Home > Trip Reports > Lips, hips n' blow'er - Southside, Mt. Rainier

Lips, hips n' blow'er - Southside, Mt. Rainier

10/15/07
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
6234
15
Posted by snoslut on 10/5/07 2:50pm
Such a good thing is never meant to last.  That is what I keep telling myself.  I also told myself I would not go to Muir either.  Something about the circus that scares me.  Maybe it's the carnie folks?

Finally discharged from physical therapy, I was eager to see how my leg would do while skinning.  It would be the first time since my Shasta trip at the end of May.  What better place than Muir.  Easy, straight forward, weather window, all the ducks were in a row.

Kyle showed up around a quarter after 4.  After a quick stop at the post office, gas at Safeway and a failed attempt to purchase Guiness we worked our way down Meridian.  By 6:20am we were sliding, literally into a parking space.  Slick roads after Longmire made for a slower than usual drive but at least the gate was open.  Another bonus was that we would be able to skin from the lot.  Not bad for October.  After Kyle made some adjustments to his splitboard we were finally off by 7.


How can one ever get tired of these?  Alpenglow from Paradise, Mt. Rainier - Oct. 5th, 2007

Boy oh boy has the snow been piling up.  Majority of the trail signs were nearly buried.  The clear night and mid twenties temps fossilized the surface beneath the few inches of blow'er.  The feeling of skinning felt foreign to my legs.  It felt good knowing that the weight was on my feet and not my pack.  Ah, but I would speak to soon...


Kyle setting the boot pack up the winter route.  Panorama Pt., Mt. Rainier - Oct. 5th, 2007

Towards the top, a dusting of white hid the bubbly ice beneath.  While vigoriously kicking steps I was briefly reminded of bumble-bee soccer when I was a grom.  All kids from both teams surrounding the ball and kicking out of control at anything that moved or was in your way.  Hmmm...shin guards.  Hmmm...watch your step.  Once on top off Pan Pt a short break ensued.


Guess which way the wind was blowing??  Panorama Pt., Mt. Rainier - Oct. 5th, 2007

Kyle and I started skinning again from here.  The snow varied in depth from a few inches on wind sculpted ice to 2ft of blow'er.  Eventually the sun started to cook our precious so an effort was made to put on the head phones and put one foot in front of the other.  I kept telling myself this is for the exercise in preperation for what's to come.  I have to get back into shape.  The mirage formely known as Muir would appear to be getting closer as I topped each roll.  Who was I fooling but myself.  At 11:30 Kyle and I reached an abandoned Camp Muir.


Muir Nat'l Forest.  Camp Muir, Mt. Rainier - Oct. 5th, 2007


Mt. St. Helens burping.  Camp Muir, Mt. Rainier - Oct. 5th, 2007


Scott, Matt (Kuharicm) and Joe (Snow Bell).  Camp Muir, Mt. Rainier - Oct. 5th, 2007

After eating and relaxing it was time to seek our reward before the sun did too much damage.  3,000ft of goodness stretched out for miles before we arrive at cloud city.  It was ridiculous for October.  The Muir terrain park was open with lips, hips, cornices, and all sorts of wind loaded/sculpted features.  I would lose myself a couple of times.  Taking pictures was hard cause you just wanted to open up and let go.  I'd turn around and say where did everyone go?


Scott showing the pow no mercy and heading for the terrain park.  Muir Snowfield, Mt. Rainier - Oct. 5th, 2007

Kyle setting up for his first body shot of the year.  Muir natural terrain park, Mt. Rainier - Oct. 5th, 2007









Even Joe wanted in on some of the action with this nice little hip to tranny.

On the way down I ended up bumping into Amar, rnbfish, Hippystix and a slew of others, possible tayers, anxious to sample the goods.  Hope it was as good for you as it was for us!

