Home > Trip Reports > Nov 22 Bullion Peak/Union Creek

Nov 22 Bullion Peak/Union Creek

11/15/07
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
3876
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Posted by Scotsman on 11/22/07 8:53am
Chugach and I decided to get some pre-dinner exercise so we picked up Jodebaker and headed for Crystal. Beautiful clear day and cold so we decided to skin up towards Bullion Peak from the carpark.
When we reached the steep north face of Bullion Peak ( A really nice triangular face I skied in the spring) we encountered some really nasty windslab. It was about 12" deep, very hard and very dangerous. It would partially support Joe but my weight sent long cracks shooting out from the track and breaking into a jigsaw puzzle below and above the skin track. We diverted to the sunny slopes leading down from Union peak and gained the eastern ridge of Bullion peak and got the summit from there. The slopes leading east down into Union Creek where well filled in and where nice low density powder on a firm base. We dropped in and the turns where great. We skinned back up to the Union/Bullion saddle and dropped the sunny slopes back into the basin and called it a day.
Terrific views of Rainier, Adams and the whole ski area. Looks like there where a lot of folks getting some turns in at the ski area. A great day. :D Thanks Joe.

Be on the lookout for that windslab, it wasn't a question of if it would slide, but
when!
Hopefully Joedebaker will post some pics.
P.S forgot to add that for a lot of the skintrack both up the West side and up from the East side of the saddle, we where following elk tracks. The Elk had basically followed the summer trail and where they deviated , they set a pretty good skin track. Sure hleped Joe on the trailbreaking.
Anyway , I thought the elk skintrack was really neat. :)

Great Report, Scotty.
How much snow was at the upper C lot?

Ron we didn't start from the C lot but should have as the road leading to that lot looked  to be better covered. The road leading down to Gold Hills had been plowed by a cat and was so rocky that we hiked it!

How is it that you still to be able to ski on any given day of the week, Chris? Hopefully it will be like that for me as I start the new year unemployed.

Telemon, I'm discovering that the employment thing was vastly overated and got in the way of the " pursuit of happiness", promised to me by the Constitution. You will find the adaptation to mid week ski bum surprisingly easy.
;D

That kind of talk is starting to sound inspiring!  If you're self employed, can you lay yourself off, I wonder?  And still stay married?

Chris and Joe

Nice seeing you guys yesterday. The wind slab sounds pretty scary.  We saw nothing like it up in the Bear Gap area but we were below the ridge in areas more sheltered from wind. Just unconsolidated powder with a nice layer of hoar on the surface.  But there were all kinds of people up on the King, some even solo and skiing into avalanche basin .  I would think that if there is a slab in Bullion Basin there could be one in Avalanche basin as well.  ???  The hoar frost was thick and will provide its own problems after the next snow fall. Hopefully it will start out warm and destroy it with a little rain before much new  piles up on top.  Tangerine got in her November turns and is now an official TAYer, having completed her first year of turning during each lunar cycle.  And I'm really feeling my oats with a  mostly recovered shoulder and a full underwater season on my thighs.   Looking forward to keeping up with you youngsters this season.  Think snow.


Thanks for the call Chris,
Great tour and good to see Michael and Sidney!
Looks as though others are not seeing the wind pack, maybe it was an illusion? NOT
I like when were removing the skins and every motion seemed to cut another layer of wind pack that made it difficult to keep position on the hill.
Chris mentioned the trail up and it is pretty rocky on the lower approach, really hard to descend slowly to avoid the rocks on the lower portion of the trail.
Pictures HERE

author=Scotsman link=topic=8237.msg33013#msg33013 date=1195865217]
Telemon, I'm discovering that the employment thing was vastly overated and got in the way of the " pursuit of happiness", promised to me by the Constitution. You will find the adaptation to mid week ski bum surprisingly easy.
;D


"The pursuit of happiness" is only mentioned in the Declaration of Independence, alas.  Sounds like a good day with educational snow conditions.

Overthhills ,
                  Nice to see you. Congratulations to Tangerine for her 1st year of TAY.May her streak continue. ;D

Telemon and Scotsman- I too have found it most enjoyable to Ski Sunday and know I have the option of coming back and doing it again on Mon., Tues., Wed., Thurs., etc.
Adjusting to unemployment is easier when the snow is falling.
Took me about a week to come to terms with the fact I am officially a ski bum as of Nov. 1st.
Robie showed me enough options up around Chinook to keep me busy for awhile. But right now it is snowing outside my door so I may not have to travel far tomorrow.


author=telemack link=topic=8237.msg33024#msg33024 date=1195883858]
"The pursuit of happiness" is only mentioned in the Declaration of Independence, alas.  Sounds like a good day with educational snow conditions.


"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

True there is not mention so the pursuit of happiness, but I think those four could be construed as suggesting more skiing is better for the individual and the country. ;)

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nov-22-bullion-peak-union-creek
Scotsman
2007-11-22 16:53:59