Home > Trip Reports > October 25, 2015, Muir Ice Sheet

October 25, 2015, Muir Ice Sheet

10/25/15
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
4574
10
Posted by GregLange on 10/25/15 1:22pm
By the numbers...

4.5 miles round-trip to lower portion of Muir Glacier.
2,000 vertical from Paradise Lodge to top of ski run..
112 feet of vertical.
17 turns.
77 base scrapes.
4 nicked edges.
216 consecutive months (That's 1,512 months in dog months, and the blink of an eye in god time...).

Took my October turn date to the final Sunday of the month. Saturday's are out, due to daughters volleyball schedule. Knew that new snow on Muir was sparse at best; prospects there still much better than Sholes or Paradise ice sheets. Left Edmonds at 4:30 AM, knowing a storm was blowing in. First on the trail to Pebble Creek and Muir Icefield terminus. Conditions were BLOWER; that is, lots of smoke and sand swirling in  the wind gusts. Met "That 1 Guy", and also Andrew Carey (I think. If not Carey, then another Andrew in TAY...Apologies to both if that's the case.) Skinned the 200 yards that would be my sole qualifying ski run. Mind you, this was VERY technical skiing today, in the sense that, technically, I skied. Really, I slid and scraped my boards over refrozen firm and leftover silt grit. Made it back to my pack, knowing that while this may have been one of my worst ski days in a long time, it was still my day on frozen stuff, in the mountains. 18 years is 1/3 of my life this year, but each year seems to provide more strength and less age. I will say to Ullr, though, than I might appreciate at least a dusting before November 30, if for no other reason than to keep my new ski tune-up intact for a bit longer. Cheers to all the other folks I chatted with on their way up, and my way down. Back in the car by 10:25, and home to Edmonds by 1:45.
Well done on the Joy-O-Meter.  Your name came up on the trail yesterday.
And I really want November skiing from a lift---
I have Earned those Turns in more than one way!

Greg,

Great to meet you on the way up yesterday morning.  I thought getting month 49 was pretty awesome until you told me about your streak.  Your description was spot on about how awesome the conditions were.  We went to the top of the next patch of the snow...ice/gravel...field to get in some more vert and some more suffering.  Pretty shitty conditions yesterday.  Note to self....hold on to your ski when you take it off on a sheet of ice.


Love your description of the snow surface.  I think it is important for all of us to ski refrozen silt once in a while in order to better appreciate all the great clean white snow we get to ski.  Weather report looks like you went one day early.  I think it might be powder skiing up there today.

Dang! Oh well; work gets the $$$ so I can play, so no trip today.

Maybe this is the beginning!

http://www.nps.gov/mora/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm#CP_JUMP_696846

Hi Greg, nice to meet you yesterday. Conditions were dreadful. Never been so discouraged! Let's hope for decent snow in November, I don't think I'll repeat that exercise...
Andrew Burns

Awesome. I love this.

Was that you we saw on Saturday that lost a ski and I watched it slide down part of the snowfield to Pebble Creek area and disappear?

I believe we saw you guys from out shelter near pebble creek, way to go!

"I watched it slide down part of the snowfield to Pebble Creek"

  Something actually slid down that "glacier?"

author=BrianT link=topic=34662.msg142664#msg142664 date=1445890303]
Was that you we saw on Saturday that lost a ski and I watched it slide down part of the snowfield to Pebble Creek area and disappear?


Haha, I watched that, too! Just thinking 'ohhhhhhh nooooo......'

I, too, got to experience this mess Saturday. Was thinking of opening a Hawaiian Shaved Ice stand at about 8100'.


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2015-10-25 20:22:59