January 13, 2007, Paradiseapalooza
1/13/07
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
3401
2
Joined a great many folks at Paradise today. An easy start for an easy day got us there around 10 am. Skinned up soft windpack atop a soft crust atop pow to the base of Pan Point. A hasty pit showed similar structure, all atop an icy crust. Got an easy, but rough, shovel shear or two in the soft stuff. Unpleasant boots and an inconvenient schedule encouraged us to turn around there.
Saw the signs of a few natural point releases higher on the mountain on S and SE facing aspects. Sun-driven tree bombing on the drive home at 2 pm. was fast and furious - lots of little mini-sluffs spilling onto part of the uphill side of the road.
Skiing was good and fast on the soft but supportable crust. T'was the right way to introduce someone to touring (as opposed to yesterday's adventure). The sledding zoo was well populated with happy folks. Do they dig in a tubing run every year? We nearly got clobbered by a tuber while taking off our skis in order to obey the sign that told us not to ski down the "walkway" to our car.
A godsend of a day, conditions-wise. Looked like the upper snowfield might have been sastrugified. How'd it go?
Saw the signs of a few natural point releases higher on the mountain on S and SE facing aspects. Sun-driven tree bombing on the drive home at 2 pm. was fast and furious - lots of little mini-sluffs spilling onto part of the uphill side of the road.
Skiing was good and fast on the soft but supportable crust. T'was the right way to introduce someone to touring (as opposed to yesterday's adventure). The sledding zoo was well populated with happy folks. Do they dig in a tubing run every year? We nearly got clobbered by a tuber while taking off our skis in order to obey the sign that told us not to ski down the "walkway" to our car.
A godsend of a day, conditions-wise. Looked like the upper snowfield might have been sastrugified. How'd it go?
Today was really an amazing day at Paradise. Bright sun, no wind, cold dense wind affected powder with a bit of crust that was very easy to bust through. I love skiing that stuff and making the little chunks fly up. We drove through the gate at a bit before 9:00 so were able to enjoy a longish day up there. It was really tough to leave today. There is just so much snow up there and everything is filled in the way it should be. It's like the olden days that Brenda and I remember when we first started skiing. ;)
Yes they build those tubing runs every year.
Yes they build those tubing runs every year.
got my computer and telemarktips account working again.
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