Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

MT. BAKER CLIMBING NOTES 2005

Updates to Climbing Notes will resume next climbing season in 2006.

Climbing Notes are taken from comments on the voluntary climbing registers from returning parties and from conversations from climbers. Actual conditions may vary, but sharing the information helps.

Before your climb, make sure that you leave all your plans and details with somebody you trust: time returning, vehicle & license number, where parked and planned route. We also encourage you to fill out the voluntary climbing register at the ranger station. Please remember to sign back out on the register informing us of your return from the climb.

Reminder: a Northwest Forest Pass is required at the trailhead.

Leave No Trace: Remember to remove wands from your route. Pack out all your garbage. Use mountain toilets where provided or blue bags (available at ranger stations).

NOTE: Party size limited to 12 members if leaving the Mt. Baker National Recreation Area and entering the Mt. Baker Wilderness from the south side and at all other areas of entry. Backcountry permits are not required for climbs of Mt. Baker.

CONDITIONS ON MOUNT BAKER CAN CHANGE DRASTICALLY WITHOUT WARNING. BE PREPARED.

Mt. Baker 2005
Updates were posted when information was provided by climbing parties. Use caution on all climbing routes. Please be prepared for extreme weather conditions.

10/15/05 Easton Glacier
Glacier busted up.

10/08/05 Easton Glacier
Railroad Grade no snow to 6000 feet. Glacier is pretty bare. Trails are good. Water is still available at first camp of Railroad Grade.

09/18/05 Easton Glacier – Climbing Ranger Report
The Easton is in surprisingly good shape. Still safe enough for roped travel. Approach as per railroad grade. Stay high on very easternmost rock band (toilet site – though the toilets are gone now) until 7000 feet where the rock turns to mud and meets the Easton Glacier. The glacier is currently dry until 7,700 feet elevation where patches of firn cling to the glacier. Lots of weaving through open cracks through this section, but if climbers stay to the left or west edge of the Easton, routefinding is straightforward. Routes diverge at about 8000 feet. The route going left of main route is straightforward; the right hand route follows the typical crevassed depression and is also navigable. The higher one climbs, the less weaving and crevassed the route is. At 9,000 feet, climbers are trending right up a steeper non-crevassed ramp to the upper bench (before crater rim). This is an expedient approach. The roman wall has some has some hidden crevasses and so does the summit plateau.

Always travel on rope on snow covered glaciers, or terrain with great exposure. Be aware of continued rock fall along crater rim. The route will probably stay open until the snows conceal the cracks again.

09/10/05 Easton Glacier
1) Lots of ice on lower glacier and very little snow. Carrying ice screws for these conditions is recommended.
2) Snow – winter conditions – route not bad – big crevasses. 7.5 hours from 6700’ to summit and we knew the route – rope up!!!

09/05/05 Coleman Glacier – Climbing Ranger Report
1-4” new snow above 7000 feet. Route is in fine shape. Lower slopes (6000’-7000’) are free of all snow and require some route finding. Route is straightforward from there to the Coleman-Deming saddle. One ‘schrund at 8700’ is navigable but exposed. Roman Wall is still all snow but beware of some falling rocks. Cold conditions in the morning. Colfax icefall active. Please rope up, be smart and make good decisions while climbing.

08/28/05 Coleman Glacier – Climbing Ranger Report
Lower route from hogsback is really melted out but still passable by the standard way. Above 7000 feet, the route is in surprisingly good shape. No major crevasses to navigate around below the ‘schrund at 8700 feet. A short traverse that is very passable but exposed exists at this point. The roman wall is in excellent shape. No exposed ice is present, but some rockfall exists. Please rope up and do not solo on the glacier. Please leave early as snowbridges soften later in the day.

08/26/05 Easton
Conditions are as good as they get – just start early.

08/22/2005 Coleman
Route very defined, bergschrund crossing opened quite a bit on Coleman glacier.

