September 18, 2005, Fryingpan Glacier
9/18/05
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
2783
4
Thought I'd check out conditions on one of my favorite trips. I climbed up via the cirque to the left of the standard direct spring route (near Panhandle Gap), making Meany Crest at about 1pm. There was no snow in the Cirque worth skiing so perhaps the direct route would have been better. After following the ridge I arrived to view the lateral (my summer) approach to the the main Fryingpan cruisin' run. In a word, it was hideous. Crevasses crisscrossed the slope running both horizontal and vertical. I put the skins on and selected a careful line to arc my way on to the main run above and hopefully make Whitman Crest. Being solo, I had some pretty obvious rules:crossing crevasses narrower than ski legth OK, wider, not OK. I made it just about up onto the main run (800 or so feet below Whitman) and was stopped by a nasty crevasse. I figured it was time to turn around.
Here's the deal. The run down from Whitman Crest looked really good - smooth freshies - no suncupps a la Muir as far as I could tell - I just couldn't safely get to it. Perhaps one of the more aggresive Turns-All-Year young bucks could try a direct approach from Summerland to see if the crevasses on the main snowfield are running ear to ear.
Or, perhaps it's time to hike and bike and pray - like I've heard so many times this year, for return of normal Pac Northwest storms. The conditions of the Flett and Fryingpan are a sad thing to behold this season.
PS If you do go up - I'd recommend a climbing helmet. To avoid the rockfall hazards on the way out I downclimbed the steep, but manageable heather off the backside and picked up the Wonderland trail coming up from Indian Bar. Oh yeah and the skiing? Gorilla skiing coming down but I did find a run of freshies over hardpack/ice/neve that was nice to yo-yo.
Here's the deal. The run down from Whitman Crest looked really good - smooth freshies - no suncupps a la Muir as far as I could tell - I just couldn't safely get to it. Perhaps one of the more aggresive Turns-All-Year young bucks could try a direct approach from Summerland to see if the crevasses on the main snowfield are running ear to ear.
Or, perhaps it's time to hike and bike and pray - like I've heard so many times this year, for return of normal Pac Northwest storms. The conditions of the Flett and Fryingpan are a sad thing to behold this season.
PS If you do go up - I'd recommend a climbing helmet. To avoid the rockfall hazards on the way out I downclimbed the steep, but manageable heather off the backside and picked up the Wonderland trail coming up from Indian Bar. Oh yeah and the skiing? Gorilla skiing coming down but I did find a run of freshies over hardpack/ice/neve that was nice to yo-yo.
Wow ???
Good info, Scott, the kind that could save (or prompt - depending on one's appetite) a trip in there.
Thanks.
Good info, Scott, the kind that could save (or prompt - depending on one's appetite) a trip in there.
Thanks.
I've never tried it myself, but there are two points of data that made me think that a very-late-summer trip to Fryingpan might be a bit of a bust:
1) Getting up to where the Meany Crest rounds off is already enough of a PITA in spring/early summer because the boulders and cliffs on the E facing toward the Summerland shelter melt out fairly quickly, and climbing choss at that angle and that looseness is tiring and dangerous. Is there a viable climbers track to Meany Crest (either from shelter side, or further up such as up that valley that holds the meltwater lakes) that avoids some of that hassle? Sounds like you might have ridge-ran from Panhandle Gap?
2) There's an Austin Post aerial of the Fryingpan Glacier in the Brown Fred where that glacier is depicted as the most boney thing imaginable. That pic kept me from even going up there for years until I finally saw enough appropriate season counter-pics of what an awesome run it was, and came to my senses. But, I still imagine that that aerial must be representative of what the Fryingpan might look like at some point in the year. Like now.
1) Getting up to where the Meany Crest rounds off is already enough of a PITA in spring/early summer because the boulders and cliffs on the E facing toward the Summerland shelter melt out fairly quickly, and climbing choss at that angle and that looseness is tiring and dangerous. Is there a viable climbers track to Meany Crest (either from shelter side, or further up such as up that valley that holds the meltwater lakes) that avoids some of that hassle? Sounds like you might have ridge-ran from Panhandle Gap?
2) There's an Austin Post aerial of the Fryingpan Glacier in the Brown Fred where that glacier is depicted as the most boney thing imaginable. That pic kept me from even going up there for years until I finally saw enough appropriate season counter-pics of what an awesome run it was, and came to my senses. But, I still imagine that that aerial must be representative of what the Fryingpan might look like at some point in the year. Like now.
I've been on the fryingpan in late August.
Here is an old trip report for those interested. When enough snow falls, it's not bad:
http://cascadeclassics.org/MountRainier/LittleTahoma/Summer00/LittleTahoma,Summer2000.htm
Here is an old trip report for those interested. When enough snow falls, it's not bad:
http://cascadeclassics.org/MountRainier/LittleTahoma/Summer00/LittleTahoma,Summer2000.htm
Wolfs,
Those lakes are just past the entrance to the cirque that you climb to reach Meany Crest. There is a steep talus covered peak that would make a traverse of the ridge from Panhandle pointless - might as well go up through the cirque.
You could go over panhandle gap and climb the heather to reach Meany Crest from the Ohanapecosh side - it isn't much farther. However, the Cirque is the way to go because it normally has a great ski line. My guess is that if the Cirque is melted out, that means the Fryingpan by that approach is going to be a crappy ski - low snow, hot summer - the usual suspects...
Those lakes are just past the entrance to the cirque that you climb to reach Meany Crest. There is a steep talus covered peak that would make a traverse of the ridge from Panhandle pointless - might as well go up through the cirque.
You could go over panhandle gap and climb the heather to reach Meany Crest from the Ohanapecosh side - it isn't much farther. However, the Cirque is the way to go because it normally has a great ski line. My guess is that if the Cirque is melted out, that means the Fryingpan by that approach is going to be a crappy ski - low snow, hot summer - the usual suspects...
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