Home > Trip Reports > August 14 (sunday)- Mt. Ruth

August 14 (sunday)- Mt. Ruth

7/15/05
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
6624
14
Posted by skiing_addict on 8/16/05 6:00am
To clarify, the Mt. Ruth north of Shuksan, not interglacier Mt. Ruth.

For pics and general description I am directing you to my post on telemarktips.com: http://www.telemarktalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=123960#123960

I'm not sure if this is in good taste or not- I'll put it here if you want.

If you want to make this trip, get up there soon, it won't last long.  It was really cooking on sunday, and if we had gotten up an hour later, the snow would have been too mushy, so get up there quickly.  The slopes usually ranged from 30 to 35 degrees, some spots up to 45 degrees.  If you are competent with leather boots and skinny skis, take those- it is a LONG hike up and my kodiaks with 7tm tours and t2 boots are quite the torture device for the back.  If you go up there, you really ought to take the line to the skiers left (way left) from the summit- it looks nice, and I regret not skiing it.  It looks like the longest and nicest line.
Nice pics.

We'd love to have your trip reports and links to your photos here as well, especially for stuff in the "back yard."  The nice thing about turns-all-year is that we're all local, as opposed to telemarktips.  They have more readership, but you're much more likely to run into someone from t.a.y. on your next ski trip.  So don't skimp on the goods man! ;D

As per site policy I will use one of your pictures as the thread photo (additional photos are usually linked to minimize loading-time):


Arghh that looked nice (but already a massive loss of snow vs pix I'd seen from just a week prior on cascadeclimbers). I shoulda hiked up Ruth last weekend instead of the Ptarmigan Ridge, there wasn't much non-ice left up on Ptarmigan for me last saturday (13th).

No problem on posting stuff here...
Joe, Oyvind and I left Everett abotu 3:00 am on sunday, and started hiking at 5:45. We reached Hannegan pass two hours later, and reached the bottom of the glacier an hour later. Joe and Oyvind continued up the glacier in their trail runners and reached the top at 10:00. Lacking good trail runners, I put on my boots and crampons there are reached the top at 10:20. After a nice long break, we started the ski down.
Looking at http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic44500.jpg we skied the left hand sky line, came down to the climbers right of the prominent block/sub-peak on the ridge, traversed below the block, and dropped off to the climber's left of the ridge for a couple runs down that side before coming back down the visible face. We caught it at the right time of day- the corn was just perfect! The hike back down got boring and painful quickly. In addition to being much hotter that hiking up in the morning, hordes of bugs and flies pestered us, and my skis kept shifting around on my pack. On a side note, we were able to see the north side of table mountain (near baker ski area) and there is still a couple hundred feet of really dirty snow.
If you are looking to ski ruth as well, get up there quickly. It won't stay good more than a week. There is still a nice line to the climbers right from the top, which extends way off the photo (the other 'fork' of the glacier). We didn't pay attention on the way up, and couldn't see over the roll from the top, so we didn't know if any cracks opened up in the steepest section, and didn't take that line.
All in all, it was great skiing, and we got about 1500-2000 feet of turns.

We really noticed the snow loss from the cascadeclimbers post as well- that's where Oyvind got the idea for the trip.  I was hoping we could get a 1000 foot run, but I guess not.  The crevases were opening up, but nothing serious- the biggest gap we had to cross was about a foot.  Going up we took the ridge on the climbers left, and there was a snow bridge remaining- I don't think it will last more than a week, so you might need to go down and around.

If someone has a good way to get from Hannegan pass to the Ruth Glacier going on the south side of the ridge, please confirm that there is a way.  The route on the north side involves a 500 foot vert section of 45 to 50 degree climbers  tread which is loose and coming down my skis (on the pack) kept scraping the ground.  We talked to some people camped at Hannegan pass who explored a trail on the south side of the ridge (the start of the trail was relatively obvious) said that it ended before it got back to the ridge, and we were afraid that it would cliff out.

Also, if you are looking for a little adventure and to save some time, on the way up to Hannegan pass, the trail goes above the pass towards Hannegan Mt, then descends quite steeply a ways to the actual pass.  There is a climbers trail that shortcuts this.  It is obvious descending from the pass, but nearly invisible going up.  After you pass the campground on the flats below the pass, there is a straight stretch of trail a couple hundred meters later.  If you cross the ditch/creek to the right and head up straight and a little to right when the trail turns left, you will get on the direct trail.  It saved us 10-20 minutes on the way down, but it is pretty steep so it may be worthless on the way up, plus the trail is a half bushwack so the skis may get in the way.

About that shortcut trail--did you still go up to the pass or did you try to traverse the cliffy area on the right?  I tried the latter a couple years back and ended up awkwardly climbing up some steep rock slabs to gain back the ridge.  It kinda sucked.

