February 4-5, 2012, Mt. Rainier, Ingraham Glacier
2/4/12
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
5125
8
Alex, Andrew and I skied the Ingraham Glacier on Mount Rainier over the weekend. We decided we had to take advantage of a rare winter weather window that actually coincided with a weekend! Concerns of too much recent snow, too much wind, etc. bounced around during the week but in the end we figured we had to go check it out.
Rainier on a bluebird winter day
The skin up to Pan Point was windy and icy but the breeze improbably died down up on the snowfield. At Muir we enjoyed a beatiful sunset and retired to a mostly full hut for a few hours of sleep.
The moon, Little Tahoma, and the shadow of Rainier
Most parties were off to climb the Gib Ledges. Alarm was set for a painfully early hour. We made steady progress up and over Cathedral Gap before hitting slow postholing at the flats. We switched to skins but soon were cramponing again up the headwall of the Ingraham. I had some brief regrets about leaving the ice axe on the pack when we hit a bulletproof section. Two whippets penetrating about 1/16" each weren't very confidence inspiring.
Sunrise from 12K on the Ingraham
Soon though the angle mellowed and we had to choose left to Gib Saddle or right up the usual Ingraham route. The left route had a small schrund crossing but offered hopefully smooth travel above. We felt like to the right above the DC might have more crevasse issues, so left it was. The steep bootpack went quickly and soon we were at the saddle. Above, we had to cross one troublesome crevasse with an overhung lip and a tricky step up. Above 13K we switched back to skins and started cruising towards the summit. I think we all started feeling the altitude but a slow pace eventually brought us to the crater rim.
Skinning at 13.5K
Having summited a few times during the summer, I was kind of blown away by the crisp winter views from the top of Rainier. High clouds had moved in but the visibility was still crystal clear. We enjoyed great views from Baker to Jefferson (150 miles) and could even pick out the Seattle skyline.
The skis await 9000' of skiing
The snow on the descent was quite variable, all variety of wind effect from sastrugi to a hard crust. Overall though, it was nice edgeable snow that made for a reasonably safe ski descent. We carefully avoided a few icy sections and made care to cross a couple crevasses in areas that we had already scouted.
Alex and Andrew line up to clear a crevasse around 13K
Skiing down from Gib Saddle
Once on the Ingraham proper we made good time down to Cadaver Gap, crossed the rocks, and skied out to Muir. The snowfield was firm but the skiing was pretty mellow. The last section, especially below Pan Point, was absolutely awful, a mix of boilerplate, breakable crust, and refrozen tracks. With legs spent and heavy packs, we were happy to make it back to the car with knees intact.
I've always assumed a winter Rainier ascent would be pure suffering, so it was a nice surprise to get up and down on a pleasant weekend. The skiing was pretty mediocre compared to summer corn, but it certainly beat walking down the mountain!
Rainier on a bluebird winter day
The skin up to Pan Point was windy and icy but the breeze improbably died down up on the snowfield. At Muir we enjoyed a beatiful sunset and retired to a mostly full hut for a few hours of sleep.
The moon, Little Tahoma, and the shadow of Rainier
Most parties were off to climb the Gib Ledges. Alarm was set for a painfully early hour. We made steady progress up and over Cathedral Gap before hitting slow postholing at the flats. We switched to skins but soon were cramponing again up the headwall of the Ingraham. I had some brief regrets about leaving the ice axe on the pack when we hit a bulletproof section. Two whippets penetrating about 1/16" each weren't very confidence inspiring.
Sunrise from 12K on the Ingraham
Soon though the angle mellowed and we had to choose left to Gib Saddle or right up the usual Ingraham route. The left route had a small schrund crossing but offered hopefully smooth travel above. We felt like to the right above the DC might have more crevasse issues, so left it was. The steep bootpack went quickly and soon we were at the saddle. Above, we had to cross one troublesome crevasse with an overhung lip and a tricky step up. Above 13K we switched back to skins and started cruising towards the summit. I think we all started feeling the altitude but a slow pace eventually brought us to the crater rim.
