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Feb14, 2013, Mt. Rainier, Paradise--Caution!

2/14/13
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
4019
8
Posted by Andrew Carey on 2/14/13 7:10am
Nice new snow, 4+ inches, on top of a supporting (but breakable with a little effort) icy crust.  This morning the snow was not bonded to the crust at all, it would sluff from beneath skis & skins--easy to have your ski slide out from under you.  As the morning progressed a strong sun occasionally breaking through medium density clouds and rapidly increasing air temperature (35 F at Paradise at noon) began to affect the snow.  Lots of snowballs on southerly slopes; skiing on mild northwesterly slopes produced mashed potatoes and snowballs.  I even got a free ride on a wet slide skiing down at the break-over of southerly slope (carried me about 10 feet before I skied out it; just the surface 4 inches or so slid, but slid pretty fast on the steep entry, then slowed but continued downslope quite a bit with snowballs running the length of the slope).  This was about noon under cloudy skis at 6,000 ft asl.  Snow became very sticky on skins on the way out.  Cornices were getting wet and sagging or curving.  Tomorrow is going to be sunny and warm--the snow should be very wet.
Thanks for the heads up! Several times I've been riding MRNP areas and have had other folk on the routes explain to me that wet slides and sluffs/point releases aren't dangerous whatsoever, I laugh and sarcasticly say "alright dude". I've been carried a good distance by a sluff, they can easily take you over cliffs and other terrain traps.

Thanks Andrew,
Any rain?
Maybe a cold clear night can dry the snow out on North aspects??????
John

No rain, some snow flakes while I was there; forecast for tonight is cloudy; that means, perhaps, less nasty crust in the morning but no resolution of the wet snow on the crust.

We were there and saw Andy's slide  , Actually it was 4" crown about 50' wide that broke on first(back bowl) south facing 35-40  degree slope. Although we were nordic touring on top MAzama that top 4" got very wet. We left later than Andy did. Might not be good conditons tomorrow on south facing.

Thanks gents,  hoping fo rthe north side powdery snow to endure and at least the south sides should not be frozen.  Sunny sky predicted, so who can complain!
John

Well it won't be tracked out as there only 3 of us in the whole area  .

anyone that thinks wet slides arent a big deal have never been in a wet slide. wet slides can be a lot worse than dry/soft

author=burns_allyear link=topic=27506.msg115769#msg115769 date=1360977369]
anyone that thinks wet slides arent a big deal have never been in a wet slide. wet slides can be a lot worse than dry/soft


I totally agree, wet means heavy, heavy means kicks you butt  ;D

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feb14-2013-mt-rainier-paradise-caution
Andrew Carey
2013-02-14 15:10:14