08/20/2005 Coleman Glacier
1) Glacier above climbers trail has many crevasses. Weak snow bridges. Above 7000 feet, Coleman/Deming is in excellent condition. Snow bridges firm, bergschrund passable in middle.
2) Coleman headwall looked impassable. Coleman Deming Route was quite fun.
3) Some jumpable crevasses, but otherwise good condition.
4) Great! We left a low trail – cross berg on left side on massive cleaved and leaning bridge. Roman wall – quite steep but stepping carefully no protection needed. Lots of crevasses make for interesting route finding – most definitely rope up 3 or more.

08/20/05 Coleman Glacier
Coleman Glacier in good shape and snow conditions higher on the mountain firm. Roman wall still holding plentiful snow. Leave high camp (7,000 ft) early and summit by 9:00 am. Return conditions good but slushy by mid morning esp. lower mountain. Navigate around large crevasses on coleman glacier and cross upper bergschrund center right via small snowbridge. Do not navigate around to left of Bergschrund as some reports indicate. Other snowbridges melting out fast. Watch for active rockfall on all parts of climb. Lower glacier to high camp very wet and heavily crevassed. As always rope up and stay alert. Bring plenty of water for summit climb, at least 3 litres per person.

8/20/2005 Easton
Many open crevasses, soft snow bridges. Some unroped climbers going up.

8/17/2005 Easton
Clear crisp night. Left Sandy Camp at 4:30 am . Reached summit at 9:00 am. Good conditions. Lots of crevasses. A bit icy at the beginning. Slightly mushy snow by 10:30 am. Windy and cold on top.

8/14/2005 Squak, Boulder-Park Cleaver, Easton (Climbing Ranger Report)
We traversed from the Squak to Talum, Boulder and Park Glaciers and ascended the north side of the Boulder/Park Cleaver. Lower Boulder is all glacier ice and thus requires some route finding through crevasses. From cleaver, route ascends north side on snow and firn trending away from Boulder Glacier. Boulder is well broken up and may not be passable for much longer. Climb steep snow and firn toward shoulder below Grant Peak and then go south (left) under shoulder toward Lahar Lookout. We managed to get through upper Boulder but it is melting out fast and may be impassable soon. Alternately, one could climb on to top of shoulder and get on upper Boulder closer to Grant Peak. Be wary of rockfall if choosing this route. Uppermost Boulder Glacier is opening up, but passable.

Descent down Easton requires caution as it is melting out fast. Many zig-zags and bridges to cross. Upper mountain holding snow well for this time of season. Lower mountain (7500’ and below) is snow free. Glacier ice between 7500’ and 7000’ at start/end of Easton Glacier.

Please rope up at all times.

Squak glacier traverse to Talum to Boulder Glacier is very passable, but glacier ice eis exposed on central Squak and central Boulder. Loose Rock on Talum/Boulder cleaver at approx. 7200’, which is the ONLY way to get from Boulder to Talum.

Climb safe, climb smart.

8/14/2005 Coleman-Deming
Rainy, windy – no summit attempt

8/14/2005 Coleman-Deming
1) Route is in good shape. Snow bridges stable.
2)Glacier is in great shape after first slope – still icy. Rope up!

8/14/2005 Easton
Really Icy

8/13/2005 Easton
Very good shape for August. First 300 feet above last rock knob is very icy but not a problem.

8/12/2005 Squak
Glacier okay, but difficult to pass crevasses around 9000 ft. near “red rock”

8/11/2005 Coleman-Deming
1) Good, hot beautiful summit day
2) Good condition. Very open, go early
3) Great, no wind, sunny on summit

8/09/2005 Coleman-Deming
Tremendous open crevasses.

8/8/2005 Coleman-Deming
Firm in mornings – icy approach. Don’t forget crampons.

8/7/2005 Coleman-Deming (Ranger Report)
Trail dried out nicely. Buggy in the forest, better above treeline. From 6000 feet hogsback camp to 7000', the route is well melted out but still passable. Football field is all glacial ice. From 7000 ' to 8700' route in good shape. Large bergschrund before saddle is passable, but will probably collapse in the next few weeks. Roman Wall still holding snow. Pumice ridge snow free. Colfax icefall active. Please rope up, leave early and gain the appropriate training before attempting this climb.