Skinning at 13.5K
Having summited a few times during the summer, I was kind of blown away by the crisp winter views from the top of Rainier. High clouds had moved in but the visibility was still crystal clear. We enjoyed great views from Baker to Jefferson (150 miles) and could even pick out the Seattle skyline.
The skis await 9000' of skiing
The snow on the descent was quite variable, all variety of wind effect from sastrugi to a hard crust. Overall though, it was nice edgeable snow that made for a reasonably safe ski descent. We carefully avoided a few icy sections and made care to cross a couple crevasses in areas that we had already scouted.
Alex and Andrew line up to clear a crevasse around 13K
Skiing down from Gib Saddle
Once on the Ingraham proper we made good time down to Cadaver Gap, crossed the rocks, and skied out to Muir. The snowfield was firm but the skiing was pretty mellow. The last section, especially below Pan Point, was absolutely awful, a mix of boilerplate, breakable crust, and refrozen tracks. With legs spent and heavy packs, we were happy to make it back to the car with knees intact.
I've always assumed a winter Rainier ascent would be pure suffering, so it was a nice surprise to get up and down on a pleasant weekend. The skiing was pretty mediocre compared to summer corn, but it certainly beat walking down the mountain!
AWESOME! Well done Doug and team!
author=BeckyB link=topic=23628.msg100095#msg100095 date=1328735180]
AWESOME! Well done Doug and team!
Thanks Becky! Looks like you had slightly nicer snow down lower on the mountain. Definitely a nice weekend to be out regardless!
Great job skiing from the summit in February, thanks for the report.
It's nice to hear that the ID route is in decent shape for skiing. I was planning to head up there on Friday-Saturday, but something held me back once my potential partner bailed and I would have been solo. Right decision at the time, but regretting it since then, since it's so rare to get an excellent weather window like that in mid-winter with light winds.
Apparently 36 summit climbers (including skiers) were registered according to Carrie, the new winter ranger intern who was going through the forms in the old Paradise ranger station on Monday. About 11 had summited, and several others (7-8) were still on the mountain as of noon Monday. Mostly registered for Gib Ledges and ID, but also 2 parties of 3 on Fuhrer Finger.
What were the winds like on top? I'm just wondering how the actual winds compared to forecast winds and the UW model.
You mentioned that "the breeze improbably died down up on the snowfield", but that was exactly what the UW model was predicting: strong easterly winds down low and almost calm up above. High winds at Paradise and other locations near the Cascade Crest (especially the top of Crystal Mountain) due to strong easterly flow caused by a large east-west pressure gradient across the Crest, but very light southerly winds at 10000 ft and even all the way up to 18000 ft. The strong easterly winds were predicted for Friday-Saturday and again on Monday-Tuesday, with a break on Sunday. Other forecasts (including the Rainier forecast) did not have that nailed down so correctly. The telemetry from Crystal, Paradise, and Camp Muir confirms the periods of strong easterly winds while it was much calmer at Muir (except for an unforecast windy period at Muir overnight Saturday into Sunday).
MOUNT RAINIER RECREATIONAL FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
400 AM PST SAT FEB 4 2012
SYNOPSIS...AN UPPER RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST THROUGH MONDAY...BRINGING CLEAR AND DRY WEATHER TO MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK. PRECIPITATION IS POSSIBLE STARTING LATE TUESDAY OR WEDNESDAY AS A WEAK FRONT MOVES INLAND.
SATURDAY...SUNNY. FREEZING LEVEL 8000 FEET.
SATURDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. FREEZING LEVEL 7500 FEET.
SUNDAY...MOSTLY SUNNY. FREEZING LEVEL 6500 FEET.
SUNDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. FREEZING LEVEL 7000 FEET.
