Home > Trip Reports > May 29, 2017, Mt Baker, Coleman Headwall

May 29, 2017, Mt Baker, Coleman Headwall

5/29/17
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
8517
16
Posted by danhelmstadter on 5/30/17 11:10am
I was able to skin up to the summit from a little ways below treeline. Plenty of snowcover on the CD route right now. I only crossed one small crack that I'm sure could have been end runned, and the snow was surprisingly consolidated.

Lots of people were out enjoying the great ski conditions. I made it to the summit around 4, then skied over to the entrance to the CHW, which I found by taking mental notes of the entrance features from the way up. I stuck my skis in the snow and down climbed twenty feet or so to scope out snow conditions on the intimidating upper slope. It was mostly good, but there was lots of hard rime ice in places under 3-6 inches of proto corn. Skiers left looked less bumpy but also less steep.  I climbed back up and clicked in feeling excited for the descent.

Good snow conditions below but some sluff management was necessary. Below the first crack, I took a few turns and looked for the entrance to the skiers right route option. I didn't see it, I thought I was below it, so I booted back up 30' or so to the crack where I thought It might be but it didn't look right. I decided to go skiers left, since I was familiar with that way, and it looked like it went from the view on the way up.

The route was less broken up the last time I skied it in 11, but it should still be good for a couple/few weeks at least, but the shrund crossing might not last if we get more heat spells.

Danhelmstadter, on Flickr

IMG_2956 by Danhelmstadter, on Flickr

Heck yeah Dan, nice one. That upper berschrund feature is looking lots different than in past years.

Does anyone else feel like bergschrunds, cracks and moats are very large this spring despite a good snow year?

author=tabski link=topic=38570.msg156099#msg156099 date=1496200650]
Does anyone else feel like bergschrunds, cracks and moats are very large this spring despite a good snow year?


Based on the photos I'm seeing, yeah.

I think this is to be expected when a deep snowpack is warmed rapidly before it has a chance to settle and consolidate.

author=tabski link=topic=38570.msg156099#msg156099 date=1496200650]
Heck yeah Dan, nice one. That upper berschrund feature is looking lots different than in past years.

Does anyone else feel like bergschrunds, cracks and moats are very large this spring despite a good snow year?


X2. I was hoping to ski the Diller Headwall on M Sister and there were big-ass schrunds under ever possible exit, way bigger than past years.

author=Lowell_Skoog link=topic=38570.msg156101#msg156101 date=1496208230]
I think this is to be expected when a deep snowpack is warmed rapidly before it has a chance to settle and consolidate.


Do you think this is an effect of greater snowpack creep, or that the bridges over such obstacles fall apart in the first warmup?

It's good to see Helmstadter is back in action.  Always inspiring rarely imitated.

Thanks for the report here Dan. Glad you had a good ski. I'm always impressed by your lines.

DAN IS BACK!! 

So good, as always.  Thanks for sharing the adventure!

author=kamtron link=topic=38570.msg156104#msg156104 date=1496250479]
Do you think this is an effect of greater snowpack creep, or that the bridges over such obstacles fall apart in the first warmup?


Probably a combination of both, I'd guess.

Also, I think thinning of the glaciers may be a factor. In the past, with thicker glaciers, the seasonal snow around transition zones (moats and schrunds) was better supported (by a deeper base). Now, with thinning glaciers, seasonal snow is sort of "spread thinner" over these transition zones. In summer, the moats and schrunds are getting bigger every year, so it's harder to bridge over them well in winter so the bridges fall apart sooner. My gut feeling, anyway...

Cool line!

author=tabski link=topic=38570.msg156099#msg156099 date=1496200650]
Heck yeah Dan, nice one. That upper berschrund feature is looking lots different than in past years.

Does anyone else feel like bergschrunds, cracks and moats are very large this spring despite a good snow year?


The 'schrud on Cowlitz Headwall on Rainier is yuuuuge and goes wall to wall already this year. I've skied that well into June in previous years.




Welcome back Dan! Great to see that you are back at it!!

thank you for your report Dan.  it is very good to "see" you here. 
great line!

Oyvind

author=tabski link=topic=38570.msg156099#msg156099 date=1496200650]
Heck yeah Dan, nice one. That upper berschrund feature is looking lots different than in past years.

Does anyone else feel like bergschrunds, cracks and moats are very large this spring despite a good snow year?


Drew, I have been thinking / observing this same thing for the past few years. Although my data is qualitative, I absolutely think I've witnessed the glaciers on Baker and Rainier "speed up" in the past decade. During the summer of 2015 particularly, I noticed on Mt. Rainier high on the Emmons that more crevasses look as though they have recently opened, and there are fewer shelves down inside the crevasses. In other words I think the crevasses are opening and closing faster, and thus are becoming "creepier", because you're looking straight down into the depths of the glacier without any sort of older collapsed snow bridge blocking the view.

As far as Lowell's comment goes, I think he's fully right on. The glaciers have thinned substantially, even at their highest elevations, and, even within the past 10 years. I have a few glaciologist buddies who have confirmed this. What impact that has on the snowpack being "stretched further", I do not know.

Has anybody skiied from the summit of Rainier lately? Fuhrer Finger?

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2017-05-30 18:10:31