May 26, 2003, Lyall Gl, Rainy Pass

We left Seattle under gray sky which spread further east  as we drove toward the pass.  There was a small patch of thin cloud left above us when we met up with P.R. from Mazama.  However, that was the worst of the weather we had; it just got sunnier as we headed up the valley toward Lake Ann.  We saw another party ahead of us getting onto the ridge as we were approaching Heather Pass.  The view from the ridge top was spectacular: nearby Black, Goode, and many peaks along the Ptarmigan Traverse in the west, and peaks around Wa Pass in the east.  The other part must have dropped to west from the ridge, 6900'; we skied east into a small basin leading to the main Lyall Glacier basin, 5900'.  We made two run here upto a saddle next to Frisco Mtn, 7400'.  The skiing was good on soft, but not slushy snow in the NE facing basin.  It is a great alpine bowl with many ski options.
The crux of the tour was getting down to Rainy Lake through a complex cliff system.  We were glad we couldn't see the bands of benches we skied across from above.  We would probably not go up this way if the loop is reversed.  Anyway, the snow is melting fast in the cliff system; this may not remain an option in a week.  We then went around the melting lake just above the water line, and back to the pass along the road.  Great tour.  -K,P,P