8/7/2005 Easton
1) Great route. Lots of crevasses, spent a lot of time navigating around them and crossing snow bridges. Very windy on top.
2) Route is in good shape, especially for this time of year. Long walk for water in lower camps (5600') but plenty at higher camps.
3) Good cramponing, longer route due to open crevasses, but still a classic climb.

8/7/2005 Coleman Deming
Excellent in early morning (suggest 3am departure from 7000’ camp.) Very soupy in late morning/noon time...tough to climb. Some collapsing snow bridges. Punched through 2-3 times to thigh.

8/6/2005 Coleman Deming
Start early. Snow off hogsback is broken and slushy at 8000’, 8200’, 8500’. Snowbridges are still intact but shrinking, the transition from the roman wall face to the rock band is developing a bergshrund. Otherwise, early morning snow conditions are very firm and excellent for crampon work.

8/6/2005 North Ridge
Turned back – glacier very broken up and impassable – route appears out of shape.

8/4/2005 Easton
There are some large crevasses with snow bridges melting fast. The glacier is dry and easy to navigate down low by high camp. Sun cups (expletive).

8/3/2005 Easton
1) Glacier in great condition..not freezing at night…caution with some crevasse crossings and melting bridges. Windy above 9000 feet.
2) Fairly firm until 10:00 am, very soggy after. Lots of crevasses especially in lower glaciers.

8/1/2005 North Ridge
Rained out – no climb – others said it was good –but route across Coleman is circuitous.

8/1/2005 Easton
Lots of cracks easily navigable until 8000'. Then some challenging sections make route difficult to follow safely. Choose a new route if snow bridges are too thin. After 9000' the route is in good shape.

7/31/2005 Easton
Good. Several tough crevasse crossings.

7/28/2005 Squak Glacier/Sherman Peak (Ranger Report)
Route from Crag View to crater rim is in excellent shape. Few exposed crevasses on lower half of route. Some open crevasses on half that are easy step-over or walk around types. Icy on final slopes to south crater rim. From saddle between Pooch Peak and Sherman Peak travel is mostly on loose dirt altered by crater gases. A low 5 th class step constitutes the only climbing challenge, but exposure near the top of the peak demands caution. Area inside crater is relatively crevasse free. Beware of “belly button” fumarole, as it is 50 meters deep. Please rope up for glacier travel.

7/25/2005 Coleman-Deming - Climbing Ranger Report
The trail is drying out. High water crossings near glacier overview; Wildflowers almost in full bloom. Snow Level: 6500 feet; Frozen solid in AM from camp; Slushy / post holing in afternoon. Crevasses are opening up all over the route. The crevasses between 6000 feet and 8700 feet are especially dangerous. Bergschrund at about 8700 feet is a good place for running protection. The Roman Wall is still relatively crevasse free. Pumice Ridge is almost snow free. Cold and windy conditions on the Summit ; Please rope up on all glaciers. Toilets are available at 6000 feet (Hogsback) and 7000 feet (Black Buttes). The Colfax ice fall is dangerous at 8000 feet.

7/25/2005 Boulder-Park Cleaver
Crevasses open and some of the snow bridges are weak.

7/24/2005 Boulder Glacier
Approach trail muddy in places but not signicficant water; leather boots were fine. Rock headwall dry and new fixed line ( 6/4/05 ) in good condition with secure knot. Bivied at 6000' at highest rock outcropping (one large and one small bivy spot; the shelf ~50 ft. below has more room). Water is accessible on the approach at about 2.75 mi, just before the last rise to the headwall. Plentiful snowmelt running right through 6000' bivy outcropping.

Despite the high freezing level (forecast was above 10K') the clear night sky enabled the glacier to firm up for perfect crampon snow. Routefinding straightforward; some bridges starting to look questionable although still held with the softer late morning snow. One worrisome crossing of a crevasse or moat while on the SSW traverse to round the headwall at ~9500'; a picket or two useful here. No glacial ice encountered; pickets also proved useful on a another occasion when traversing above a crevasse.

