March 26, 2005, Crystal Peak - Revisited
3/26/05
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
2632
3
With all the rain it has to be dumping in the mountains. After finding the "white room" at Bakers reopening on Thursday I was jonesing for some more. Called around and found out that Baker on Friday was wet and Saturday really wet. After consulting the telemetry I should have known. Snowing falling consistently at 33 degrees. Should have went anywhere east of the crest. Well I made the decision to stay close to home and try Crystal again.
Picked up Rick and made our way up. Parking lot had a couple inches of super saturated wet snow. Was snowing and blowing hard. After getting home I checked the telemetry to confirm wind speeds. Around 30mph with spikes in the 50s. Maybe thats why only 2 subarus were parked in front me. And a 4th, a truck pulled up shortly after. So I threw on my banana yellow rain slick and started to skin by 9am. I should have worn the pants too! Snow was wet but improving the higher up we got. Coverage around the base was sufficient for skinning but not much else. Hope more snow piles up before we come down. There was a few inches of wet on gravel, grass, and dirt. As soon as the slopes started to climb so did the snow depth. Few inches soon turned to a foot.
Rick and I continued skinning along the cat track up the frontside of Rex. Just like last time the winds had sculpted some crazy looking wind lips. Snow depth varied depending where on you were. Some sections only had a few inches while other sections boasted a few feet. Rick and I took note on how easily the snow would crack and crumble under our skins. We arrived at on top of Iceburg (6400ft) and started our skin up the ridge to the summit house (6900ft). Winds were howling and forced me to take a wide stance to keep me from falling over. The visibility in Green Valley was in and out. Lighting was a bit flat. We arrived at the summit at 11, took some shelter, and geared up for our descent. A teaser in the valley would have been nice but given the conditions, wet n windy, it was quickly tabled.
From the summit we cut over to the backside to Lucky Shot cat track. Top part had been wind blasted so only a few inches remained on top of existing wind pack, crust, or ground. The lower down the track we got the deeper the snow did. That hideous wind lip by Pow Pass was gone so the ride went a little further. We dropped in below Powder Bowl and stayed on the usual groomers trail before the last 2 faces. I ventured boarders right along the trees and Rick went skiers left. For all the wind loading going on the snow was really stable. I came down the steepiest section, around 30 degrees, and nothing released. Just snow hitting my face. ;D I looked at Rick and there he was on his pockets with snow billowing over his thighs. Once below this dreamy section the snow got tricky. Turns were had when possible but hard when the snow is trying a single leg take down on ya. Needless to say much of it was a straight line on our skin track. Even going straight I was moving in slow motion. The good news is I did not hit anything and was able to ride all the way down to the base. Was all of it worth it? Why hell yes! ;D
Picked up Rick and made our way up. Parking lot had a couple inches of super saturated wet snow. Was snowing and blowing hard. After getting home I checked the telemetry to confirm wind speeds. Around 30mph with spikes in the 50s. Maybe thats why only 2 subarus were parked in front me. And a 4th, a truck pulled up shortly after. So I threw on my banana yellow rain slick and started to skin by 9am. I should have worn the pants too! Snow was wet but improving the higher up we got. Coverage around the base was sufficient for skinning but not much else. Hope more snow piles up before we come down. There was a few inches of wet on gravel, grass, and dirt. As soon as the slopes started to climb so did the snow depth. Few inches soon turned to a foot.
Rick and I continued skinning along the cat track up the frontside of Rex. Just like last time the winds had sculpted some crazy looking wind lips. Snow depth varied depending where on you were. Some sections only had a few inches while other sections boasted a few feet. Rick and I took note on how easily the snow would crack and crumble under our skins. We arrived at on top of Iceburg (6400ft) and started our skin up the ridge to the summit house (6900ft). Winds were howling and forced me to take a wide stance to keep me from falling over. The visibility in Green Valley was in and out. Lighting was a bit flat. We arrived at the summit at 11, took some shelter, and geared up for our descent. A teaser in the valley would have been nice but given the conditions, wet n windy, it was quickly tabled.
