lukeh Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 (edited) Trip: Mt. Rainier - DC - Single Push + Snowboard Descent from Summit Date: 7/1/2014 Trip Report: I've always wanted to snowboard down from the summit of Mt. Rainier. Dereck and I started out sometime shortly past midnight on Tue July 1st. The lower mountain had severe winds that forced me to adjust my board or get pushed on my face. The winds lessened as we climbed higher. I reached the summit crater 6 hours and 56 minutes after leaving the parking lot. Not a record, but fast for me. It would be fun to stay fit and try again with skis - my board is heavy. The mountain was the most mild I'd seen it, only a few crevasses that were barely worth mentioning. We snowboarded over all of them on the way down. The summit was nice - sunny, very little wind. We chatted with three rangers who were up there for their 3rd day in a row. They said the crevasses were opening up fast - they noticed them getting visibly larger each day. I asked about Lib Ridge (I wanted to climb it this year but I'm afraid I'm missing my chance) - they said people have been on it quite a bit since the accident. One party was swept 1,000ft down in an avy, uninjured, and self-rescued by retreating back down. Boarding off the summit was fun. We cruised across the crater and down the upper mountain without issue. The snow was soft enough to edge. We descended most of the DC to the top of the guide's fixed lines. The deadly runout you see below the DC while descending was a good reminder not to fall. There were 4 areas you had to take off the board: DC bottom, Cathedral rocks, Muir, and Pan face. Only the first one takes sort of a long time. After Pan face we boarded all the way to the parking lot. The severe winds had stuck around, but only down low, so they cooled you off in the rising heat. I skied down Baker, Adams, and Rainier last year. This year I boarded down Baker, now Rainier, so I guess I might go board down Adams this weekend. But then I should probably get on some more tech routes. The real story here--however--is that Bellingham is getting a Chipotle this fall. I was complaining about this to one of the rangers who lives there and he filled me in on the news. Post N. Cascades climbs when you just want to get home but you also want a quick, good meal - this is now going to be possible!!! All pics are from my phone. Bigger versions of the pics on Facebook. Bigger versions of the pics on Facebook. Gear Notes: No rope. Lighter-weight hiking boots that fit in my snowboard bindings. Alum cramps and whippet. Approach Notes: Snow to the parking lot with 4 rocky gaps up to the summit. Edited July 7, 2014 by lukeh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTrevino Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Nice push! You made great time for haulin a board. I hauled a board up the turtle last year and decided that I need to buy a split-board. Coming down is always a bit more fun on a board/skis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukeh Posted July 10, 2014 Author Share Posted July 10, 2014 Thanks - yeah the descent makes it all worth it for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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