August 24, 2006, Colchuck Glacier
8/24/06
WA Cascades East Slopes Central
3956
4
If you're looking for exotic August turns, the upper section of the Colchuck Glacier seemed like it would've been fun to ski yesterday. Probably too much vertical for Kam's taste:
Too bad the snow doesn't reach the lake; one could really test pond-skimming skillz there.
Too bad the snow doesn't reach the lake; one could really test pond-skimming skillz there.
nice pic, is it possible to climb the lower part of the glacier solo, while keeping saftey in mind?,, also how long is the approach? thanks
Hey Dan,
The glacier features an icy patch that almost spans it near the bottom. It would be very easy to climb with crampons. I actually fell through some of this year's snow up to my thigh into a crevasse, but it wouldn't have been possible to fall much farther than that.
Here's a picture that shows most of the glacier, including the icy patch:
The approach is about six miles of hiking on a nice trail.
The glacier features an icy patch that almost spans it near the bottom. It would be very easy to climb with crampons. I actually fell through some of this year's snow up to my thigh into a crevasse, but it wouldn't have been possible to fall much farther than that.
Here's a picture that shows most of the glacier, including the icy patch:
The approach is about six miles of hiking on a nice trail.
I went up there 2 years in a row for August turns. The first year was icy suncups. The second wasn't bad corn at all. Pretty accessible August turns for the east slopes. Seems like snow conditions are a crapshoot though. Also, the icy patch was much smaller those years.
Sky: you're right, i don't think my legs could handle that much vertical... ;)
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