Home > Trip Reports > May 8-13, 2016, Glacier Peak

May 8-13, 2016, Glacier Peak

5/8/16
WA Cascades West Slopes Central
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Posted by DOD on 5/14/16 10:16am
Light is right. there is no question.

but sometimes, to feel really at home, ya just have to occupy.

Its really impressive to see skiers making a day trip out of GP these days and seems to be almost the norm now. But I do like my regular sleep patterns and cocktails back at base camp after the debrief.. So for something a little different, we engaged in the dying art of going Slow and Heavy on the infantry style suffer bus of sub alpine approach and spent a fabulous week skiing on and around GP.

This place is simply amazing and the longer you spend out their, the more ski lines start quietly talking to you during dinner time at base camp...urging you to put ski tracks down them. I'm convinced this area is like the Valhalla for skiers.

One of the highlights of this trip was a ski descent of GP in powder on Tuesday after a freak storm blew in Monday night. The best conditions I have had off the top of any Volcano. All in all, lots of skiing and some nice pictures but mainly just a conditions report to help anyone considering a trip out their.

there is a washout about 1/4 mile from the trail head that you need a vehicle with clearance to get all the way, but some cunning colorado foxes did make it to within a 1/4 mile with their mini-van.
we hit consistent snow at 4600ft, about 1500ft above Mackinaw shelter. (just at the large avalanche clear cut) As of Friday there is still consistent snow coming down in several large fingers on the south slopes. the best approach is just boot straight up to the ridge direct. that will put you at a pleasantly uncorniced col for entry into the alpine. For the exit, we were able to ski consistent snow 300ft below where we left our hiking boots! - using the snow in the drainage

once your over the ridge and into glacier peak meadows there is plentiful snow. A few warm days this week has caused some rapid melt out on south east facing slopes in the alpine, but nothing to impede an ascent. the ridge below dissapointment peak has now melted out requiring a ski carry between the cool glacier and the baekos creek side of the ridge. (we actually skied an amazing run from DP all the way down to 4700ft on the baekos creek side... but that's a trip report in itself) The upper mountain is skiing smooth and fast.

The warmer days you had to be a little picky about timing to ski in the best conditions. we found that some morning "camp ski" tours and twilight tours were the way 2 go with some relaxation and sun bathing time in the warmer hours when the sun was high. Especially after the summit day, I felt pretty beat up.

on our summit day we left camp in Glacier Peak meadows at 8am and summited at 3.30pm we approached by going directly up dissapointment peak and then going around the north side of DP to the summit of GP for something a little different, requiring some "sharper sharp skills". we skinned all the way 2 the summit once at the GP/DP saddle. ski crampons were also useful on the mornings after warmer days. also took an axe + whippet and found them both useful. All the lakes on the approach are still frozen over... but maybe another week that will change?

we didn't take any glacier travel equipment or associated climbing crap, that would have been totally unescassary (thanks snoholic for the beta)

the standard approach is very straight forward and uncomplicated.

we sore bear tracks, wolverine and of course plenty of resident marmots.

1 day is fast... 3 days is standard... a week is borderline procrastination??

Great stuff, thanks for sharing.

I say, the job done right!  Hoping to spend some "days" myself sometime soon.

nice!  looks like a great time.  i myself am a proponent of the slow and steady... but recent experience has convinced me that despite aggressive rationing, it's hard to carry enough whiskey to last past six days.

a few more photos

So rad!  I must have stared across at GP 4 or 5 times this week wishing I was up there, I'm glad to know someone was making the most of it.  Thanks for posting the conditions update.

Expedition style, I like it. Alpine leisure

Hooray for a mini expedition! That sounds like a great trip, and the powder turns off the top, an absolute pleasure to even know someone was able to have that luck! Thanks so much for sharing the fun.

The snow in your second photo looks terrific.

Looking at the map, I'd guess that your run from Disappointment Peak to 4700ft in Baekos Creek must rank right up there with the best corn snow lines in the Cascades. The way it curves westward as you descend is perfect for giving you good corn all the way down. Good eye!

I was one of the day trippers who passed you by early on Thursday morning. We had a blast, but I certainly envy your leisurely trip! That place was a total corn farm, I'm glad you got to ski so many fun lines out there!

Very nice trip and report.  A week at Glacier Peak with all its amenities would not disappoint.

Way to get after it DOD!

Did you say POWDER!!! ::)

Way to nail a rock-on week!

Sweet! Had a good trip last year there.

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2016-05-14 17:16:22