#chris ebeling

Location: The Fuhrer Finger, Mount Rainier, Washington Starting Point: Lower Paradise Parking Lot (5380′) Aspect: South Distance: 14.6 miles Time: 1-2 Days Summit Elevation: 14,416′ | 4392 m Vertical: 10,000+ Guidebook: Backcountry Ski & Snowboard Routes: Washington – Martin Volken USGS Maps: Mount Rainier East, Mount Rainier West

After a weather day spent experiencing city life in Seattle, it was time to get back into the mountains. This time our plan was to ski the Fuhrer Finger on Mount Rainier – a classic ski descent of over 10000′ from the summit of Mount Rainier (14416′).

Mount Rainier. It’s a big mountain!

According to AlpenGlow.org the first ski descent of the Fuhrer’s Finger is credited to Dan Davis, Tom Janisch and Jeff Haley, on May 3, 1980. It was listed as one of the 50 Classic Ski Descents of North America. With massive relief, complex and glaciated terrain, and a stunning couloir it’s easy to see why skiing the Fuhrer Finger is one to add to the bucket list.

The Fuhrer’s Finger Route

Jeremy Wood and I met our friend and RMI guide Chris Ebeling in Ashford and carpooled into Mount Rainier National Park to the Paradise area. On the way up, we scouted the snow line at Nisqually Bridge (3800′) to see if we could ski all the way there. It wasn’t possible, so we continued on up to Paradise.

Climber’s Registration

First things first: we dealt with permits. To camp, climb, and ski Mount Rainier we needed:

National Park Pass or Interagency Pass – Provides access to National Park and ability to park the car

Climbing Permit – Required if going above 10000′.

Wilderness Camping Permit – Required for all backcountry overnight stays Limited number available. Can book in advance or when you arrive

In late April, the permits were obtained via self registration at the Paradise Climbers Information Center. It cost $46 per person for a climbing permit that is good for the year. We then parked the car in the lower parking lot at 5380′ and geared up for an overnight ski mountaineering mission in complex glaciated terrain on Mount Rainier.

Our Route

My Mammut Trion Pro pack was stuffed to the brim with overnight gear, food, glacier kit, rope, warm clothes, and group gear. It was heavy compared to my normal pack for single day missions. The Fuhrer Finger can be skied in one massive day, but we figured it would be better to split it in to two days.

After double checking that we had everything we needed we walked back to the Paradise visitor center and toured from the parking lot. It was busy as we worked out way up toward Glacier Vista (6400′) to the west of Panorama Point. Here we ripped skins and skied down to the lower Nisqually Glacier at 6150′.

Looking back across WIlson Glacier toward Muir Snowfield

We transitioned to uphill mode and worked our way diagonally across the Nisqually and on to the Wilson Glacier. Then we pushed onwards to a mellow and safe ridge (7400′) between the Wilson Glacier and the Van Trump Snowfield. Due to the early morning heat, we were glad to be in a safe spot on a big mountain.

Taking a break on the ridge

From here it was easy skinning toward our camp at upper Castle (9400′) below the Turtle. It took 4.5 hours, 4270′ up and 295′ down to reach camp. We found a great campsite on the upper gendarme. We dug in and build a highly protected campsite with a impressive snow wall. Our campsite was about 200′ higher than necessary, but it was by far the best site around.

Nice little camp at upper Castle

Nice place to chill out and melt snow

Lower Castle and beyond

View of the Zipper and The Fly In the Tattoosh

We got busy melting snow, drying skins, and enjoying the excellent views of the Fuhrer Finger, the Fuhrer Thumb, Wilson Headwall, Kautz Glacier, the Nisqually, and other terrain features of Mount Rainier. Towering almost a mile above our head was the summit of Rainier. The scale on this mountain is unreal.