Beware of rock falling from 9500' headwall that began soon after sunrise. Observed at least six pieces baseball to watermelon size that gained speed very quickly.

7/24/2005 Easton Glacier
1) Hard snow in the morning; Big crevasses to negotiate at 8100 feet; Route is in good condition.
2) Very good snow conditions; Some crevasse bridges are questionable but other lines possible.
3) Some crevasses along the way; Windy on the summit.

7/23/2005 Coleman Deming
Planned to climb Boulder but changed to Coleman Deming due to weather; Route is in great condition.

7/23/2005 Easton Glacier
1) Snow is slushy; Consider using wands in glacier fields due to inclement weather conditions.
2) Clear night; almost full moon; Fantastic trip.

7/19/2005 Easton Glacier
Route is in good condition. Just a few crevasse crossings that require care.

7/18/2005 North Ridge
Excellent but mid summery; Lots of opportunities to cross; Good ice on route; Straight forward to summit; Got backed up for 3 hours waiting for 7 parties to pass the nose.

7/18/2005 Coleman-Deming
1) Hard ice, difficult navigation on upper Coleman; sketchy snow bridges on headwall.
2) Use pickets near Roman Wall & at Bergschrund just below saddle.
3) Overall good; Ice openings at top of Hogsback headwall.
4) Soft snow; numerous crevasses.

7/18/2005 Squak Glacier
Glacier condition good but bridges at 9000 feet are weathering fast.

7/17/2005 Easton Glacier
1) Perfect conditions; firm snow to climb; knee cushioning soft on the way down.
2) Trail in good shape; snow begins at 6000 feet; many crevasses but all crossable; go early (1:00 - 2:00 AM); snow gets slushy as the sun comes up.

7/16/2005 Easton Glacier
Very soft snow all the way to the summit; The route is easy to follow but crevasses force occasional reroute or crossing.

7/15/2005 Coleman Deming
1) The trail is in good condition and creek crossings are low and easy. Snow level is 6000 feet. The snow is getting thin down low; avoid moats near rocks and postholing near creeks. The route is in good condition with exposed crevasses still crossable. A large crack is opening almost all the way across at about 8000 feet. Be careful of long steep sloped traverse above this large crack. Also, the steep face at 6500 feet is beginning to crack up. Please be roped 100% of the time on the glacier.
2) Very soft; kicked stepped to Summit.
3) Slushy; Summit white out at 10 AM; Rain; 3 major snow bridges; Over 20 crevasses to jump.

7/10/2005 Coleman Deming & Colfax Peak
The trail is muddy and snow free with water crossings near Glacier Overlook. Route from Hogsback camp to the top was firm on 7/10. Snow did not soften until 11 AM. At present route has little deviation due to open crevasses except approximately 200’ below saddle. Colfax icefall is active. Route up to Roman Wall is all snow, ice and rime. Conditions were cold (25 F) and windy. The route on Colfax requires crossing bergschrund on the initial slope. This may not be possible for too much longer due to melting of bridges. One may ascend climber’s right of bergschrund. The route requires caution and is exposed and icy in places. Colfax has more technical terrain than is found on the standard Coleman Deming route.

7/10/2005 Easton via Scott Paul, Craig View & Squak
Excellent conditions; a couple of soft bridges between Squak and Easton; Crampons mandatory on the wall; 5 of 8 made it to the Summit.

7/10/2005 Easton
Conditions were great in the early AM; Soft snow and weak snow bridges in after 10 AM.

7/4/2005 Easton
Route is in good shape. Cracks keep getting bigger. Nothing super big yet.

