Home > Trip Reports > April 8, 2015, - Glacier Basin MRNP

April 8, 2015, - Glacier Basin MRNP

4/8/15
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
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Posted by ErikT on 4/8/15 12:32pm
Kam and I headed out to Glacier Basin on Wednesday... left Seattle a bit before 4AM, biked into the TH from the turnoff from 410 towards White River ranger station. Road is now 99% snow free. Skinning from the TH is now no longer possible... it wasn't advisable this morning either, but if you've skiied with me you know I don't care. Thanks Kam for not mocking me too hard when I had to scrap untold amounts of crap off my skins a few hours in :)

So the snow was really good. Two 800' runs on the NE aspect of Ruth, and then a longer run from higher up on the Inter glacier. We wanted to do more laps on Ruth, but pinwheeling spontaneously erupted wherever Kam pointed his pole as a suggested highpoint for the next lap.

Probably still good on Thursday.... then maybe a refresh after the next storm?? go get it!!
The original goal of an Interglacier descent was noble, but one finds it hard to continue into a whiteout when silken sunny slopes beckon. Great day Erik!

Besides the pinwheels, we were also able to release small wind-loaded slopes that had warmed in the sun.

Looks perdy nice. How far from the TH to consistently reasonable skinning conditions?

After about 1.5 miles the skinning is ok


looks nice, mate!  and to think you could have been doing airchange rate calcs that day!

Yeah funny how considering solar angle and heat transfer rates are much more fun outside than in a cubicle...

more photos here...


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april-8-2015-glacier-basin-mrnp
ErikT
2015-04-08 19:32:21