April 9, 2006. Pk 6524, Tatoosh Range MRNP
4/15/06
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
2666
2
Jason Gerend and I spent our third consecutive Sunday skiing in the Tatoosh range. Interesting notes are that plowing has begun on the Stevens Canyon Road. The road was cleared to the big bend today. It was pretty cool to watch the plows at work, but it was a bit scary getting past them.
If I understand correctly, although the road should be clear past Reflection Lakes by next weekend, the road won't actually be OPEN until June, so skiing the Tatoosh will involve walking along the road for the rest of the season.
We found ~6" of relatively heavy new snow on top of a crust that varied in depth but was frequently thick enough to support our weight. The bond between the crust and the new snow was quite poor, especially on NE facing slopes. Definitely something to watch out for. Where the slopes were mellow, however, the skiing was actually quite good!
If I understand correctly, although the road should be clear past Reflection Lakes by next weekend, the road won't actually be OPEN until June, so skiing the Tatoosh will involve walking along the road for the rest of the season.
We found ~6" of relatively heavy new snow on top of a crust that varied in depth but was frequently thick enough to support our weight. The bond between the crust and the new snow was quite poor, especially on NE facing slopes. Definitely something to watch out for. Where the slopes were mellow, however, the skiing was actually quite good!
We were on the Paradise Lodge side. Saw your tracks at the end of the day and they looked nice. It was strangely warm yesterday where we were. How about for you guys?
I think I recall Jason once asking me why I go to Paradise so much and not opt for something closer to Seattle. My long winded reply involved elevations, aspects... But now I'm just going to shorten future answers to something like: "It's just a great place, you fill in the blanks as to why."
Good to hear that you guys had a safe trip. You may quickly becoming the masters of winter tour in the Tatoosh? :)
I think I recall Jason once asking me why I go to Paradise so much and not opt for something closer to Seattle. My long winded reply involved elevations, aspects... But now I'm just going to shorten future answers to something like: "It's just a great place, you fill in the blanks as to why."
Good to hear that you guys had a safe trip. You may quickly becoming the masters of winter tour in the Tatoosh? :)
Hey JibberD - I spent most of the day in a tank-top, but that was 50% because it was warm, and 50% because I was trying to keep up with Peter on the ascent! :)
The snow at the top was pretty good, but as Peter said, it slid easily about 6 inches down. This was similar to last weekend, except the resulting slides moved a lot faster and were somewhat disconcerting. I think we would've backed out of our preferred descent if we didn't have good escape options or if there were noteworthy terrain traps below us.
And yes, Peter and I have been hitting the Tatoosh a lot this year! ;) Maybe now that the powder days are mostly gone we'll switch back to Snoqualmie until the snow goes away, though I am tempted to try my rollerblade-approach to the Tatoosh now that the road is plowed, but still closed...
The snow at the top was pretty good, but as Peter said, it slid easily about 6 inches down. This was similar to last weekend, except the resulting slides moved a lot faster and were somewhat disconcerting. I think we would've backed out of our preferred descent if we didn't have good escape options or if there were noteworthy terrain traps below us.
And yes, Peter and I have been hitting the Tatoosh a lot this year! ;) Maybe now that the powder days are mostly gone we'll switch back to Snoqualmie until the snow goes away, though I am tempted to try my rollerblade-approach to the Tatoosh now that the road is plowed, but still closed...
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