Left to Right: Wilson Headwall, Fuhrer Thumb, Fuhrer Finger

Route across wilson from our camp

First Look At Fuhrer’s Finger

Other skiers and climbers were trickling into camp, as we enjoyed a tasty Mountain House meal before our 6 PM bed time. Our plan was to wake at 3 AM to start our ascent. We hope that we would time it right – frozen snow in the couloir, timely summit, and hit soft snow on the way out.

Unfortunately none of us slept well due to a consistent howling East wind that hammered our tent all night long. It was strong enough to open the debate about whether the climb would even be possible. Despite the unrelenting wind, we decided to go for it anyway.

Alpine start

Fueled by a liter of water and a banana bread bagel, my BD headlamp shined the way as we climbed down to the Wilson Glacier from our campsite. We clicked into our pre-rigged skis with skins and crampons, roped up, and started crossing the highly crevassed Wilson Glacier. At the base of the Fuhrer Finger we transitioned to crampons and started the long walk uphill.

Climbing at dawn

At the top of the couloir (11500′) we had to choose whether to skin out on to the Upper Nisqually Glacier or climb the upper Wapowety Cleaver between the Nisqually and Kautz glaciers. Due to some insider information and an obvious massive crevasse that seemed to stretch across the entire width of the Nisqually we opted for the Cleaver in the morning light.

Sunrise

Our route

Accessing the Wapowety Cleaver was challening due to thin snow bridges, steep slopes, and large crevasses. With a bit of luck and good route finding we gained the Cleaver and climbed this perennial snow to about 13500′. Here we exited the Cleaver and regain the upper Nisqually.

Roped Glacier Travel

All roped up we climbed over one last steep headwall and then went back to skis for the final summit blast. After end running several large crevasses, we finally summited the Columbia Crest (14,416’| 4392 m) seven hours after we left camp. This was the highest I had ever been. Despite the constant wind, we had made it. Now we had the biggest ski line of my life to ski down.

Summit!

We switched to downhill mode and skied at turtle speed through the highly crevassed upper glaciers on Rainier. Basically we retraced our ascent route back down. We found all sorts of snow conditions – ice, sastrugi, sun cups, corn, frozen salsa, the works. But this is to be expected in a descent of this magnitude.

Skiing the upper mountain

Chris Skiing

The entire line was a no fall zone due to large cracks and holes littered around the terrain. There were certainly some steep 45 degree plus turns, but overall the slope was about 40 degrees consistently.

Massive Terrain

A solid snowfield

We had to down climb off of the Cleaver, but besides that we had constant skiing. The timing lined up perfectly to get softer snow in the Fuhrer Finger. After a 4750′ descent we reached the bottom of the Fuhrer Finger and hot dogged it across the Wilson Glacier back to camp (9400′).

The Fuhrer’s Finger

Dropping Back down to Wilson Glacier

Looking up the Fuhrer’s Finger

Crossing the Wilson Glacier

Breaking down camp, drinking water, eating snacks, and packing backpacks took a little bit of time. When we were ready we followed our ascent route from the other day back down the flanks of Mount Rainier. As we reached the lower Wilson Glacier, the isothermic snow was becoming unsupportable. Combine that with heavy packs and it definitely made for tough skiing.

One last skin up to Glacier Vista and it was all downhill from there. Hot pow, mushy snow, and dodging climbers and pedestrians we were soon back to car.

Mount Rainier

According to my Suunto Ambit3 Peak, over two days, our climb up Mount Rainier and our ski of the Fuhrer Finger covered 10.1 miles and 11500′ vertical. Car to car we were gone 29 hours.

Skiing the Fuhrer Finger is an awesome line. Glad to have ticked this one off of the list – although I might be back. Wow.

See our route for skiing the Fuhrer Finger On Mount Rainier:

http://www.hillmap.com/embed/ag1zfmhpbGxtYXAtaGRychULEghTYXZlZE1hcBiAgIDQ95WqCQw

Here are additional photos from skiing the Fuhrer Finger on Mount Rainier:

This trip report for skiing the Fuhrer Finger on Mount Rainier is from April 30 to May 1, 2016.

