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[TR] Mt. Rainier - Central Mowich Face 7/16/2010


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Trip: Mt. Rainier - Central Mowich Face

 

Date: 7/16/2010

 

Trip Report:

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What is that saying? wakeing up is hard to do? well it wasn't this morning, 'cause I was f'n stoked. Great conditions on the Mowich face, buzzing hard from the previous days descent of Sunset Ridge. Slightly breakable crusty conditions on the glacier leading to the face increased the price of the line, however expensive -- it was worth it. My plan was to ski the Central Mowich Face, but I decided to climb by way of the Edmunds headwall, since I figured that the rockfall danger is lower on that route, the Shrund easier, and the crevasse danger leading to the route considerably less. This decision was made easier becasue I had climbed and skiied the Central Mowich Face from 12.5k last year (from the connection), and I knew that no possibley lurking glacial ice exists below the connection to the upper Mowich Face.

I dozed on a rock outcropping midway up the headwall, since I was early, and waiting higher wasn't applealing, since the winds were howling and the temprature cold, colder than yesterday...

After some time I continued up, I traversed the lower part of the upper face so I could scout out the connection to the central face. I found mostly glacial ice, with a thin ribbon of inch to half inch snow overlying the blue glacial ice -- with big exposure over cliffs below. This scared me, becaue I decided I was going to ski it (with tool in hand) this fear preoccupied my mind for the rest of the ascent and subsequent time until I skiied it.

The summit was windy, the snow firm up high, shark fin petinenttentes dominated the upper fields. The upper Mowich was firm, and softend near the connection.

I fiddled with my helmut cam and got it to sort of work... and I made a pretty cool video that explains my descent more elaboratly than I can. It's worth watching -- despite a little flashing from my failing camera mid video.

 

[video:youtube]

 

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I got back to my truck later that night, Eric had left me a cold beer, it was good.

Edited by danhelmstadter
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