Full and comprehensive trip reports are entirely welcome here, expecially during this, the summer of our discontent.  It takes a decidedly optimistic temperament to haul skis all the way up there this time of year, but you seem to have made the best of it.  By the way, this is Ruth Mountain, not Mt. Ruth; the latter is the proper name for the peak next to the Intergacier.  
 
In response to Justin's question, go to the pass itself unless there's sufficient snow to head directly up Ruth Creek Valley to the glacier. The summer trail is indeed the long way around in any case.

Edit to add:  I just noticed this question in your trip report:

If someone has a good way to get from Hannegan pass to the Ruth Glacier going on the south side of the ridge, please confirm that there is a way.  The route on the north side involves a 500 foot vert section of 45 to 50 degree climbers  tread which is loose and coming down my skis (on the pack) kept scraping the ground.  We talked to some people camped at Hannegan pass who explored a trail on the south side of the ridge (the start of the trail was relatively obvious) said that it ended before it got back to the ridge, and we were afraid that it would cliff out.


I'm a bit unsure of your uses of north and south here.  The climbers trail from Hannegan Pass climbs steeply, about 40 degrees on sloppy footing, on a north aspect before traversing east around a small nob, then dropping a couple of hundred feet to a saddle in the ridge which becomes Ruth Mountain. As far as I know, that's the only practical ascent route from the pass itself, but I'm perfectly willing to be corrected, especially as I've never been up there in such low snow conditions.  As I tried to indicate above, earlier in the season it's easy to skip the pass entirely by climbing directly up the cirque from Ruth Creek to the glacier.  This is also the most direct (and fun) descent route when it's snow-covered, but it basically involves north and west slopes.  I don't know where you'd find a south aspect.  

Thanks for  the report and the excellent photos, here and on Ttips.

Mark

The nice thing about turns-all-year is that we're all local, as opposed to telemarktips.


As Justin notes, there are a lot of us who spend time on both forums, but consider TAY "home" . . . thanks for the report!

We only took the shortcut on the way down, it goes from Hannegan pass (right near the south side of the little lake/pond at the pass) down to the campgrounds on the flats below the pass.  If you take the shortcut, you still need to take the steep (crappy) climber's tread that markharf mentioned.

Markharf, I guess I am messed up with my compass directions.  We took the north route you mentioned with the 40 degree sloppy footing, just because that is where everyone else goes.  That trail is long, hot (in the sun in the morning) and gains unwanted elevation, as opposed to a possible trail on the other side of the ridge.  Someone has obviously tried to make a trail on this side (the ruth creek side) of the ridge, but we weren't sure if it went back to the ridge to meet up with the 'regular' trail.

Yeah I followed paths on climbers' "this" side of the ridge, and pretty much got "cliffed out" so you'll probably save time by just following the main trail.  unless there's snow.

Someone has obviously tried to make a trail on this side (the ruth creek side) of the ridge, but we weren't sure if it went back to the ridge to meet up with the 'regular' trail.


I'd guess that any trail on the west (Ruth Creek) side of the ridge was formed by returning skiers who dropped off the summit into Ruth Creek valley, skied until they ran out of skiable snow, then hiked out to meet the main trail.  That would explain your report that the path dies out before attaining the ridge;  either that part is snow-covered and gets skied,or it's bare and no one but Justin (who is demonstrably more energetic and adventurous than I) would dare go that way.  

Thanks for the beta.  PM me if craving further long approaches, heat, bugs and scree; I've got a few ideas.

Mark

Thanks for posting the TR Addict.

I had the good fortune to ski with Joe and Oyvind this year as well.  After they warmed up by climbing SEWS they caught us on a tour in a nearby valley.


Maybe I missed it, but how many miles/vert was it to the bottom of the glacier from the trailhead? Just curious for future endeavors...I did Sahale Glacier 2 weeks ago-14 mile roundtrip and I thought that was tough enough! :)

~Lara

4+ miles and 2000 feet to hannegan pass, another mile and a half or so and 1000 feet to the snow, then 1000 to the top.  The elevation is net elevation though- lots of ups and downs, probably another 500 feet added to the day.

Alright...that's not too bad-thanks for the beta!  Welcome to TAY, by the way...

~Lara

Mark you almost make it sound like we tortured you.  Just to set the record straight Mark was on point setting an aggressive pace both up and down.  I wish you would reconsider only coming on every fourth trip or was that once a month  ;D  I had a great ski and look forward to many more with you.  You forgot to mention the best part of warming down in the toasty North Fork of the Nooksack on the way out.  Some more Pics not as good as Marks but…

Mark and Oyvind


Mark


The Crew after warming down

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2005-08-16 13:00:10