Location: Leuthold Couloir, Mount Hood, Mount Hood National Forest, Cascade Range, Oregon Starting Point: Timberline Lodge (6000′) Aspect: West Distance: 5.75 miles Time: 5.5 hours Summit Elevation: 11249′ | 3429 m Vertical: 5575′ (If start at top of Palmer Chair, it is 2995′ up and 5575′ down) USGS Maps: Mount Hood North, Mount Hood South

After Chris Ebeling, Jeremy Wood, and I skied the Newton Clark Headwall on Mount Hood, the weather closed in and we had to take a down day. We didn’t go too far and hung out in the happening place of Government Camp, OR. It was dead. Luckily the Huckleberry Inn is open 24-hours a day and serves delicious food and Internet.

Hunkered down in the drizzle of the PNW, we made a plan for the next day to ski the Leuthold Couloir on the west face of Mount Hood. Mount Hood is an active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of northern Oregon. It is the highest point in the state at 11,249′ and is called Wy’East by the Multnomah tribe.

View from Parking lot

The Leuthold Couloir goes from the summit of Mount Hood down the west face, through the Hourglass, and onto the Reid Glacier. It is sandwiched between Yokum Ridge/the Queens Chair and the Reid Headwall. It’s roughly 35 degrees for 1600 vertical feet. The Leuthold Couloir is normally considered a grade III ice climb, but for us it was a super fun couloir ski descent.

Perfect Turns

Mount Hood is home to several different ski resorts including Timberline, where we would start our ski mountaineering adventure. Timberline Lodge is a National Historic Landmark that sits at 6000′ on the south side of Mount Hood. Maybe you recognize it from The Shining starring Jack Nicholson?

Next to the Timberline Lodge is Timberline Ski Resort. This is the stomping grounds for one of the busiest ascent routes for a glaciated peak in the world. Between climbers and park rats at the summer ski hill, this place is busy year round. And that means you better register as a climber.

Climbers Registration

On the exterior ground floor of the Wy’East Day Lodge is a climber’s self registration. Stop by and read the rules, get the latest beta, and register your climb. Also grab so blue bags. In the adjacent parking lot, we packed up our packs with axes, crampons, skins, ski crampons, 40 m rope, and standard glacier kit – and of course snacks too. Everyone needs snacks in the mountains.

After registering, our plan was to buy a single lift ride at the resort for $15. That would let us get up high and eliminate a bit of walking so we could enjoy a casual morning. FYI this does not work. The staff at Timberline do not consider ski mountaineers to be climbers. If you have skis on your feet, you cannot be a climber. We were not allowed on the lift. We opted to buy full priced tickets at a discounted professional rates, and rode the chairs anyways.

Putting on skins at top of Palmer Chair

Above the Palmer Chair

After two lift rides with our big packs, we arrived at 8,450′ feet at the top of the Palmer Chair. Our ascent route was the trade route up the Palmer Glacier on the south face, past the Hogsback, and through the Pearly Gates to the summit of Mount Hood. We skinned up and started walking. We could see where we returned at Illumination Saddle off to the west.

Looking up the route

Illumination Saddle

Near the hot rocks!

The route was busy for April. We passed lots of people epic-ing Mount Hood. Between the drifting scent of sulfur and a steady pace, we quickly reached the top in just over two hours – 2,800′ above the Palmer Chair. The rimed up Pearly Gates was the crux of the ascent, but it was not bad at all. We chose the climber’s left Gate and it was nice to have crampons and an ax for this section.

Almost to the Pearly Gates

Above the clouds

Climbing The Pearly Gates

Once we reached the summit, we realized we had plenty of time before we needed to ski. Summit party. Other skiers at the top of Mount Hood were pounding beers, hacking turns through sastrugi, and taking Tinder photos. It was an interesting scene. We soaked in the lay of the land, enjoyed the views, peered down the Cooper Spur, and enjoyed the highest point in Oregon.