MONDAY...SUNNY. FREEZING LEVEL 7500 FEET.
TEMPERATURE AND WIND FORECASTS FOR SELECTED LOCATIONS.
SAT SAT SUN SUN MON
NIGHT NIGHT
SUMMIT (14411 FT) 13 10 8 8 11
S 20 SW 20 SW 15 S 15 S 15
CAMP MUIR(10188 FT) 30 26 27 29 31
S 20 SW 20 S 10 S 10 S 15
PARADISE (5420 FT) 37 27 37 26 35
NE 10 NE 10 NE 10 NE 10 NE 10
LONGMIRE (2700 FT) 41 28 41 27 39
E 10 E 10 E 10 E 10 E 10
++ TEMPERATURES AND WIND FOR THE SUMMIT AND CAMP MUIR ARE AVERAGE
CONDITIONS EXPECTED IN THE FREE AIR AT THOSE ELEVATIONS.
++ TEMPERATURES FOR PARADISE AND LONGMIRE ARE THE EXPECTED HIGHS AND
LOWS. WIND IS THE AVERAGE WIND EXPECTED DURING THAT PERIOD.
EXTENDED FORECAST...
MONDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. FREEZING LEVEL 8000 FEET.
TUESDAY...PARTLY SUNNY. FREEZING LEVEL 7000 FEET.
TUESDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. SNOW LEVEL 5500 FEET.
WEDNESDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. SNOW LEVEL 5000 FEET.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. SNOW LEVEL 5500 FEET.
THURSDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. SNOW LEVEL 7500 FEET.
THURSDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. SNOW LEVEL 8000 FEET.
FRIDAY...PARTLY SUNNY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. SNOW LEVEL 8500 FEET.
It's nice to hear that the ID route is in decent shape for skiing. I was planning to head up there on Friday-Saturday, but something held me back once my potential partner bailed and I would have been solo. Right decision at the time, but regretting it since then, since it's so rare to get an excellent weather window like that in mid-winter with light winds.
Apparently 36 summit climbers (including skiers) were registered according to Carrie, the new winter ranger intern who was going through the forms in the old Paradise ranger station on Monday. About 11 had summited, and several others (7-8) were still on the mountain as of noon Monday. Mostly registered for Gib Ledges and ID, but also 2 parties of 3 on Fuhrer Finger.
What were the winds like on top? I'm just wondering how the actual winds compared to forecast winds and the UW model.
You mentioned that "the breeze improbably died down up on the snowfield", but that was exactly what the UW model was predicting: strong easterly winds down low and almost calm up above. High winds at Paradise and other locations near the Cascade Crest (especially the top of Crystal Mountain) due to strong easterly flow caused by a large east-west pressure gradient across the Crest, but very light southerly winds at 10000 ft and even all the way up to 18000 ft. The strong easterly winds were predicted for Friday-Saturday and again on Monday-Tuesday, with a break on Sunday. Other forecasts (including the Rainier forecast) did not have that nailed down so correctly. The telemetry from Crystal, Paradise, and Camp Muir confirms the periods of strong easterly winds while it was much calmer at Muir (except for an unforecast windy period at Muir overnight Saturday into Sunday).
MOUNT RAINIER RECREATIONAL FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
400 AM PST SAT FEB 4 2012
SYNOPSIS...AN UPPER RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST THROUGH MONDAY...BRINGING CLEAR AND DRY WEATHER TO MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK. PRECIPITATION IS POSSIBLE STARTING LATE TUESDAY OR WEDNESDAY AS A WEAK FRONT MOVES INLAND.
SATURDAY...SUNNY. FREEZING LEVEL 8000 FEET.
SATURDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. FREEZING LEVEL 7500 FEET.
SUNDAY...MOSTLY SUNNY. FREEZING LEVEL 6500 FEET.
SUNDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. FREEZING LEVEL 7000 FEET.
