September 12, 2015, Upper Paradise Glacier
9/12/15
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
2714
2
Silas's TR, Rusty Knees's texted info. from his Friday tour, Snowtrooper's on-trail beta (Hi Tim! Hi Adam!), and the urge for variety led Andy and me to pop over the ridge east of Pebble Creek for our September turns. As soon as we spied the upper glacier, smiling white s-curves told us that friends had gone before.
Getting onto the shoulder of the Paradise gave us smooth skinning without the talus scramble that Don did below Anvil Rock. The predicted breeze kept temperatures very pleasant.
We skinned from 7800' to 9000' and had pretty consistent old snow with about 2" penetration. There were two crevasse crossings, one needing sidestepping and one kicking steps in slushy ice, but we could ski right through them on the descent. Snow for turning was variable, but fine for autumn. Much smoother and more consistent than Muir, with no meltwater running over the ice, and we had the whole upper glacier to ourselves. One of the most enjoyable September tours I've done.
96 MOTAY = 8 years for me. 8)
Maybe some fresh for October? Keep the faith!
Getting onto the shoulder of the Paradise gave us smooth skinning without the talus scramble that Don did below Anvil Rock. The predicted breeze kept temperatures very pleasant.
We skinned from 7800' to 9000' and had pretty consistent old snow with about 2" penetration. There were two crevasse crossings, one needing sidestepping and one kicking steps in slushy ice, but we could ski right through them on the descent. Snow for turning was variable, but fine for autumn. Much smoother and more consistent than Muir, with no meltwater running over the ice, and we had the whole upper glacier to ourselves. One of the most enjoyable September tours I've done.
96 MOTAY = 8 years for me. 8)
Maybe some fresh for October? Keep the faith!
Wow, what a difference a few too sunny days make. The Muir snowfield skiing on Wednesday was smooth and no meltwater. Just goes to show that in September it is imperative to grab the fresh snow as soon as you can after it falls! Maybe more the next three days?
This week's weather should give a nice refresh to the snow!
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