The West Ridge To Leuthold Couloir From Summit

Looking Down Cooper Spur

Finally we decided to venture on the ridge in crampons to the west to the entrance of the Leuthold Couloir. The ridge walk isn’t bad, but the drop offs could be intimidating to some people.

The Ridge To Leuthold Couloir

The rimed features of this stunning stratovolcano were like something from another world. It was mind blowing. At the top of the Leuthold, we switched to downhill mode – what a cool place to ski. The top few turns above the Queens Chair were rough, firm, rimed, and wind effected. It only got better from there.

The First Pitch

The Couloir and The Reid

A Rime Covered Perch

After the couloir opened up, the snow was relatively smooth, although a bit punchy in spots, which kept us on our toes. The slope was steep and consistent – about 35 degrees (maybe a few turns up to 40 degrees). We had been warned that the choke of the line, called the Hourglass, could be super tricky to maneuver through. It wasn’t. In our late April reality, it was several snowcat tracks wide and made for easy skiing.

Looking Up The Leuthold

Dropping Into The Hourglass

Dropping Into The Hourglass

The apron opened up below the Hourglass as the ski line hugged the base of Yokum Ridge and headed down toward the Reid Glacier. We continued on down and stopped short of the open crevasses on the Reid at about 9100′. The Reid certainly has some big holes to watch out for so we roped up and set a skin track back to Illumination Saddle. The Reid Headwall loomed over our skin track and looked like it had some cool skiing potential. We were able to skin the entire way to the saddle at 9300′ in about 20 minutes.

Jeremy

Yokum Ridge

Back At Illumination Saddle

From here it was an easy ski back to Timberline Lodge. We made a point to traverse across the Zig Zag Glacier so we didn’t get sucked down to the southwest into the Mount Hood Triangle – even though it looked very inviting.  It would be nice to have GAIA app with some preset waypoints if it was a whiteout.

The clouds came in as we skied back down to Timberline Lodge on the freshly groomed snow. The biggest hazard of the day was watching out for snowcats in ping pong ball like weather conditions. Another cool ski line ticked off.

Our ski mountaineering mission to ski the Leuthold couloir took 5.5 hours, 5.75 miles, 2995′ up, and 5575′ down.

See our route for skiing the Leuthold Couloir on Mount Hood:

http://www.hillmap.com/embed/ag1zfmhpbGxtYXAtaGRychULEghTYXZlZE1hcBiAgIDQj6LuCgw

Here are additional photos from skiing the Leuthold Couloir on Mount Hood:

This trip report for skiing the Leuthold Couloir on Mount Hood is from April 28, 2016.

Location: Newton Clark Headwall, Mount Hood, Mount Hood National Forest, Cascade Range, Oregon Aspect: East Starting Point: Mount Hood Meadows Ski Area Main Parking Lot (5360′) Distance: 8 miles Time: 6.75 hours Top Elevation: 10,865′ Vertical: 5715′ USGS Maps: Mount Hood South

After skiing the Worm Flows on Mount Saint Helens, our plan was to ski the Southwest Chutes on Mount Adams. Unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned. The FS roads to Mount Adams were still covered in snow, so we decided to head south and tick off the Newton Clark Headwall on Mount Hood in Oregon.

East Face of Mount Hood

The Newton Clark Headwall was first skied by Sylvain Saudan on March 1, 1971. It has been named one of the 50 Classic Ski Descents In North America. Located on the East aspect of Mount Hood, Oregon’s highest point, the steep slopes of the Newton Clark Headwall loom over the Mount Hood Meadows Ski Resort.

