Ski Descent 1: Mt Rainier, Fuhrer Finger
Let's play another game. How about it? Highlights of favorite Northwest ski descents. What shall we use as the criteria?
In his 1987 chef d'oeuvre, The Best Ski Touring in America, Steve Barnett enumerated the following criteria in his first chapter:
For the most part, we like Steve's criteria. However, while we agree that it is quite easy to find mortal danger, we continue to search for it in special circumstances. This is Ski Sickness, not Ski Touring. We are also more than willing to make sacrifices on the Access front for the sake of Adventure. So here's a summary of the Ski Sickness syllabus, in similar spirit:
Mt Rainier, Fuhrer Finger
We'll start with an obvious choice. Fuhrer Finger is the sweetest moderate line on Mt Rainier, which is one of the most skyline-dominating mountains near a major metropolitan center in the whole world.
Fuhrer Finger options: The line on the left allows for safer, albeit steeper, ascent by avoiding the crevasse-ridden upper Nisqually Glacier in favor of Wapowety Cleaver.
Line:
Access is direct as one could hope from Paradise, at 5,400'. Skiing from Columbia Crest to Paradise offers a 9,000' continuous descent, while continuing down the Nisqually Glacier to Nisqually Bridge allows 10,400'. Incredible views, quality sustained fall-line skiing, never requiring the skier to negotiate anything steeper than 40 degrees. Yes!
Season:
December-July, depending on conditions
SS enjoys the descent near the fork drawn in the route photo, late June, 2006. Photo by PB
In his 1987 chef d'oeuvre, The Best Ski Touring in America, Steve Barnett enumerated the following criteria in his first chapter:
For the most part, we like Steve's criteria. However, while we agree that it is quite easy to find mortal danger, we continue to search for it in special circumstances. This is Ski Sickness, not Ski Touring. We are also more than willing to make sacrifices on the Access front for the sake of Adventure. So here's a summary of the Ski Sickness syllabus, in similar spirit:
Mt Rainier, Fuhrer Finger
We'll start with an obvious choice. Fuhrer Finger is the sweetest moderate line on Mt Rainier, which is one of the most skyline-dominating mountains near a major metropolitan center in the whole world.
Fuhrer Finger options: The line on the left allows for safer, albeit steeper, ascent by avoiding the crevasse-ridden upper Nisqually Glacier in favor of Wapowety Cleaver.
Line:
Access is direct as one could hope from Paradise, at 5,400'. Skiing from Columbia Crest to Paradise offers a 9,000' continuous descent, while continuing down the Nisqually Glacier to Nisqually Bridge allows 10,400'. Incredible views, quality sustained fall-line skiing, never requiring the skier to negotiate anything steeper than 40 degrees. Yes!
Season:
December-July, depending on conditions
SS enjoys the descent near the fork drawn in the route photo, late June, 2006. Photo by PB
posted by SkiSickness at 5:22 PM
4 Comments:
I have not skied the finger but my vote would be Boulder-Park Cleaver on Mt Baker until I do.
Thinking big ... i like it!
TB: It's not this one or that one, it's all the really good ones!
Fuhrer Finger is just a fairly obvious starting point: The best moderate descent off the biggest mountain.
This is the best couloir ski in the Cascades.
There, I said it. I can't think of any better.
-Lefty
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