of 8 Mile Mountain a few years ago.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7149/6810298493_363e18bee1_b.jpg" /> 

I tried to get an early, early start.  Even starting skinning and hoofing it by 5am did no good to keep the snow on the upper south flanks from turning to skin glue but on the wrong side.  It was exhausting work trying to decide whether booting was more efficient or skinning, which meant taking the skis off every 200 feet or so to remove the 2 foot layer of snow pegged to the skins.  To make matters worse, the final 1,000' to the summit was some of the worst post holing I have done in a while.  The snowpack is still pretty shallow for the east side, so I was slipping on slabby granite boulders hidden just beneath the gloppy corn snow.  It sucked, for a long time.
I was able to cover appx. 5,500' in about 5 hours, but that last postholing, 1,000' push took a hot, demoralizing 3 hours on its own.

Summit shot of Stuart


I was halfway considering a north side descent, but looking down from the summit, there were still a lot of exposed rocks.  But a quick observation of the south side couloir wasn't all that much better, with jutting granite covering the entrance.  I ended up having to downclimb about 100' to the consistent snow.  However, I still was unable to see if the couloir actually "went", so threw on the harness and readied the 30m rope just in case.


About halfway down, a small wet slab cut loose under me.  I dug the edges in hard, and stopped to watch it slide down.  It slid, picked up more snow, and more, then quite a bit more.  I was a bit shocked at how large this slide had become as it roared out of the mouth of the couloir, creating a huge wet-snow fan at the bottom.  As I continued on the hard bed surface, I understood why it had gained so much snow and momentum.




This would have hurt.


Overall, it was a fantastic day in the ALW.  It felt like it was the hardest I've ever had to work to summit Cashmere.  Getting old I guess, but for now I'll blame the challenging snow conditions.

And when is someone going to put a hut here?


 
Is that called skiing or surviving? sounds like quite a trip.

Thanks for the TR! Glad you came home happy!

To solve your skin problem, pick up some skin wax.  It is one of those items that bangs around in your pack for years, but when you need it you are very thankful

Enjoy

Don

Way to dig in bud.

Looks like it was nice weather at least. We could almost see you.


Nice one, John.  I had similar glopping in the same area a few weeks ago.  I waxed several times and it didn't help.  Grease might have helped.

Did you get a look at Colchuck Glacier while you were up there?  I'm thinking of going in to that area this weekend.  I'm curious if you can ski to the lake yet.

I had skin wax, and it proved to be a very temporary solution. The snow was very determined to get a free ride to the top.

Mike, here's a shot of colchuck conditions:


I'm sure that hut is still up there :) shhhh

author=jwplotz link=topic=23551.msg99809#msg99809 date=1328291701]
Mike, here's a shot of colchuck conditions:


Thanks.  I want to ski this:
(photo from this trip report last june by Pete H:  http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboarding/trip_reports/index.php?topic=21142.0)

I've seen that Scurlock image.  Looks fun! Isn't that the Pandora's Box?

Yeah, on left.  This is the easy way up Dragon Tail from Colchuck Col.

To complete the hijack of your Cashmere report...
I am looking for a partner :)

Wow, close call.  Thanks for sharing.

That couloir on Dragontail - if I had seen that while I lived in wa - that would be on my hit list.  Like at the top.

Sweet! Nice work John (sounds like it was a lot of it!)! Kinda a sketchy snowpack this year eh.

Too much work, Sol. Long approaches don't really work for me anymore. We need more snow here on the eastside. Hoping latter Feb and March are good to us!

Looks like a mini Skillet Glacier right here in our backyard.  PM me, Mike, if you think we can get that safe & good in this warm/dry/sunny Feb.
http://www.tetonat.com/photo-gallery-2/grand-teton-national-park/mount-moran/skillet-glacier/

author=mikerolfs link=topic=23551.msg99814#msg99814 date=1328293043]
Thanks.  I want to ski this:
(photo from this trip report last june by Pete H:  http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboarding/trip_reports/index.php?topic=21142.0)


I skied the SW couloir on Dragontail in 1995 during a ski loop through the upper Enchantments. It's a nice line.

John, do you know of previous descents of those south side gullies on Colchuck? I'm guessing that they melt out fast in the spring, so may be best in winter.

author=Lowell_Skoog link=topic=23551.msg99854#msg99854 date=1328331681]

John, do you know of previous descents of those south side gullies on Colchuck? I'm guessing that they melt out fast in the spring, so may be best in winter.



I think this might be the same gully.  We called it Doggy's Tooth Couloir at the time.  The boarder and alpine skier skied the gully.  I took my leather tele boots down the more moderate slope to the west.  1992 I think.

Good thing you're safe, John. That's a nasty slide in a tight place... What does Cannon Mtn couloir look like these days? Niko

Yeah, I agree. You seem to be slowing down in your old age.

Nice one John.

author=ryanl link=topic=23551.msg99877#msg99877 date=1328407449]
Yeah, I agree. You seem to be slowing down in your old age.

Nice one John.


I totally am.  I'm having to start my tours earlier in the morning these days just to make it back to the car in daylight.


Hey Mikerolfs.

https://picasaweb.google.com/104952785231857279993/DragontailPeakCircumnav#

Yes I'm wearing tights & stuff, I was very new to the backcountry and still thought the 80's were cool.
There's a bit of rock downclimbing from Pandoras box, but it's a totally stonking route. We took a rope but didn't use it. I think we did it in June or July.
Jake

author=Jake the Brit link=topic=23551.msg99938#msg99938 date=1328549116]


Yes I'm wearing tights & stuff, I was very new to the backcountry and still thought the 80's were cool.


What do you mean the '80's aren't cool anymore?

http://www.fluorescentrompersuits.co.uk/


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feb-2-2012-mt-cashmere-south-couloir
jwplotz
2012-02-02 21:32:00