Chris Ebeling, Jeremy Wood, and I cruised south from Mount Saint Helens along OR 35. As we laid eyes on the Newton Clark, we knew we were in for a cool skiing adventure. It was late when we pulled in to the parking lot at Mount Hood Meadows. We got a good look at our route before the sunset. Parking overnight is allow in the main parking lot of Mount Hood Meadows, but we decided to camp in our trucks down at the Bennet Pass Sno Park where there was an outhouse and decent cell service.

Good Morning! Mount Hood from Bennet Pass Sno Park

We woke early in the morning (8 AM)  and drove back up to the main lot of Mount Hood Meadows at 5360′. I packed my Mammut Trion Pro pack and slipped on my Dynafit TLT6 boots and started walking. It’s always a bit strange ski touring up a closed ski area. At least there was no downhill traffic to avoid. We quickly made our way to the top of the ski area at 7,300′ and started our true ascent.

Booting Up In Mount Hood Meadows Main Parking Lot

We skinned as far as we could up the ridge line on the Wy’East face. Wy’East is the name used for Mount Hood by the Multnomah tribe. It’s a steep climb that required crampons and an axe. At the ridge we were greeted by wafts of sulfur and stunning views over the rime down toward the standard Mount Hood climbers route near the Hogsback above Timberline.

Touring through the deserted resort

As we approached the Newton Clark Headwall, we peered down several different potential ski lines – all of them cliffed out. In fact it’s a bit confusing to actually find the correct line up there. Our plan was to summit Hood and then ski the route Sylvain Saudan had skied, but that route didn’t seem to go cleanly. It could have been climbed, but a clean ski from the summit didn’t seem to be possible. Maybe with a rope…

Above the ski area

Last flat spot before WyEast face

The Wy’East Face

Ridge Line

Almost to the line

The Summit Push

Instead we skied from 10,865′ (about 400′ short of the summit) at the bench above the Newton Clark Headwall. It was steep – pushing 50 degrees and a little bit puckering. The headwall was sustained for about 1500′ and then mellowed out into the crevasses of the Newton Clark Glacier. It’s a no fall zone.

Dropping Into Newton Clark Headwall

Steep

STEEP

Skiing out

WYEast Face on left, Newton Clark on Right

The snow was both sun affected and punchy. We skied the line and then took a mellow traverse back to the ski area boundaries. After a little bit of hot pow on a blue run called Swirly Chunky, we were back at the parking lot. Today was a good day.

Our Route – Up on left, down on right

Our route to ski the Newton Clark Headwall took 6.75 hours, 8 miles, and 5715′. It’s an easy day trip that is relatively straightforward

See our route to ski the Newton Clark Headwall on Mount Hood:

http://www.hillmap.com/embed/ag1zfmhpbGxtYXAtaGRychULEghTYXZlZE1hcBiAgICw3ND-Cww

See additional photos from skiing the Newton Clark Headwall on Mount Hood:

This trip report for skiing the Newton Clark Headwall is from April 26, 2016.

Location: Worm Flows, Swift Glacier, Mount Saint Helens, Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington Starting Point: Marble Mountain Sno Park (2700′) Aspect: South Distance: 10 miles Time: 6.75 hours Summit Elevation: 8366′ | 2550 m Vertical: 5975′ USGS Maps: Mount St. Helens

Skiing road trips are always a blast. After a 12+ hour drive, Jeremy Wood and I pulled into the empty Marble Mountain Sno Park at 2700′ on the south side of Mount Saint Helens in Washington. We figured we’d warm up for this year’s PNW adventure by skiing the Worm Flows on Mount Saint Helens on our first ski day.

Mount Saint Helens wearing a cloud cap

Mount Saint Helens sits in southern Washington in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The closest town is Cougar, WA and there isn’t a whole lot going on there. In fact, there isn’t even cell service anywhere around this isolated area, so it’s a good thing we did a bit of research before we arrived.

