The Burroughs, Sunrise on Rainier

On June 24th 2007, Matt Gardner, Jessica Wolfskehl and I went to Sunrise on Mount Rainier in search of corn snow next to that peak of Himalayan proportions. While there was less snow on the approach than expected, the skiing was nevertheless fantastic, and the clouds on the eastern side of the mountain cleared now and then to afford spectacular views of the big boy next to us. The nice thing about Sunrise is that, while it receives less snow than Paradise, that also means it gets better weather. The approach was an easy hike. The north-facing bowls off the ridge that leads to the Burroughs looked very good and probably will remain so through July. I don't know if I'll still be skiing then, but I might. At home, I keep telling myself, "keep at it because now all the big mountains are at their safest, and the weather is so nice. There is so much left to ski here! Next year you need to not start in November, but wait till January so you have more passion for summer skiing." But when I'm up in the mountains with skis that passion refuels instantaneously.

If you look closely, you might be able to find the climbers bootpack up Rainier. It was entertaining to watch the climbers progress up the huge face, weaving through the crevasses. All the while I can't help but think about how much it would suck to walk back down the whole thing.



Gardner warming up after a two month hiatus.



One thing this site needs is more pictures like this. Thanks Jess



This was Jess's first backcountry ski excursion. We tried to make it as easy as possible on her, therefore she didn't have to carry a thing, not even her skis on the hike up. But she did have to suffer with Alpine Trekkers.



The bowls of the Burroughs we skied and the Mother of Water watching over them, waiting to supply them with more precipitation when needed. Overall, a beautiful day once again, and, as usual, after checking one more off the list of "must ski," a dozen other lines were added, particularly the north bowls.

The Season in Review: Washington

"No powder in Washington?! No powder in Washington?!" Selling people skis at Seattle's REI store I reached the zenith of exasperation. In order to apprehend what type of ski the customer needed, I would ask if they were looking for something to ski powder, groomed trails, moguls, or park. They'd all say, "Well, I like powder but, come on, we're in Washington. There's no powder in Washington." "Oh, I'm terribly sorry Sir Ignoramus, I forgot that 99% of skiers don't know diddly about the sport and seek their trails in the lowlands of Snoqualmie where the snow falls wet and the hills are very gentle to ski down. If you just go up another thousand feet the snow is very deep and fluffy. In fact, the past 10 days I've been out I've had spectacular powder splashing into my face."
It is true there is less powder in WA usually than Alta or Jackson, but from November-January this past season there was more here than any other place in the world, especially at Mount Baker, which holds the world record snowfall at 1140 inches in a season. This past season, Baker received a mere 240 inches in November, giving them a deeper base than nearly every other mountain in the world had all winter. So you can see why I am exasperated when that phrase, "There's no powder in Washington, there's no powder in Washington" reverberates through REI from not only the customers but the employees. I just moved in to this state and know its not true.
Anyhoo, the mountains are unbeatable here in Washington. The best in the lower 48. Mount Rainier is the biggest in the lower 48 (not the highest though). And there's skiing yearround. It's mid June and I'm still waiting on Mount Adams to come into pristine condition and for the road to melt out. And frankly, this season is outlasting my desire to ski. There's still plenty of skiing here and I'm itching to go surfing instead now. So this is the first season I've been outlasted.
Here's the gist of it: Mount Baker gets the most snow in the world, the ski area next to it is very low-key, cheap, unbeatable backcountry access, incredible terrain, unbelievable views, short vertical inbounds though it really doesn't feel like a small mountain. The problem is that there's not really any towns close to it so ski bumming there would suck for me, and its 3 hours from Seattle unless you drive really fast. I'm not sure if those are really problems though.
Then the next mountain south is Steven's Pass. The mountain looks decent, but I've never skied it because the north side of the road has such good backcountry access you don't need to pay for. Skyline Ridge has tons of options and the easy 30 minute skin up to gain 1700 vert, is very convenient. It is 2 hrs from Seattle.
Next you have Snoqualmie Pass (we're working our way south from Baker). The north side of the highway looks like the Alps, the south like Wisconsin, almost. Alpental is on the north, the Summit at Snoqualmie is on the south. I don't need to say much more, except Alpental has awesome terrain and backcountry too. It is true that the elevation here is 1,000 feet lower than at Baker and Stevens, but hell, I was just skiing last week there, in June, and there's still a deep base. The snow stays out here. 45 minutes from Seattle.
Then you have Crystal Mountain. Awesome terrain, 3,000 vertical feet, and the summit is at 7,000 feet. Crystal is an excellent mountain with jaw-dropping views of the big mountain the next valley over named by the Indains "The Mother of Water." I forgot the white-man's name for it. Oh yeah, Rainier. Crystal also has great backcountry access. It's more expensive to ski there than Alpental or Baker. 2 hrs from Seattle.
Well, as you can see in all my wanderings on this site, I've been searching for a place to stay. I think I've found it here in Washington. At least for five years. Then its time for Europe, South America, and back to New Zealand, which is what Washington really feels like. With Whistler and Hood, Vancouver and Portland, BC and Oregon, within striking distance, why not stay 5 years?