Top 10 Glissades in the state

[vegetablebelay]

Interglacier on Rainier.

Also, the North Face of North Twin Sister.

Finally, I agree on the Colchuck Glacier - you feel like you're gonna drop into the lake!

Vegetablebelay

P.S. I'm told the North Face on St. Helens (before it blew) was the best glissade ever.

[This message has been edited by vegetablebelay (edited 05-15-2001).]

[lepiolet]

I agree with the Camp Hazard glissade especially from above the Hourglass down to the Nisqually, even in later season, when the snows to the sides are gone, the glissade run is still good (just stay IN the chute! Ouch!) My other favorite is Mt Elinor.

[lepiolet]

Oh, yeah... just this winter, I glissaded the avalanche chute (stable and solid!) from the top of Red Mountain at Snoqualmie Pass - what a kick! 45 degrees and a fabulous runout too!

[slaphappy]

In October of 99, a friend and I climbed the Cascade-Johannisburg couloir. It was good climbing all the way, accept for the top 200 ft. which was "sugar" covered by a 1/4" eggshell of ice. During the course of the day it snowed 6-8", and with spindrift accumulation, we wanted outta there and fast! We sat down 200 ft. below the col. and glissaded/rode the snow, accept for one short step (with questionable control) to the base of the runout in a remarkably short period of time. All in all it was about a 2800' steep ride!

[highclimb]

you glisaded that!!?!?! i hear thats its steep and a glissade could become uncontrolable. i know john sharp, and jim nelson after climbing Jbergs north butt down climbed the whole thing. wow!

Aidan

[philfort]

Wow, hardman slaphappy! Guess you found it in the right conditions - but yipes, that's some hardcore glissading!

Anyone else have tales of "extreme glissading"? (intentional or otherwise :-)

I wonder if the C-J couloir has ever been skied....

[Beck]

Will concur with Smoker that the Sitcum off Glacier Peak is one of the nicest, most sustained glisades you can do in the Cascades- that whole earlier chat Re: debris up the butt shows me not many climbers are giving the standing glissade a shot? MUCH MUCH more fun than sitting and more graceful too, you can carve turns like skiing and change directions as well.

[Dru]

The whole bum thing is aptly described in a Tami Knight cartoon in one illustration: "Bum Schuss - get sticks up yer bum". Standing is good. Sitting is bad. Mostly.

The one exception I have found is when the snow crust breaks through standing, but not sitting. better to sit & schuss then than stand &plod. Or at the end of an 18 hour day when you are too tired to stand up, just sit down on the ol garbage bag and 1 2 3 go!!!

[philfort]

Agreed - the standing glissade is the way to go. I always get my butt and feet soaked when doing regular glissades (my gaitors suck).

Unfortunately the standing glissade is a little more conditions dependant.