From the summit we cut over to the backside to Lucky Shot cat track. Top part had been wind blasted so only a few inches remained on top of existing wind pack, crust, or ground. The lower down the track we got the deeper the snow did. That hideous wind lip by Pow Pass was gone so the ride went a little further. We dropped in below Powder Bowl and stayed on the usual groomers trail before the last 2 faces. I ventured boarders right along the trees and Rick went skiers left. For all the wind loading going on the snow was really stable. I came down the steepiest section, around 30 degrees, and nothing released. Just snow hitting my face. ;D I looked at Rick and there he was on his pockets with snow billowing over his thighs. Once below this dreamy section the snow got tricky. Turns were had when possible but hard when the snow is trying a single leg take down on ya. Needless to say much of it was a straight line on our skin track. Even going straight I was moving in slow motion. The good news is I did not hit anything and was able to ride all the way down to the base. Was all of it worth it? Why hell yes! ;D
Eric, we must have been two ships passing in the fog.
I was one of the two Subaru cars. We started hiking about 7am. We wanted to get the early start to avoid pending rain and avy conditions. The visability was poor due to the 30-50mph gusts. Skinned up Kelly's and skied West Face-Or..Should I say West Face shots! Then made a move to the Summit. Arrived at about 9:30 to dry out. Some guys in Red outfits skied as we dryed out. Skied into Green Valley bowl-Not as much new due to the wind blowing it off the face-8-10". After Green Valley and did West Face 3 more times. Our group split for the last run two went to ski Exterminator and Eagle's. I went with another and skied that frontside traverse and skinned up Lucky and out Lucky to Gandy's and the slog on the white slurpee from Rex to the bottom by 3:30.
Only visable avy activity was on c-3- the face going up the first roll fractured about 8 inches. Everything else was glued in place. 18 inches new on West Face and no results avy wise. Athough a rather large avalanche was reported from Rock Face to and over the cat track later in the day. No Surprise there.
Joe
I was one of the two Subaru cars. We started hiking about 7am. We wanted to get the early start to avoid pending rain and avy conditions. The visability was poor due to the 30-50mph gusts. Skinned up Kelly's and skied West Face-Or..Should I say West Face shots! Then made a move to the Summit. Arrived at about 9:30 to dry out. Some guys in Red outfits skied as we dryed out. Skied into Green Valley bowl-Not as much new due to the wind blowing it off the face-8-10". After Green Valley and did West Face 3 more times. Our group split for the last run two went to ski Exterminator and Eagle's. I went with another and skied that frontside traverse and skinned up Lucky and out Lucky to Gandy's and the slog on the white slurpee from Rex to the bottom by 3:30.
Only visable avy activity was on c-3- the face going up the first roll fractured about 8 inches. Everything else was glued in place. 18 inches new on West Face and no results avy wise. Athough a rather large avalanche was reported from Rock Face to and over the cat track later in the day. No Surprise there.
Joe
I can not remember but was one of the subarus white? Figured it was Bill and company. About the 2 guys in the red coats? Maybe one of them was Howard? I recall meeting him up at the summit house a while back and remember him wearing red.
Yeah good call on West Face...shots. ;D I was contemplating going in that direction and doing laps. However my partner forgot that schoeler does not protect you from water being poured on you but neither does much else except rubber.
Curious minds must know is upper E really worth it? Also how about the Nest? Since winds were blowing in favor coverage musta been descent. I gotta go find out! You going up anytime this week Joe?
Yeah good call on West Face...shots. ;D I was contemplating going in that direction and doing laps. However my partner forgot that schoeler does not protect you from water being poured on you but neither does much else except rubber.
Curious minds must know is upper E really worth it? Also how about the Nest? Since winds were blowing in favor coverage musta been descent. I gotta go find out! You going up anytime this week Joe?
E had 8-10" new over a wet crust that kept you off the rocks most of the time. Felt like it wanted to cut loose on the crust layer so we stayed near the left ridgeline. No activity. Tippy-toed over rocks on the ridge to get into Eagles. Below rock face all balled up with debris melting off the rocks. Only good/safe line was far right in the trees. I'd be real nervous about it now with the additional loading since saturday.
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