Home > Trip Reports > Feb 16-17, 2008, Slot/Crooked and Paradise Glacier

Feb 16-17, 2008, Slot/Crooked and Paradise Glacier

2/16/08
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
5215
13
Posted by alexf on 2/19/08 8:46am
2/16/08-2/17/08
10,000 ft of quality turns!  What a weekend!  Thanks to Preston, Chris, and Liz for a great time.  These are all Chris' pictures.  Preston will add some of his later.

Day 1:  The slot and crooked couloirs.

Skinning up the Phantom was the good kind of hard work.  We saw RonL getting the goods while we skinned up. Thanks Ron for the extra motivation.  The Slot was awesome with shin deep pow after a couple of spicy icy turns at the entrance.  Sluff managment was fun in all the tight spots.  After a few minutes of big smiles at the bottom of the Slot we decided we wanted more so we set off to boot up the Crooked.  Another great run; nice and easy at the top with all the excitement left for the finish.  The Phantom was a little past its prime by the time we were headed down, but at that point nothing could really disappoint.  The wet slide that Preston started caught his attention to give a nice adrenaline finish to the day.  The altimeter counted 5,300 ft, which we happily recounted over beer at Rogue.






Day 2:  Paradise Glacier.

Why have we done the Muir so many times and never this?  Oh yeah.....the Paradise Glacier is awful.   ;)
With the road closed for the past 12 days, we felt privileged to set the skin track.  The blank canvas was certainly unusual for the NP.  The turns down from the top of Anvil Rock were fun and steep, even if the snow was a bit firm.  What a fall line run!!  Even the turns down to the road were buttery on a nice firm base, none of the mush we were expecting.  We called it a huge success at the car with beers and the sun setting on the the mountain.













Cool. I did the crooked/slot combo before and what a great combination it is! And your trip just attests to it further. There is nothing better than a corn/pow/sun weekend.

Love the blue in the pics. We sure haven't seen that for awhile.

Here are a few more shots from Saturday in the slot and the crooked.

   

   

Saw your tracks (barely) yesterday in the Slot. Hard to believe they were only from two days before. Had a great tour booting up the Phantom in the early AM on well frozen steps and then skiing the soft pack and spindrift powder in the Slot. Skinning back up to the ridge was easy going and it was a couple of inches of creamed corn on top for the trip back down the Phantom. Got the waterfall for the first time (instead of cutting into the trees) to finish it off.


Wow nice pictures. I'm glad you all found good conditions up there.

you stole our pow!  Bums...  We went up monday and the slot was pretty icy up top, with really hard wind packed snow down lower.  Awesome pics tho, glad you guys had better turns than we did.

Where is the slot/crooked?

author=brownc9 link=topic=9229.msg37227#msg37227 date=1203539544]
Where is the slot/crooked?


In the south ;) or southern reaches  :D

Spain.

Germany maybe?

Could be Snoqulmie Mtn though?

author=Jason_H. link=topic=9229.msg37228#msg37228 date=1203539861]
In the south ;) or southern reaches  :D

Spain.

Germany maybe?

Could be Snoqulmie Mtn though?


Hmmmm.......Snoqualmie Mtn...that's off of cascade river road, right?  ;)

alexf- those look like some really awesome descents up off Snoqualmie Mtn- I have been meaning to get out there and actually ski those beautiful Couloirs. I have been up and around that area several times and always drooled over those shots. Way to go get em'!

also, that last picture at Paradise parking lot is exactly where my car was parked an hour before that picture. I was parked next to that van in the pic- guess I just missed you guys. We toured Birthday/ Mazama bowl and had a great day lapping north facing powder turns.

Hope to be able to ski those lines you hit soon, thanks for the condition update.

Chris

author=brownc9 link=topic=9229.msg37227#msg37227 date=1203539544]
Where is the slot/crooked?


Hope you figgered out the serious answer:  Mt. Snoqualmie.  Both are in Volken's guide, and there are TRs on them here.  Not exactly a secret stash.  :)

Skierlyles,  I assume that was you with Double_E.  I recognized him as we parked in the morning, but didn't get a chance to say hello.   Sounds like you guys had a fun day of your own.

yup, that was me and ethan rearing for another great day on the mtn. Amazing wasn't it?!
Chris

Hiya Chris... I'm thinking you're the Chris we skied to Muir with a couple years ago??  (And then, about a year later, ran into on the summit of Snoqualmie?)   

Great pics/TRs, guys... truly a great weekend to be out playing in the snow. 8)

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feb-16-17-2008-slot-crooked-and-paradise-glacier
alexf
2008-02-19 16:46:59