Snow in the PNW 17-18: Dropping!

[gregL]

Kind of a high haze but superior skiing yesterday on the SE side of Rainier yesterday. The glacier was much more broken up than any of us had seen it at this time of year, with a number of "new" crevasses poking through.

[CelebratedSkier]

Summer Solstice Party
Illumination Saddle Mt Hood
June 21st 4:30 or so till sunset.

No more climbers tickets being offered so your going to have to huff it from the parking lot, or throw down for a full price lift ticket. Well worth the effort, or the money.

[Patarero]

Skied off the summit of Adams with glademaster on Saturday.

We found continuous snow after about a mile of dirt. Climbing conditions were ideal and we comfortably skinned to the summit. There was a thin lenticular cap over the top ~400' that was fascinating to watch, yet held the prime views for another time.

SW Chutes held perfect high-speed smooth sunny corn around 1pm. FKNA, what a ski run. Felt great to return to this fave.

Here are some pics


Adams from Trout Lake

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Hood in morning glow

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Helens

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glademaster, skinning to the lunch counter in a perfect light breeze

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Lee-side secondary lens

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Pinnacles amongst the Klickitat Gl

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Summit selfie in the mountain's kippah

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View west from atop the Chutes

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Descending 4k of rip(e)corn

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Traversing across the wondrous flanks and choice treeline groves (glade was making old guy sounds here )

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Thank you, Pahto. Till next time.

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Ha I watched that lenticular on the drive over saturday morning, looked like it broke up just in time. We camped down near buck creek with some friends. Sunday was difficult with the wind.

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[SeatownSlackey]

We camped down near buck creek with some friends.

Oh the high school shenanigans that involved buck creek and pure alcohol induced adolescent chaos.


They are probably still car parts from my jackass high school crew imbedded in a few trees around the campground and near the airstrip.

[glademaster]

Has anyone been up in the Inter Glacier area recently? Planning to head up there for some solstice turns.

[plugboots]

Fat lady sung

[BeardMech]

Nice summer stoke! Where is that?

[PNWbrit]

Nice summer stoke! Where is that?

20

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[plugboots]

20

[BeardMech]

Thanks!

[plugboots]

Kedar is so fun to watch! darting leaping recovering flying

OK Bobby, you can indulge me, here’s one more for you from a couple weeks ago:

[thefortrees]

^^^ Your dog moves down the fall line better than most on this forum, and certainly better than me.

[cstefanic]

Is there any attempt at a Puget Sound Solstice ski anywhere? I'm assuming Alpental is 90% dirt by now.

[pipedream]

Silver is a long stroll and there's barely a skiable strip of snow from the ridgeline back to the summit bowl. Nonetheless, I expect some folks will be out there.

Great Scott bowl is still skiable from Pineapple to the top of No Fog and No Fog goes all the way to Source Lake. There's an established bootpack from the Source Lake overlook to the top of Big Trees. I think that's where I'll be, but unfortunately very early as I have evening commitments.

[glademaster]

Is there any attempt at a Puget Sound Solstice ski anywhere? I'm assuming Alpental is 90% dirt by now.

I'll be skiing up on Inter Glacier today and tomorrow, possibly Saturday morning if the snow and weather are conducive to it.

[pipedream]

Happy Solstice, y'all! I wish I could join in the festivities this evening but I'll be helping my dad unload a moving truck at my parents' new house on Whidbey today & tomorrow. This morning's dawn patrol fell flat when the sun didn't poke thru the clouds. That and I am definitely not a morning person at this time of the year...

[meggers]

How's Washington Pass looking for some skiing this weekend? How far to snow from the hairpin? Thinking of making the trip down from the Okanagan

[plugboots]

WA Pass. Skied it Sunday. Didn't ski it Monday, but could've, looked it over Tuesday and the snow went all the way through the couloir at the hairpin. Some years at this time there's snow, of course, but there are a lot of gaps you have to hike and put your skis back on. I skin the thing, but all my ski partners, (10 or so over the weekend), bootpacked. The snow started about 100 yards from the road. @ the top near Early Winter Spire probably has 50 yards of gravel.
Looking up and down on Sunday:

[BeardMech]

I went to Naches after being turned away by the ranger at station before sunrise, as apparently the road wont open till the lodge opens. The ranger said it was pretty thin and patchy up there anyway. Naches is still skiable from all the lots and is still holding on most on the east and north faces. Awesome mountain. I took multiple laps in the east bowl from the ridge and a couple on the long sustained face on north side until my legs started complaining.

Ill go through my pics that I took on my shitty phone to see if there is anything worthwhile.

[TAFKALVS]

I went to Naches after being turned away by the ranger at station before sunrise, as apparently the road wont open till the lodge opens. The ranger said it was pretty thin and patchy up there anyway. Naches is still skiable from all the lots and is still holding on most on the east and north faces. Awesome mountain. I took multiple laps in the east bowl from the ridge and a couple on the long sustained face on north side until my legs started complaining.

Ill go through my pics that I took on my shitty phone to see if there is anything worthwhile.

nice work.

[PNWbrit]

nice work.

Indeed.

Pro tip. Don't trust regular common or garden MRNP ranger's views about ski conditions. Especially the guys at Sunrise... they hate people skiing up there.

Ever Later opening (dependent on parking lot toilets being dug out & spring cleaned) is deliberate to prevent us doing so.

This is useful for Rainer https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/road-status.htm

...and for the Nisqually gate (Road to Paradise) opening in winter keep an eye on the Mt Rainier tweet for most up to date info

[gregL]

nice work.

Naches Peak today: Good corn skiing with moderate suncups on both NNE and W facing aspects, will only be continuous for another few days on either side, coverage very lean on the west facing bowl.

Upper NNE facing bowl


Lower NNE facing bowl


Upper W facing bowl (Tipsoo side)


Lower W facing bowl (Tipsoo side)

[gregL]

Don't trust regular common or garden MRNP ranger's views about ski conditions. Especially the guys at Sunrise... they hate people skiing up there.

Like PNWbrit says, the Sunrise rangers don't really want people skiing there at all. From the 410, it looks like it's done anyway, even Dege, which fits nicely into the Park Service plan. No need to station volunteers around the lodge to chase skiers off the heather.

[BeardMech]

Yeah I could see south faces completely empty. North face id imagine would still be good with the even higher elevation.

Whats the deal with them not wanting skiers up there? I dont see why a hiker would be any better than a skier, especially with everyone and their mom being able to get up there and start hiking. Seems like hikers would be the ones leaving trash everywhere. Also if Im paying wait like 30-60 bucks to even be able to park in the park they should fuck off and mind their own business

[PNWbrit]

Yeah I could see south faces completely empty. North face id imagine would still be good with the even higher elevation.

Whats the deal with them not wanting skiers up there? I dont see why a hiker would be any better than a skier, especially with everyone and their mom being able to get up there and start hiking. Seems like hikers would be the ones leaving trash everywhere. Also if Im paying wait like 30-60 bucks to even be able to park in the park they should fuck off and mind their own business

They claim that the meadows and ridge tops get trashed by skiers.

And there's a general reluctance to encourage any kind of fun seeking off of the designated, signposted paved, interprative trail generally within the park... please stay within spending range of the visitor center and gift shop.