April 20, Mt McLoughlin, OR
4/20/13
OR elsewhere
2760
2
At about this time last year (1 week later) I toured Mt McLoughlin, stayed in Klamath falls and then skied Mt Scott. Such a good trip and with promising weather I repeated the same trip this year.
I left eugene early in cloud and drizzle, not promising, but the weather by medford was sunny. Left the summit snow park at around 8:45am (the forecast was for early cloud clearing out so I slept an extra hour). Snow was a little thinner than last year, and more broken,but I managed to connect the snow to make a slow progress along the PCT before heading northwards. I forgot how much this slog through the woods just goes on and on sapping the energy. No easy direct path, everything from the lava to the trees tries to block your path. Some of the lava flows at least yield a glimpse of the summit.
Broke out of the first around 7000ft and met a couple of climbers with snowshoes who had started 2 hours before me. The next 2500ft went relatively quickly due to good snow, soft and Edge-able but supportive. I used ski crampons as a precaution (and I carried ice axe plus boot crampons after last weeks mishap) .
There was a stuff breeze on the summit but sitting on the south side wasn't too bad and I hung around for nearly an hour. As I began my descent I saw the climbers still 1500ft below me, they must have been struggling.
Descent was down the SW avalanche path and was nice and smooth but very sticky despite waxing my skis on the summit. Snow hadn't really corned, seemed to be fresh snow that had just melted. Really enjoyable descent, shame it is such a trek to get there... Then a long traverse back towards the snowpark which turned into lots of dirt skiing before I gave up headed due south to the highway 140 and a 1 mile hike back to the car.
Really love this mountain. I'm thinking in the future of trying directly from the highway to gain the base of the avy path.
I left eugene early in cloud and drizzle, not promising, but the weather by medford was sunny. Left the summit snow park at around 8:45am (the forecast was for early cloud clearing out so I slept an extra hour). Snow was a little thinner than last year, and more broken,but I managed to connect the snow to make a slow progress along the PCT before heading northwards. I forgot how much this slog through the woods just goes on and on sapping the energy. No easy direct path, everything from the lava to the trees tries to block your path. Some of the lava flows at least yield a glimpse of the summit.
Broke out of the first around 7000ft and met a couple of climbers with snowshoes who had started 2 hours before me. The next 2500ft went relatively quickly due to good snow, soft and Edge-able but supportive. I used ski crampons as a precaution (and I carried ice axe plus boot crampons after last weeks mishap) .
There was a stuff breeze on the summit but sitting on the south side wasn't too bad and I hung around for nearly an hour. As I began my descent I saw the climbers still 1500ft below me, they must have been struggling.
Descent was down the SW avalanche path and was nice and smooth but very sticky despite waxing my skis on the summit. Snow hadn't really corned, seemed to be fresh snow that had just melted. Really enjoyable descent, shame it is such a trek to get there... Then a long traverse back towards the snowpark which turned into lots of dirt skiing before I gave up headed due south to the highway 140 and a 1 mile hike back to the car.
Really love this mountain. I'm thinking in the future of trying directly from the highway to gain the base of the avy path.
Curious why you would leave from the Summit Snow Park rather than the summer TH up Fourmile Lk Rd? The ski down the east bowl is pretty spectacular and the route through the forest while not slogless, didn't seem bad at all.
The road looked to be blocked by snow, certainly would have been unless they actively plough that road.
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