Home > Trip Reports > March 29, 2013, Zipper Couloir, Lane Peak, Tatoosh

March 29, 2013, Zipper Couloir, Lane Peak, Tatoosh

3/29/13
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
2768
6
Posted by ND on 4/1/13 2:30am
Last April I went for the zipper and turned back part way up when the sun came out and bits of cornices started falling from the walls.  It's been bothering me ever since.

This Friday looked like a perfect time to go back, we were hoping for some corn over firm snow and crossing our fingers that cornices had all fallen the day prior.  Our hopes came true, upon arriving at the base we found debris from cornice collapses and nothing large and overhanging was visible.  We skinned up to the trees where the zipper and the fly meet and then boot packed the couloir.  There was a trough down the center from a cornice/rock coming down prior, a perfect sluff catcher! 
I dropped in first at around 2pm, found great edge hold, not too much sluff movement and no glop.  I hung on the riders right wall and had absolutely perfect turns.  Jen took the riders left and they weren't as ideal, some bed surface further down the chute.  She decided to cross right and caught a tip in the trough about 3/4 of the way down.  Pulled a nice quick front flip back onto her skis and rode it out like nothing happened.  Glad that one didn't happen at the top.
We toured back up, climbed some trees, and got back to the car for a rainier by 3pm.  Great day.

Nice.
Is there still plenty of crossing options across the Tatoosh Creek?

Hey Ron, still very easy to find bridges on the creek.  They are starting to sag a bit and get narrower so it will probably be dificult shortly if this warm weather continues.

Thanks, Mate. :)

You're welcome!  A few more pics


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ND
2013-04-01 09:30:01