March 19, 2006, Baring Mountain
3/19/06
3708
7
This is a line I've also been spying for years, but conditions and experience level have never coincided. A few years back, I took my kids on a hike to Barclay Lake, and afterward spied this really nice snow ribbon tucked into a foto of the lake in an Ira Spring book. I eventually looked at a map, and figured the couloir on the NNE face of the mountain might just be doable. Well, conditions met with enough experience, and so I asked my friend Ben Haskell to help me look at the feasibility of the run. He said that he had a day-off from his guiding duties with ProGuiding, took 1 look at the map and said, "Rowdy! Let's go find this thing!!"
Drove to within a half-mile of the trail head, took the 2.2 mile trail into Barclay Lake, and then stopped for a first glimpse of Baring Mtn. just prior to the lake. What an impressive piece of rock; reminded me of one of the Dolomites in Italy. We then proceeded up the slope just east of the couloir. After about 1200 feet of climb, we popped over into the coolie proper. Lots of debris was falling from the east face of the North Summit, but we found ourselves in shadows all day, and out of harms way. Quick lunch bivy at about 5000 feet, scanning the skyline to take in the Merchant Peak group and Townsend Mountain, we then proceeded to,"See what we can find.", as the couloir splits back to the west, and was hidden by a headwall of sorts. This being my first major tour of the year, I left skis at the bivy out of fatigue onset, but Ben hauled his up to the 5625 ft. top of the slot. It splits the North and South Summits, and is overtowered all the way up by these 2 peak towers. As I plunge-stepped back to my gear, Ben let out several jazzed exclamations (riffs, Ben?). It was 2 feet of very soft and cold snow. I collected my gear, and we proceeded to the Barclay Lake basin. The snow became somewhat sun-affected about 1000 feet above the lake, but we still found nice soft pockets to entertain ourselves. In looking back up at Baring while re-skiining, we decided that the coolie ought be named, "The Smooth Jazz" Couloir, for the jazzy music it sent our way!!
In slogging back through the Stevens Pass overflow traffic returninig to Seattle, etc., and eating at The Mountain View Cafe, this gem was spoken of in the reverence of its rightful standing: An off-path beauty of a ski of 3000 feet of continuous vert (1000 more on the trail out, as well.), with the added bonus of being skiable only in the best of conditions. A premiere Cascades tour just an hour from the house!! Photos will follow in a day or 2.
Drove to within a half-mile of the trail head, took the 2.2 mile trail into Barclay Lake, and then stopped for a first glimpse of Baring Mtn. just prior to the lake. What an impressive piece of rock; reminded me of one of the Dolomites in Italy. We then proceeded up the slope just east of the couloir. After about 1200 feet of climb, we popped over into the coolie proper. Lots of debris was falling from the east face of the North Summit, but we found ourselves in shadows all day, and out of harms way. Quick lunch bivy at about 5000 feet, scanning the skyline to take in the Merchant Peak group and Townsend Mountain, we then proceeded to,"See what we can find.", as the couloir splits back to the west, and was hidden by a headwall of sorts. This being my first major tour of the year, I left skis at the bivy out of fatigue onset, but Ben hauled his up to the 5625 ft. top of the slot. It splits the North and South Summits, and is overtowered all the way up by these 2 peak towers. As I plunge-stepped back to my gear, Ben let out several jazzed exclamations (riffs, Ben?). It was 2 feet of very soft and cold snow. I collected my gear, and we proceeded to the Barclay Lake basin. The snow became somewhat sun-affected about 1000 feet above the lake, but we still found nice soft pockets to entertain ourselves. In looking back up at Baring while re-skiining, we decided that the coolie ought be named, "The Smooth Jazz" Couloir, for the jazzy music it sent our way!!
In slogging back through the Stevens Pass overflow traffic returninig to Seattle, etc., and eating at The Mountain View Cafe, this gem was spoken of in the reverence of its rightful standing: An off-path beauty of a ski of 3000 feet of continuous vert (1000 more on the trail out, as well.), with the added bonus of being skiable only in the best of conditions. A premiere Cascades tour just an hour from the house!! Photos will follow in a day or 2.
