Home > Trip Reports > April 27, 2013, Mission Ridge, my first 10k day

April 27, 2013, Mission Ridge, my first 10k day

4/27/13
WA Cascades East Slopes Central
8418
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Posted by mikerolfs on 4/28/13 3:17am
I've been interested in skiing a 10,000 foot day for a couple of years.  Prior to this, the most I'd ever hike/skied in a day was around 8000 feet.  Real men do this in the mountains, but I wanted my first time to be on my home turf at Mission Ridge.  The lifts are shut down and the Ridge is the easiest access ski-hiking from my house near Wenatchee.  You can still ski to the parking lot, but the conditions are deteriorating fast and I doubt that will be true next weekend.  If I'm going to do it this year, today is the day.  Saturday, April 27, 2013.  Moderate temperature, high wind.

I started at 9:30 a.m. and skied up to the Mission Peak area where I did a few laps above the reservoir. (The skiing was excellent).  At the top and bottom of each pitch I recorded the time and elevation so I could track my progress toward my goal.  I returned to the base area at noon for a snack and water with 3260 feet accumulated.


For my second run I was accompanied to Windy Ridge by two guys I met at the base area and their dog.  The wind was howling up there and the snow below the Microwave Tower had not softened.  Abandoning this aspect, I headed to the mid mountain area where Maggi and Nertz were corned up nicely.   

We have three dogs, none of which would make it all day, but each good for one run.  I had asked my wife to cycle the dogs to the ski area for me, so I'd have a fresh companion all day long.  She laughed at my request of course, but she did meet me in the base area at 3pm with a dog and some water.  We had a nice lunch break and I headed up to finish my goal.  The vertical I recorded for my second run was 4100 feet bringing my total to 7360'.

Moxie and I left the base area at 4pm for my third run and we came across bear tracks twice on the way up.


We skied Lemolo and then stopped in the calm bathtub basin below Windy Ridge to double check my math.  I needed only 380 more feet to reach my goal!  Perfect.  I'll gain more than 500 feet between the bottom of Lemolo and the Microwave tower.  I got to the Microwave Tower at 6pm.  Not a record time, but I was happy to have completed the uphill part of my first 10k day.  I had a safety margin of 180 feet and I figured that since I was only recording bottom of slope and top of slope elevations, my GPS track would give me a few hundred feet of additional vertical due to the several minor ups and downs that I didn't record.  Here is me showing off my total of 10,180 before skiing Bowl four to the bottom.


When I got home I transferred my GPS track to the computer and HORROR it read 9888 feet

So back to the Ridge I went, and by headlamp I made one final short lap up Sitkum and Down Chak Chak.  Not super satisfying.  At least it brightened Sara's evening.  I'm not sure she meant me to hear her chuckle.


Here is what 10,000 feet at Mission Ridge looks like.  I didn't ski or ascend the same route more than once except for yoyo laps on the fun parts.


And here is a short bit of video from the day.  Grand total: 10,596. 
https://vimeo.com/64994184
author=mikerolfs link=topic=28404.msg119471#msg119471 date=1367173026]
When I got home I transferred my GPS track to the computer and HORROR it read 9888 feet

So back to the Ridge I went, and by headlamp I made one final short lap

:)  Love this!  Life was so much simpler before software to drive us crazy.

Nicely done, what skis and bindings? 

Congrats on meeting your goal ! Thanks for the conditions report. Iusually try and make it over there after the lifts close.Not only for the skiing but also the change of venue. 
I just put a ski rack on my motorbike sooo maybe.

Mike.  This is awesome.  Very inspiring.  I love your enthusiasm!

Nice work, Mike.

Great work!  Now eat yer Wheaties and go metric!

Nice Mike! Good work.  Give me something to try for, maybe next year.  How 'bout a seasonal quarter mil capped with another day like yesterday!

Silas, TTN and Vector 170cm.
TN, HA! I hear you do days like this on a regular basis.
:)  Thanks for the kudos everyone!

There is some interesting pathology that went into this type of trip Mike that I am trying to come to terms with! Well done sir! Way to keep the sickness alive!

Congrats, Mike!

Love the first picture. Something about the way the snow lies around those lava rocks. So perfect and yet so ephemeral. You're lucky to have that in your back yard.

Awesome Mike -- I'm ashamed to say that I would probably round up aggressively when processing the GPS data.

Way to embrace the uber-hamster wheel Mike!

You showed us all your favorite runs.  I love my Vector BC.  ;)

Super!!!

Way to make it happens Mike! and on your home turf as well.  Love skinning the closed resorts with the pooches.




When I got home I transferred my GPS track to the computer and HORROR it read 9888 feet

So back to the Ridge I went, and by headlamp I made one final short lap up Sitkum and Down Chak Chak.  Not super satisfying.  At least it brightened Sara's evening.  I'm not sure she meant me to hear her chuckle.


Interesting how many of us "Mountain Men/Women are so geeked out when it comes to technology and obsessive record keeping. When I skied 50k at Whistler a few years ago (by sitting and slipping) I had to use a trail map and check marks and arithmetic! This year I had the chance to use my wife's Iphone and a ski tracker app to record a long day at Sun Valley, and I was fascinated by the various speed, distance, vertical, and other readings. I met a 72 year old man on the Gondola who was talking about skiing 72k just last month! On the lift, I was talking to my friend about going 54 MPH, and a big guy next to me said he had gone 90MPH the day before and crashed at the end. He unzipped his jacket, saw how fast he had gone - and sent it to facebook right away! (Please don't try to top this!)

Mike - You really didn't have to go back by headlamp. Good job though - that's a bunch of climbing!

I hate/love it when you do an OCD project like this, just like pouring gas on a fire! Nice work!

author=jtack link=topic=28404.msg119518#msg119518 date=1367265892]
I hate/love it when you do an OCD project like this, just like pouring gas on a fire! Nice work!
I'm glad you said it... ;)

Not ten-thou Mike, didn't even hit seven this year.  Too many long breaks in the sunshine I guess.

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