April 28, 2019, Watson's Traverse
4/28/19
2473
6
Road was easily driveable to a switchback less than half a mile from the trailhead. There was a dusting of snow down to 2,000' from Friday night.
Matthew and I left the car at 4am and booted the summer trail sometimes skinning on a couple inches of fresh snow. Grouse Creek is probably still the better option on skis, but the trail is mindless and easy in the dark. A few inches of cold new snow on the lower Coleman Glacier over a rain crust. Deeper wind-affected snow on the upper glacier.
Wintry morning. The summit was shrouded in clouds and a strong NE wind was ripping over it. Much colder than the last time I was here in late January.
Made it to the summit at 11am and peeked over the Park Glacier Headwall. It was calm and sunny but the cold and cloudy morning hadn't given the snow a chance to soften. We didn't feel like skiing 50 degree rime and hadn't scoped out the bergschrund from below so we skied down to the Cockscomb instead. Dropping into the Park Glacier we found over a foot of perfect powder and an easy bergschrund crossing on skier's right. Continued skiing powder down the glacier through light clouds. The glacier below 7,500' was heavily runneled from recent rains but we found a line of wind-drifted snow snaking through it.
Traversed the Mazama Glacier on the west side of The Portals. Matthew nearly lost a ski to a crevasse at the base of a cliff. We had let our guard down a bit once we were off the Park Glacier and this was a friendly reminder that we were still in serious glaciated terrain. Nice run down the Sholes Glacier on corn, powder, and ice. Sweet spring powder down Blueberry Chutes to end the day. Met up with our friends who had been skiing the Table Mountain area and got a ride back to the car.
Last two photos show what looks like a massive avalanche that ran from Sherman Peak down the Boulder Glacier to around 3,300' on Boulder Creek. I'm not certain that the crown on Sherman is connected to the debris in Boulder Creek but if it is the path is almost 7,000 vertical feet and ran almost to its historical extent.
Matthew and I left the car at 4am and booted the summer trail sometimes skinning on a couple inches of fresh snow. Grouse Creek is probably still the better option on skis, but the trail is mindless and easy in the dark. A few inches of cold new snow on the lower Coleman Glacier over a rain crust. Deeper wind-affected snow on the upper glacier.
Wintry morning. The summit was shrouded in clouds and a strong NE wind was ripping over it. Much colder than the last time I was here in late January.
Made it to the summit at 11am and peeked over the Park Glacier Headwall. It was calm and sunny but the cold and cloudy morning hadn't given the snow a chance to soften. We didn't feel like skiing 50 degree rime and hadn't scoped out the bergschrund from below so we skied down to the Cockscomb instead. Dropping into the Park Glacier we found over a foot of perfect powder and an easy bergschrund crossing on skier's right. Continued skiing powder down the glacier through light clouds. The glacier below 7,500' was heavily runneled from recent rains but we found a line of wind-drifted snow snaking through it.
Traversed the Mazama Glacier on the west side of The Portals. Matthew nearly lost a ski to a crevasse at the base of a cliff. We had let our guard down a bit once we were off the Park Glacier and this was a friendly reminder that we were still in serious glaciated terrain. Nice run down the Sholes Glacier on corn, powder, and ice. Sweet spring powder down Blueberry Chutes to end the day. Met up with our friends who had been skiing the Table Mountain area and got a ride back to the car.
Last two photos show what looks like a massive avalanche that ran from Sherman Peak down the Boulder Glacier to around 3,300' on Boulder Creek. I'm not certain that the crown on Sherman is connected to the debris in Boulder Creek but if it is the path is almost 7,000 vertical feet and ran almost to its historical extent.
Such a fine tour, and a great TR. Thanks! Amazing power displayed by that Sherman Peak/Boulder Glacier growler. Perhaps worthy of a fly-over snapshot by Mr Scurlock? Maybe from high elevation rain-on-snow event on 4/18-19?
See https://pbase.com/nolock/image/65041891
See https://pbase.com/nolock/image/65041891
very cool photos! Pretty sure Scurlock has taken photos of a very similar release zone in years past. Fumarole induced weakness?
Yeah, looks like it was triggered by the fumarole to me. I don't see how else it would glide off the rock like that and leave glacial ice debris.
This avalanche path might be the only one like it in the world. An active fumarole right next to a steep 7,000' slope that gets absolutely blasted with snow during the winter.
Scrolling through John Scurlock's photos I found this one of the Park Headwall in October: https://pbase.com/nolock/image/69174842
Looks like a grotesque monster ready to swallow anything it can. It's easy to forget how deep and fractured these glaciers are when they are covered in a thick coat of winter snow.
This avalanche path might be the only one like it in the world. An active fumarole right next to a steep 7,000' slope that gets absolutely blasted with snow during the winter.
Scrolling through John Scurlock's photos I found this one of the Park Headwall in October: https://pbase.com/nolock/image/69174842
Looks like a grotesque monster ready to swallow anything it can. It's easy to forget how deep and fractured these glaciers are when they are covered in a thick coat of winter snow.
Nice work boys! Wow, that slide off Sherman is something fierce!
author=aaasen link=topic=41882.msg164920#msg164920 date=1556649607]
This avalanche path might be the only one like it in the world. An active fumarole right next to a steep 7,000' slope that gets absolutely blasted with snow during the winter.
It's remarkable to me how that serac can fall off and scour the glacier below, and just a few years later build back up again (50ft+ thick?) to repeat.
I get the willies remembering that five of us skied that slope a few years ago.
http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboarding/trip_reports/index.php?topic=10365.0
That slope off of Sherman is very steep. Contemplated it a few times, only seriously the trip when we skied the Talum off of Sherman.
Reply to this TR
Please login first: