August 28, 2005, Coleman Pinnacle vicinity
8/28/05
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
3255
3
With hopes for turns at the lowest possible expectations, four of us left the Artist Point parking lot at the crack o noon on sunday to take our skis for a hike.
Despite threatening clouds and high winds, we only had to endure a couple occational rain squalls.
Nothing but tiny patches of bare ice till the Camp Kiser area...then there were slightly larger patches of ice...no snow left on the 'snowfields' around Coleman Pinnacle...just noticeably receded grey ice.
Hiking round Coleman Pinnacle towards the Scholes, we spotted a 70 vf patch of actual snow on the SE side of the pinnacle and proceed to take four laps on it as the clouds and wind swirled around us.
We got brief glimpses of the Scholes- almost looked like there was some snow still out there, but mostly what we saw was bare ice. The Rainbow and Park glaciers stayed hidden in the clouds, so who knows if conditions out there are worth the hike. Did see one other skier heading out that direction, a fellow TAY'er?
After a whopping 280 vf of skiing, we packed up and headed for the car.
The streak continues...August turns are in the bag...man I hope it snows sometime in September.
Despite threatening clouds and high winds, we only had to endure a couple occational rain squalls.
Nothing but tiny patches of bare ice till the Camp Kiser area...then there were slightly larger patches of ice...no snow left on the 'snowfields' around Coleman Pinnacle...just noticeably receded grey ice.
Hiking round Coleman Pinnacle towards the Scholes, we spotted a 70 vf patch of actual snow on the SE side of the pinnacle and proceed to take four laps on it as the clouds and wind swirled around us.
We got brief glimpses of the Scholes- almost looked like there was some snow still out there, but mostly what we saw was bare ice. The Rainbow and Park glaciers stayed hidden in the clouds, so who knows if conditions out there are worth the hike. Did see one other skier heading out that direction, a fellow TAY'er?
After a whopping 280 vf of skiing, we packed up and headed for the car.
The streak continues...August turns are in the bag...man I hope it snows sometime in September.
I figured it must have been a group of TAYers heading out from that brutally small snow patch. Who else would pack skis out towards Coleman pinnacle on the August following one of the lowest snow pack winters for lower elevations. Nice to briefly meet you all.
Yes and it was another TAYer (me) headed in there in the afternoon on the last unworking day of the month. I didn't start hiking until 2:45pm as I was waiting for the sun and rain to soften up the snow patches. Thanks for letting me know about that patch. I made about 10 laps on that snow patch in high winds, clouds, rain, and even a bit of sunshine. I was starting to imagine a mogul forming at the end.
I've made the Coleman pinnacle and Sholes glacier my August ski destination several times. I've never seen so little snow. All of the normal south facing snow patches were gone. The north-east facing one just south of Coleman pinnacle, normally a ~500ft run, was down to blue perma-ice and discontinuous. The snowfields on the north side of Coleman pinnacle were also blue perma-ice. And of what I could see of the Sholes (it was mostly whited out in the clouds), it was all blue ice too with just a few white patches on the extreme edges. This contrast with my memory of 99 where there was skiing all around Table Mountain in September.
Most of my August turns have been fun. Yesterday seemed mostly like a chore. Still, it was a fun afternoon of hiking. The huckleberries are in their prime. The cold, windy, and rainy weather had me hoping for an early autumn with colder and wetter (hopefully snowier) conditions.
Yes and it was another TAYer (me) headed in there in the afternoon on the last unworking day of the month. I didn't start hiking until 2:45pm as I was waiting for the sun and rain to soften up the snow patches. Thanks for letting me know about that patch. I made about 10 laps on that snow patch in high winds, clouds, rain, and even a bit of sunshine. I was starting to imagine a mogul forming at the end.
I've made the Coleman pinnacle and Sholes glacier my August ski destination several times. I've never seen so little snow. All of the normal south facing snow patches were gone. The north-east facing one just south of Coleman pinnacle, normally a ~500ft run, was down to blue perma-ice and discontinuous. The snowfields on the north side of Coleman pinnacle were also blue perma-ice. And of what I could see of the Sholes (it was mostly whited out in the clouds), it was all blue ice too with just a few white patches on the extreme edges. This contrast with my memory of 99 where there was skiing all around Table Mountain in September.
Most of my August turns have been fun. Yesterday seemed mostly like a chore. Still, it was a fun afternoon of hiking. The huckleberries are in their prime. The cold, windy, and rainy weather had me hoping for an early autumn with colder and wetter (hopefully snowier) conditions.
hahaha...
"S-N-to-tha-izzow"
"Piznark glacia"
"hucklebizzles "
maybe all August and September TR's should be Gizoogled....
"S-N-to-tha-izzow"
"Piznark glacia"
"hucklebizzles "
maybe all August and September TR's should be Gizoogled....
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