May 11, 2018, Mission Ridge Crampon lesson
5/11/18
WA Cascades East Slopes Central
2337
4
I'm close to the end of a full month off work... which is irrelevant to the story I'm about to tell. Jtack and I skied a run called "shot seven" at Mission Ridge today, and it was corn over supporting base. Not perfect, but so much better than the ugly bottomless mush we've been skiing nearly every day for two weeks. You can still ski to the bottom, but only if you know the way to patch the patches together. We skied back up to the top through a steep area above a run called "George's Trees". Not a spot popular with up-hillers. It gets steeper as you get close to the top and at some point the pitch and the trees below made me think "I should put on my ski crampons". I have a new(ish) rule that whenever I say that, I need to stop and do it. So I turned to Jamie and said "I need to stop and put on my ski crampons". He tolerated this for about half a minute and said "I'm moving past you, I'll put in a skin track and show you what a fraidey-cat you are being". And he moved past, just below me, and went about 10 steps until he was just above the tree patch that I was afraid of sliding into, and... he slipped! "Dammit Jamie! Stop yourself!", which he did, and no one was hurt. And I was so concerned I didn't think to take a photo of him slipping down the hill, or his pathetic skin track that ended in a horizontal pole impression 2 feet above the end of the track that then made a clean vertical line down the hill to where Jamie did stop to put on his ski crampons :) We had a great laugh, and marveled at the irony that he had, just 30 seconds before my crampon declaration, finished an aviation story whose moral was 'listen to the advice of one with a bigger field of view'...
The skiing was way better than it has been. It finally froze last night, after several nights (weeks?) of 45F lows. The lower mountain is garbage skiing, but the upper bit is fun. Here are some pics from today:
Can still ski to the top!
Shot 7
Bowl 4 environs
Mission Ridge suffered a landslide two years ago, one week after closing, that covered the main lower run, Mimi, and closed the ski area to all recreation for WAY TO LONG. The landslide was active again last spring, and now it was active again today. We saw new debris on exit that wasn't there on our way up.
The scoured landslide:
Debris flow looking up:
Debris flow looking down:
The skiing was way better than it has been. It finally froze last night, after several nights (weeks?) of 45F lows. The lower mountain is garbage skiing, but the upper bit is fun. Here are some pics from today:
Can still ski to the top!
Shot 7
Bowl 4 environs
Mission Ridge suffered a landslide two years ago, one week after closing, that covered the main lower run, Mimi, and closed the ski area to all recreation for WAY TO LONG. The landslide was active again last spring, and now it was active again today. We saw new debris on exit that wasn't there on our way up.
The scoured landslide:
Debris flow looking up:
Debris flow looking down:
Lots of fun. Thanks for the read. It's funny how that internal voice works. I listen to it...I listened and bailed on an objective due to weird snow last weekend after 2 am start, 4 hours hiking (two more out) and 4.5 miles in (9 total)...but totally happy with that decision! I listen attentively when total ruin is a possible outcome!
Mike is being way to kind telling the crampon story, the part of the story he left out, was me, spending the previous fifteen minutes telling a tragic story of a couple of people ignoring lots of obvious clues, that lead to their demise. Followed by me stating inphatically that I would not be that person! Clearly my belly button window was fogged up.......I'll redouble my attention not miss obvious clues or ignore my stay safe rules.
Your milking the mission mike! I love it!!
Reminds me of my mudding days. Put`er in low range before u need too... rather than after. Usually saves u a few hours of digging ;-)
Reminds me of my mudding days. Put`er in low range before u need too... rather than after. Usually saves u a few hours of digging ;-)
This is the time of year when I use my ski crampons. I began using my crampons when I start talking to myself as I approached a steep area. I have a pair of crampons that attach to my ski base. A few friends used to explain to me that it slows me down when they are attached. My only answer is “I am in my 70's and speed is not in my climbing vocabularyâ€.  ;)
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