Great work!! Always so rewarding to find a local hidden jem.
Thanks for the report.
Thanks for the report.
Well played! I haven't hauled skis up there, but I remember that pass between the two summits quite well (while ascending to Baring's north summit via the standard scramble route from the west a couple years back during the summertime). I recall staring down the eastern side from that pass thinking "I wonder if that couloir goes" (as a ski descent), as I could only see the upper portion of it from that vantage point. The answer appears to be an astounding "yes" 8)
Ross and I were just talking about that thing while looking at Baring on the way to Lower Town Wall yesterday. Way to go get it.
:) Rad. I'm looking forward to the pictures.
I just spoke with Ben Haskell, and feel that his e-mail to me (below) will provide guidance for those skiers to follow us at later dates:
"Thanks for the trip report. It was a great day on an outstanding route.
Upon reading your post, I think a clarification is in order. We skied from between the S. summit and the SE summit, not from between the North and South summits. The notch between the North and South summits is the notch that people climb to on the normal scramble route. This was above us to the right, where all the snow was coming down from. I'm certain the summit of Baring has seen skis, but from looking at it I doubt the east face has been skied from the standard route notch. I think it is definitely possible, but it would require coming down that scoured 70 degree slope that was to climbers right as we ascended. I think that is a prize for someone else. I don't want to give people the impression that we skied an easy line from the standard notch (5625 ft.) because I think that could lead them into some trouble. The "Jazz Couloir" start is definitely a more moderate endeavor, but still a worthy line. The map also shows the "Jazz Couloir" start as one 40' contour lower than a possible start from the standard climbing notch."
There seems to be more than one way down. In conversation, Ben and I agreed that we did what would be a "Standard Route", and that there may be 2 or 3 others down, if someone has the inclination and chutzpah.
Lowell: Any beta on previous descents of Baring?
"Thanks for the trip report. It was a great day on an outstanding route.
Upon reading your post, I think a clarification is in order. We skied from between the S. summit and the SE summit, not from between the North and South summits. The notch between the North and South summits is the notch that people climb to on the normal scramble route. This was above us to the right, where all the snow was coming down from. I'm certain the summit of Baring has seen skis, but from looking at it I doubt the east face has been skied from the standard route notch. I think it is definitely possible, but it would require coming down that scoured 70 degree slope that was to climbers right as we ascended. I think that is a prize for someone else. I don't want to give people the impression that we skied an easy line from the standard notch (5625 ft.) because I think that could lead them into some trouble. The "Jazz Couloir" start is definitely a more moderate endeavor, but still a worthy line. The map also shows the "Jazz Couloir" start as one 40' contour lower than a possible start from the standard climbing notch."
There seems to be more than one way down. In conversation, Ben and I agreed that we did what would be a "Standard Route", and that there may be 2 or 3 others down, if someone has the inclination and chutzpah.
Lowell: Any beta on previous descents of Baring?
Lowell: Any beta on previous descents of Baring?
As I recall, Gary Brill and a friend skied one of the SW gullies on Baring about a million years ago. (Probably the gully dropping off the other side of the saddle you reached.) I'm not aware of previous ski descents on the Barclay Lake side.
Thanks for the clarification; still looks like you had an excellent descent route, and probably with much less objective hazards than that eastern route between the N. and S. summits (that 70-deg. section was probably just out-of-sight from the vantage point at that pass; I suspected there was probably a cliff or some rather steep drop-off on that route from looking at the map, but scoping such a route from the Barclay Lake side makes a lot more sense ;) [though skiing such a ~70-deg. section along with the objective snow sluff/rockfall hazard doesn't much appeal to me...]
Upon reading your post, I think a clarification is in order. We skied from between the S. summit and the SE summit, not from between the North and South summits.
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