June 26 Cascade Pass - Cache Col

author=Jake the Brit]Snow is still continuous from the Cascade Pass lot up to Cache col, as long as you’re prepared to zig zag.

Frank Frank & I strolled through the picnic tables & dived into the brush & we were onto the snow, booted up with an exposed, left traverse through the cliffy bit to Cascade Pass. The Mixup arm traverse looked a bit grim & hairy, the Yawning glacier looked even more grim, so we skied down to the Pelton Basin on OK snow & found a direct chute up to the Cache Glacier, which we booted up. The chute is steepish (40degs maybe) at the top but mellow at the bottom.

Cloud from 6400’, no view @ the ledgendary Cach Col (6800’), so I drank a cup of Mochchino yuppieskifluid and Frank continued to look like Clint Eastwood. We dropped as voices though the cloud around giant blocks of Cornshrund (or Bergnice, geddit??), into the landscapes we’d worked for, using the skiers right rock wall as a handrail to put us at the chute entry. We skied the optional steepness under the rockwall just to limber up for the rollover into the chute. The snow was 2” corn top layer on a slightly cupped, textured surface. Held an edge well and exposed us to the sweet south faces of Buckner & neighbours.

The chute was great, I did not wimp out and side slip it. Franks teleturned hard, and we arrived laughing to the bottom. Rain sent us home via the highest snowy point where the Cascade Pass becomes the Mixup arm, slashing the big wideopen slopes and reversed the traverse on skis/ board. All the way to the car. Rock on the summer.

http://jakeevans.smugmug.com/Washington/Cache-Col/42500679_GwbFNM