baker/muir snowfield current conditions?

[crazy_t]

Has anyone been up Baker or the approach roads in the last couple of days? Or up to camp Muir? I'm considering a car to car Baker summit and ski descent tomorrow (Saturday 4-23), or a Muir snowfield ski. Or if anyone has beta on something similar that's in good shape, I'd appreciate it. Might be interested in carpooling with people with similar ideas too. Thanks!

[meganerd]

I snowshoed up from the lower ski area at Baker to Panorama Dome. Beyond the ski area boundary, the snow was extremely soft; I was postholing and sliding all over the place with 30 inch snowshoes. And it was hot!! Mind you though that this was 5 in the afternoon Do your best to check overnight temperatures. If they've been consistently below freezing (I doubt it somewhat but haven't checked) the you might encounter a very solid crust in the morning. Still I'd recommend bringing some small snowshoes. Good luck!

[crazy_t]

Thanks for the word. What day did you go up?

[chelle]

Baker ski area conditions are probably more predictive of conditions on Mt. Shuksan than on Mt. Baker. Although who knows, they're only a few miles apart as the crow flies.

[Pandora]

I skinned up to Muir on Wednesday. I started from Paradise around 12:15 pm and the going up was nice - warm and sunny, with good skin and snowshoe tracks put in. After hanging out at the hut for a while (it was 4/20, after all! ) I started down, which wasn't so nice. The skiing varied from firm, uneven windscoured snow up high to choppy ski-grabbing shizzle to sweet corn to heavy wet slush near Paradise. It sucked for me but I'm a newbie skier .

[luwayo]

Not in the last few days, but last weekend for the Easton approach we skinned up from 3,000', barely 1' of snow & quickly receding in the rain as noted on the descent!

 

In the alpine towards Railroad Camp, there were various sucky layers that impeded skiing (skins off/on...didn't make any difference to all our wipe-outs): 4" of powder on top of 1foot of cement...which the poles would sink through to an unspecified (sorry) but significant depth in the lower unconsolidated layer (last week's big dump).

 

that's the best i can offer for recent info. your interpretations on effects by this week's heat?

Edited April 22, 2005 by luwayo

[crazy_t]

Thanks for the reports. Sounds a bit funkier than I had hoped for. Anyone have recommendations for a good day tomorrow, maybe skiing just for approach to alpine rock? Washington Pass approach? It looks to be a warm one.

[kurthicks]

WA Pass skiing was super PLAB! last weekend.