Summer Skiing on Mt. Rainier

[Jim Dockery]

My partner Eric and I explored some steep chutes off the Muir Snowfield last week. We were dismayed to find the lower part melted out into a steep waterfall that forced us to climb up and over to another gully that went to the Nisqually Glacier. We had this part of the mountain to ourselves and the snow was perfect corn.

Eric enters the steep part.

Me heading down.

Snow soft enough to carve easy turns, but not so wet or deep to worry about sluff avalanches.

Eric looking down the steep slope to the waterfall just to the side of the lower rocks. This would not be a good place to fall! He very carefully stomped a platform, took off his skis, strapped them to his pack and followed me up and out to traverse over to the next gully that was continuous.

Me cruising the easy lower slopes. Mt. Saint Helens behind.

 

[AlanLichty]

Distinctly different views of Mt. Rainier from what most of us see when we visit. Glad you brought us along in the form of your camera.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Great stuff Jim

 

[JimFox]

Wow, amazing skiing there Jim!

It's great you guys caught sight of that waterfall before disaster struck. I went back and tried to pick favorites, but all of these are great for different reasons.

 

[Jameel Hyder]

Can't get over the skiing in the summer part. Great images Jim and views of Rainier only possible after some climbing.

 

[Jim Dockery]

Thanks for the comments guys. Not much action over here in the sports forum so I have to add something every now and then. Here is another from two days later on the Cowlitz glacier.

 

[Travis Rhoads]

I have never heard of skiing there...that looks really steep and how do you get all the way up there?

 

[Jim Dockery]

Travis, that is some steep skiing. That first run had sections over 45º, so you have to be an expert skier to safely handle it, and only when the snow is safe as it was this day - I'd never ski here on an icy day. Eric and I have each been skiing for over 50 years, many of those in the back-country, so we are pretty good at anylizing the situation and making good decisions. My wife cautions me thought that now I'm in my "sissys" (mis-pronouncing 60s) I should be much more of a conservative sissy.

We get there by walking up an easier route with our skis on our feet. Back-country gear has bindings that switch from walk to ski mode, so we can slide along quite easily, like a cross-country skier on the uphill with climbing skins on the base of our skis (they slide up easily, but grip and won't slide back down when you put your weight on them, they easily detach for the downhill run).