[TR] White Pine - Ski Adventure Extremo 1/25/2009

[AlpineK]

Trip: White Pine - Ski Adventure Extremo

 

Date: 1/25/2009

 

Trip Report:

Skiing on Rainier this weekend may have been a better call. Looking at the forecasts the indication I got was that the best weather/visability was east of the crest.

 

We knew there was going to be avalanche debris, but we guessed we'd figure out how to avoid most of the mess. I guess we did avoid most of it, but what we couldn't avoid added a degree of adventure neither of us were looking for.

 

In the end we didn't get to ski the rad sickness, but we did get a laugh out of the day.

 

We made our approach via the Hansellator.

 

 

 

Going up the logging road we decided to cut up early. We based this choice on our experience last year. In the end we got an exciting bit of brushwacking on skis. Eventually we made it back to the road and had a nice ski up the logging cut.

 

 

 

We should have skied down this slope, but we were hoping to find sickness.

 

Here's a nice view of Rock Mountain.

 

 

 

On the upper slopes we decided to cut out early before the summit. I could already tell the snow depth had departed a week ago or so. Anyhow we traversed out and found some lines at the edge of the obvious slide path.

 

 

 

In this photo you can see a lot of trees I don't recall seeing before while skiing.

 

Things still looked sort of alright below.

 

 

 

Eventually we got to a drop that looked like a mess. We skirted that on skiers right and found some more descent snow on the right side.

 

Eventually though we had to confront getting back to the left and the logging road.

 

 

Here's another view where you can really see the recent avalanche destruction.

 

 

From here skiing across the debris was extreme, but not the kind of extreme you always see on the skiing movies. This was more the adventure version of extreme.

 

 

Here's one shot, but it doesn't do full justice to a full on debris field.

 

 

When we got to the logging road the rest of the trip out was kind of a boring straightline ski. That was ok since we needed a break.

 

 

Eventually we made it back to the Hansellator and had a laugh on the drive home.

 

Gear Notes:

Skis, poles, and boots were nice.

 

Approach Notes:

HWY 2 to White Pine then up.

[DirtyHarry]

You guys were bolder than me for getting out this weekend. We'll have to go back there and ski White Pine in better conditions.

[tanstaafl]

Lichtenberg was nice on Friday. Conditions were only ok, but what a beautiful day.

[Hugh Conway]

nice work man

[AllYouCanEat]

LOL, my adventure was much the same when I went back there a few years ago. I have no idea where I ended up but it was the top of something...kinda looked like where you ended up .

Edited January 30, 2009 by AllYouCanEat