MONDAY...SUNNY. FREEZING LEVEL 7500 FEET.
TEMPERATURE AND WIND FORECASTS FOR SELECTED LOCATIONS.
SAT SAT SUN SUN MON
NIGHT NIGHT
SUMMIT (14411 FT) 13 10 8 8 11
S 20 SW 20 SW 15 S 15 S 15
CAMP MUIR(10188 FT) 30 26 27 29 31
S 20 SW 20 S 10 S 10 S 15
PARADISE (5420 FT) 37 27 37 26 35
NE 10 NE 10 NE 10 NE 10 NE 10
LONGMIRE (2700 FT) 41 28 41 27 39
E 10 E 10 E 10 E 10 E 10
++ TEMPERATURES AND WIND FOR THE SUMMIT AND CAMP MUIR ARE AVERAGE
CONDITIONS EXPECTED IN THE FREE AIR AT THOSE ELEVATIONS.
++ TEMPERATURES FOR PARADISE AND LONGMIRE ARE THE EXPECTED HIGHS AND
LOWS. WIND IS THE AVERAGE WIND EXPECTED DURING THAT PERIOD.
EXTENDED FORECAST...
MONDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. FREEZING LEVEL 8000 FEET.
TUESDAY...PARTLY SUNNY. FREEZING LEVEL 7000 FEET.
TUESDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. SNOW LEVEL 5500 FEET.
WEDNESDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. SNOW LEVEL 5000 FEET.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. SNOW LEVEL 5500 FEET.
THURSDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. SNOW LEVEL 7500 FEET.
THURSDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. SNOW LEVEL 8000 FEET.
FRIDAY...PARTLY SUNNY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. SNOW LEVEL 8500 FEET.
Winds: at ~5400-6400 in the Tatoosh on the 4th, it was really really windy. Like whip your pack straps into your face so hard it stings, and almost blow you over. We were looking accross to the Muir snowfield and wondering if people were getting hammered. But maybe these specific conditions ameliorated the winds higher up! interesting.
Awesome to get the Raindawg in winter. When I was over on Whitman Crest, I counted 11 people in this image of the Emmons. Pretty cool to watch you guys while having breakfast.
Amar - thanks for the additional info! We hadn't examined the forecast quite to the same level of detail but it certainly seems reasonable that higher elevations might not experience the east-west pressure differential in the same way as crest level locations. The summit at midday on the 5th had only a bit of breeze - probably 15mph or less.
Jason - thanks for adding that picture, nice shot! We are the party of 3 in the upper bowl of the Ingraham. The parties above actually climbed the Gib Ledges. We certainly were glad to get the sun on us. Even on a mild winter day, the fingers and toes were starting to get pretty cold by dawn!
Jason - thanks for adding that picture, nice shot! We are the party of 3 in the upper bowl of the Ingraham. The parties above actually climbed the Gib Ledges. We certainly were glad to get the sun on us. Even on a mild winter day, the fingers and toes were starting to get pretty cold by dawn!
No rope on the way up? Reminds me of this Hummel gem from way back when: http://www.cascadeclassics.org/MountRainier/IngrahamDirect/Winter02/IngrahamDirect,Winter02.htm
author=Good2Go link=topic=23628.msg100247#msg100247 date=1328926465]
No rope on the way up? Reminds me of this Hummel gem from way back when: http://www.cascadeclassics.org/MountRainier/IngrahamDirect/Winter02/IngrahamDirect,Winter02.htm
That's a good read! I'll freely admit that the glacier skiing game is not one of strict risk avoidance. Being unroped in any fashion on a crevassed glacier could have serious consequences. But our basic approach was to skin w/o a rope on mellow sections such as the flats area of the Ingraham and the upper mountain above 13-13.5K. We were roped while cramponing everything else. Even in winter this seemed prudent knowing how broken the underlying glaciers are. As for the down, skiing with a rope sucks, so...
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