Climbing Permit and Map

Mount Saint Helens is a stratovolcano that originally sat at 9677′. On May 18, 1980 it erupted and blew its lid. The new summit sits on the southern crater rim at 8,366′ or 2550 meters. The north side of the mountain is mainly closed to the public to protect the damaged area, but the south side is undamaged. In 1987, the south side reopened to skiers and ever since then it’s been a classic Cascade ski. It’s featured in Martin Volken’s Backcountry Ski & Snowboard Routes: Washington.

Before you can ski the Worm Flows on Mount Saint Helens, there are lots of pre-climb logistics you need to deal with first:

Mount Saint Helens Climbing Permit – If you go above 4800′ on the mountain you need a climbing permit. The permits are self registered and free from November 1 to March 31. From April 1 to October 31 you must purchase climbing permits online from the Mount St. Helens Institute. They cost $22/climber. You need to be able to print this permit before you arrive at the trailhead. The number of permits per day are limited so book in advance.

Sno Park Pass – These parking permits are required from November 1 to April 30 and cost $25/year. They can be purchased online.

Northwest Forest Pass – The Northwest Forest Pass allows you access to all Forest Service operated recreation sites in WA and OR. They cost $30 annually. Alternatively, you can use an Interagency Annual Pass that costs $80 annually and works across the US.

Climber Self-Registration – Once you have all of the necessary permits, every climber still needs to self register at the Marble Mountain Sno Park. Then you need to wear your permit on the outside of your pack for the day. Registration is for your safety. The climber’s register is checked daily.

Climber Self Registration Station

After you take care of all of the paperwork involved, it’s time to actually start the ski day.

Jeremy and I joined our friend Chris Ebeling and started up Swift Ski Trail #244 in our dirt walking shoes. It wasn’t long before we hit snow and transitioned to skinning. We continued up the main trail until the terrain opened up around 4500′. There were a few places where we had to pop off the skis and walk. At this point we worked our way up the southern flanks of Mount Saint Helens between the Worm Flows to the east and Monitor Ridge to the west.

Hiking Up Swift Ski Trail

Pizza!

We traveled uphill winding our way through the flowing and relatively mellow terrain. The entire route is non-technical and we were able to skin all the way to the summit with the help of ski crampons. The upper slopes max out at about 35 degrees. After five hours we stood at the summit of Mount Saint Helens.

Route Finding

Almost There

At the top, we were engulfed in clouds which made it hard to see the views. Huge cornices hung over the crater rim making it potentially dangerous. We slowly transitioned to downhill mode in hopes that the clouds would go on their merry way. The skies never cleared at the summit and we finally opted to ski in whitish conditions. After about 1000 vertical, we were able to see and enjoyed the flowing terrain.

Challenging skiing for abit

Jeremy jumping with joy that he can see

Our route down was via the Swift Glacier – a relatively crevasse-free glacier. Then we ventured into the Worm Flows – an area of rocky lava flows that meander down the mountain. It’s super playful terrain. There are certainly some terrain trap features in this area and the aspect is due south, so use caution.

Fun terrain

Looking back up at Mount Saint Helens

We leap frogged our way down Mount Saint Helens and made good time back to the Marble Mountain Sno Park. There were plenty of people still going up as we got back to the car. We got back early so we had time to plan our next adventure – and of course eat pizza.

Connecting snow patches

Skiing the Worm Flows on Mount Saint Helens was an easy and fun day trip. Our route took us 6.75 hours, 10 miles, and 5975′. Tomorrow we’ll ski the Newton Clark Headwall on Mount Hood.

See Our Route From Skiing The Worm Flows On Mount Saint Helens:

http://www.hillmap.com/embed/ag1zfmhpbGxtYXAtaGRychULEghTYXZlZE1hcBiAgICwvsOXCgw

Here are some additional photos from skiing the Worm Flows on Mount Saint Helens:

This trip report for skiing the Worm Flows on Mount Saint Helens is from April 25, 2016.

Subject: Animation Studio 1. 

This is my reference file. I find this guy so damn funny and wanted to make my character move kinda like he did.