May 26, 2005, Fryingpan - Whitman Crest

Clear sunny skies and the temptation of various reports over the last couple of weeks convinced me of the need to try out the Fryingpan. Dave Z. and I left Seattle at 4:30 AM and were on the trail by about 7:00. The trail is snow free to the footbridge and is a fairly easy walk. Once on the other side of the footbridge, we changed shoes and were able to ski all the way to the crest (with the exception of a couple of short posthole exercises). We arrived at the crest about noon and were rewarded with views from Mt. Jefferson to Mt. Baker.
The ski down consisted of very nice corn until the final 500 vert. before the footbridge where it got rather heavy. We started a wet slide in that area that moved quite slow, but carried a lot of snow with it. The slope was not very steep by this point, so it was not a big concern. More or less, something to be aware of. If the heat continues, I would be very careful before skiing steeper slopes.
The walk out in the forest was cool and pleasant. We really didn't notice the heat until we got to the car.