June 15, 2013, Mt Ruth (Rainier)
6/15/13
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
3833
2
Another gorgeous day in Mt Rainier National Park with an 'old' ski bud and four new ones met through TAY.
Skinning begins in Glacier Basin reached via the newly renovated 3.1 mile long hiking trail.
Snow conditions were much better this day than the prior Saturday on Interglacier. Half-way down, from the summit, the snow became sticky and grabby.
With the exception of the potentially hazardous White River crossing, and barring especially warm weather, the route should be skiiable for another 3-4 weeks.
Stats:
4,500' elevation gain
11 miles roundtrip
Ascent: 5.5 hours
Descent: 2.5 hours
Skinning begins in Glacier Basin reached via the newly renovated 3.1 mile long hiking trail.
Snow conditions were much better this day than the prior Saturday on Interglacier. Half-way down, from the summit, the snow became sticky and grabby.
With the exception of the potentially hazardous White River crossing, and barring especially warm weather, the route should be skiiable for another 3-4 weeks.
Stats:
4,500' elevation gain
11 miles roundtrip
Ascent: 5.5 hours
Descent: 2.5 hours
Thanks for the uptrack y'all. Lots of people up there that day having fun.
You got a good photo of the 22deg halo. That halo was present much of the afternoon, and was pretty cool. For a while there was also a hint of a circumhorizontal arc. (My pic below, cellphone, wish I had got out the real camera before it disappeared.)
Boy the top 700' of the run was so good. It was crying out to be lapped, so I did (once), descending a fun little windscoop gully E off summit. It was a shame it turned stickier below that, but for me was still OK skiing, wide turns and with speed up to bust suction. The surface was mostly pretty smooth. Another week might help it corn, if it's the right kind of week?
Crossing the Inter fork wasn't so bad, I've seen it worse. I crossed at the spring route point (which NPS had already wanded off). No snowbridge anymore, but successfully rockhopped after javelining the skis over.
Was possible to "ski" maybe another 1/3 mile below the spring crossing, if one was amenable to walking short dirt patches or rail-sliding wooden bridges that separated patches.
Looking across at Sunrise at state of its meltout, damn shame road is not open, looks perfect NOW. When it DOES open it may be too late for many of the classics.
You got a good photo of the 22deg halo. That halo was present much of the afternoon, and was pretty cool. For a while there was also a hint of a circumhorizontal arc. (My pic below, cellphone, wish I had got out the real camera before it disappeared.)
Boy the top 700' of the run was so good. It was crying out to be lapped, so I did (once), descending a fun little windscoop gully E off summit. It was a shame it turned stickier below that, but for me was still OK skiing, wide turns and with speed up to bust suction. The surface was mostly pretty smooth. Another week might help it corn, if it's the right kind of week?
Crossing the Inter fork wasn't so bad, I've seen it worse. I crossed at the spring route point (which NPS had already wanded off). No snowbridge anymore, but successfully rockhopped after javelining the skis over.
Was possible to "ski" maybe another 1/3 mile below the spring crossing, if one was amenable to walking short dirt patches or rail-sliding wooden bridges that separated patches.
Looking across at Sunrise at state of its meltout, damn shame road is not open, looks perfect NOW. When it DOES open it may be too late for many of the classics.
Thanks for organizing a great trip, Brian. It doesn't get better than this. What a great group.
This day will long be remembered as the day of the halos.
This day will long be remembered as the day of the halos.
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