Eventually all good things come to an end.  Once below Pebble Creek the clouds blew in, the light grew flat and the snow turned to the dark side.  Soon the snow started to fall.  Visiblity was fuzzy and you couldn't make out terrain features.  Riding by brail.  Descending Pan Pt was interesting.  Lots of wet slide activity, debris, big rocks and small mandatory airs lookers left of the winter route.  It was a good test for my already tired legs.  Next time I'll send Kyle down first.  Kyle and I were able to ride down to the lot without doing any real damage to our bases.  It was nice to meet and slide with you Scott, Joe and Matt.  Thanks for the beer Joe!  Kyle didn't your mother tell you not to pick up hitchhikers.



The End.
you cant complain about first tracks down Muir I had a great time and I look forward to the next weather window
Congrads about us getting the cover of splitboard.com

Dude, I'm so freakin jealous.  I can't wait to hit it again...asap.  I've had the powder bug...since, well...I guess it hasn't left, hence being on TAY! ;)  Eric, those are some SICK photos, especially the one you told me about with Kyle flippin the lid on the quarter.  I like the 3rd pic in that series the best...rock on!  Nice shots and I will be there with the Canon S2 next time too. ;)

Nice pic on splitboard.com too!  You guys were tearing it up!  Fun stuff...I like the Liberty Cap glacier hanging in the background!

http://www.splitboard.com/

You are more than welcome for the beer Eric.  Thanks to you and Kyle for cutting the skin track and for taking photos and for posting a great TR and for the company.  I could not believe that we were to first group to Muir yesterday.  Not only have I never seen more skiers than climbers up there, I have never seen so many skiers up there at once and didn't see a single climber.  How much closer to perfect could it have been?  I hope to find out.

How much closer to perfect could it have been?


Kyle could have had a functional camera for first. >:( ;)

Actually Scott broke his own trail staying high around Pebble Creek.  After I caught up with him near the base of Moon Rocks I took over till Muir.  From the base of MR it was deep.  Maybe that's why we didn't see any non-sliders.  Postholing knee to thigh deep would have been ridiculous.

Stugie I can't wait.  Your camera was missed!  Now go get some skins! ;D

Who hoo! Great day and nice pics. Nice to meet you guys. Snoslut, did you post any other pics online anywhere?

- Matt

I didn't get too many pics of ya Matt.  Sorry.  The ones that I did, your blended into the rocks.  Let me look at them again.  I might be able to manipulate them.  Or maybe next time.  We have all winter.  Plus we all kinda took off in our own directions.  Sure was nice letting go without a care in the world.

Great TR, looks like a blast!

Wow! Great report but I'm jealous. I was there just last weekend (9/29-30) and I HIKED from Paradise up to Pebble Creek to ski a few laps and then HIKED back down. It's hard to believe that just one week later  you could skin up from Paradise and ski all the way back down...

I was visiting from Minnesota and came last weekend so I could get September and October turns in one trip. (Mission accomplished).


Tele skiers in Minneshizzle?  Things have changed since I moved west...

Thanks for the post, awesome pics!

How do you like the Burton split?

How long did it take you from Paradise to Muir?

You guys are so lucky to get out there, and so early at that! I was back East for 2 weddings and feel like I was at a funeral since there was so much snow back home and I was so far away! This weekend seems to be calling me and I will be poking around Muir and hopefully having the same goods you all did. Thanks for helping keep me sane and insane simultaneously while back east. Hope to catch up with all of you on the mtn soon!

cjm720:  It took us 4 and half hours starting at 5400ft and ending at just under 10,200ft.  Roughly around 4800 vertical.  So not too fast or too slow either.

The burton split is Kyle's so I'll let him comment on that.  I for one am not a fan of the 1st generation interface.  The 2nd gens use the voile interface.  Much much better in my opinion.

Eric,

You have a voile interface on your face...er...

As for the burton split it is good in powder but scary on groomers ( somethimes you have to take a groomer to get far in the BC) It seems to ride good but I would much rather have a normal board on technical lines but for access its easy and effective on another note the Burton interface sucks ass it gets frozen and sometimes it doesnt want to reconnect you usually have to take your gloves off to get the board back together in my opinion i a voile interface on a prior board would be the way to go

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lips-hips-n-blow-er-southside-mt-rainier
snoslut
2007-10-05 21:50:36