Home > Trip Reports > June 24, 2006, Watson Traverse, Mt Baker

June 24, 2006, Watson Traverse, Mt Baker

6/24/06
WA Cascades West Slopes North (Mt Baker)
4814
7
Posted by Oyvind_Henningsen on 6/27/06 8:38am
Monika, Joe, Sean, Tim and I got an early start on the Watson Traverse on Saturday from the Heliotrope Ridge TH.  Weather was perfect and one by one we all made it to the top and the anticipated downhill section.  CD route non-problematic, chose to stay a bit left of the climbers trail to make scenery a little more interesting.  I skied to Artist Point the day before with binoculars to see if there was a visible line not intersected by schrunds on the Park Gl Headwall.  It looked like skiers right would go, and it did.  All of us safely down the headwall we tried to follow the tracks from last weekend.  One slight uphill when we got too low in order to avoid an icefall run out.  Some crevasses starting to open on the Park Gl, easily avoided or skied over.  Stayed right on ridge to the Portals and avoided skinning.  Skis on from the top to the car, great day with excellent company.

probably a good thing I didn't see the Park headwall before skiing it.  best park i've been in :D

thousand thanks to everyone for the great day. 

Nice job!  Park looks sweet...

I love long walks in the Park (HW) 8)

So which of you folks was the comedian?  I was wondering if your group had a contributing TAY member...and that I was going to be able to, yet again, roll you over with my 3-hour-in-the-making retort.

But alas, no mention of "what's the worst part of being a snowboarder?", so I'll need to keep waiting...

;-)

Anyway, it was great to see your group had success on the traverse, we had a great chuckle, and thanks again for taking our Summit Pose picture (like the bunch of dorks that we are).

Good to hear about someone doing the Watson Traverse including the Park Headwall!  That seems like the most aesthetically pleasing up-and-over on the Baker's horn.

yes, because going up and over baker and covering 14 miles on skis is just so very dull without skiing the headwall...  ;)


i'll be back to ski the park headwall sometime soon.




HEY don't let my pathologies get you down!  I have a severe fetish for the rare volcano lines that drop from their summits without neverending mellow, rolling slopes before the bidness.

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june-24-2006-watson-traverse-mt-baker
Oyvind_Henningsen
2006-06-27 15:38:04