7/03/2005 Easton
1) The trail is snow free to 6000’ on Railroad Grade. Scott Paul trail is snow free on lower half. The upper half has 30 or more snow patches to cross that cover up to 10 meters of the trail but the trail is obvious. The snow is firm in the AM and soft in the PM. On 7/2/05 the snow was soft to 8500’ then firm to the top. On 7/3/05 the snow was firm from 6000’ to the top. The route from the upper camps is in excellent condition. The snow bridges are large and solid with few exposed crevasses. The route is generally direct from the glacier edge to Sherman Crater rim with little zigging and zagging involved. The Roman Wall has some small crevasses opening on it. The route had far too many wands left on it. Please take them with you. Please rope up on all glaciated terrain as it may save your life.
2) Snow good early AM, Very soft PM, vault toilet much appreciated. 3) Good track, steadily melting out, icefalls/crevasses; good skiing to about 5500’.

6/26/2005 Coleman - Deming
1) The trail is in good condition and snow free to the Glacier. The route to high camp at 7200 feet had only a few crevasses. Base camp has a vault toilet. The route from camp to the saddle is benign with only a few crevasses to avoid. Bergschrund below saddle is easily passable right now. Left camp at 1:30 AM and reached the summit at 7:00 AM. High winds on Pumice Ridge all the way to the summit, got caught in many whiteouts but it opened up on the way down. Very slushy and annoying on the way out.
2) Windy, foggy, rainy, The usual.
3) Firm in early AM, turning to mush by 10:00 AM ; High Winds on top.
4) Route had 1 critical point. The big snow bridge by the biggest bergschrund before the Roman Wall is OK now but will soon be gone.
5) Very soft snow. Snow bridges melting out.

6/26/2005 Coleman Headwall / Coleman-Deming
Open and snow free to the top of Hogsback (some mud). Snow level is at 6000 feet. The snow was frozen overnight and soft during the day. The Coleman Headwall was in good condition with firm frozen snow and ice up to 60 degrees. Approach is straight forward from the 6000’ camp. Face was accessed and climbed on the right side, then in the center to the top. Cold with high wind on Summit. Standard Coleman Deming route is in good condition with firm snow bridges. Conditions on the upper mountain are normal for this time of the year. A lot of icefall activity at the base of the Headwall. An early start is advisable.

6/26/2005 Boulder Glacier
1) Route was good but turned back because of extreme wind.
2) Route Great but turned around because of high wind. 3) Windy. Route is Great. 4) Reached summit at 5:15 AM, Started at 2:15 AM.

6/26/2005 Easton Glacier
1) Reached the summit about mid-night. Conditions were good as we were setting up camp and decided not to wait;
2) Foggy on the way out, Windy at Summit; 3) Trail to 6000 feet in good condition. 4) Reached summit Saturday in the sun; all surrounding mountains were in the clouds; conditions were excellent.

6/25/2005 Easton Glacier
The route looked good. Few crevasses with melting snow bridges.

6/24/2005 Easton Glacier
The trail to the summit is easy to follow from High Camp. Minimal crevasses. Glacier is melting fast. Temperature was in the 40’s last night.

6/22/2005 Coleman Deming
The conditions were very poor on Wednesday. The rain softened the snow to 9000 feet and then 6 to 8 inches of new snow above 9000 feet. All boot tracks obliterated above 9500 feet.

6/20/2005 Easton Glacier
Great! A few crevasses with moderate bridges on trail route.

6/19/2005 Coleman Deming Route
1) Hogsback area is all melted out, Crevasses starting to open up early this year, 12 inches new powder with a 1 inch frozen crust made it slow going. All previous tracks were covered above 8500, 20 F with 10 mph wind above 6500. Left truck at 10 PM summit at 8 AM, we were the only party on this route today.

6/19/2005 Easton Glacier
There were over 110 climbers registered for this route on 6/18/2005. Several of the groups returned the same day due to heavy rains and a very low cloud ceiling. 1) Park Butte Trail is in good condition; Railroad Grade is snow free to Sandy Camp (6000 feet); snow level is 5500 feet; snow is mushy and patchy below 6000 feet; Thin snow cover on glaciers below 7000 feet (melting quickly); Route is straight forward and solid; a few step over crevasses; Roman Headwall is still relatively cravasse free; Rope up as snow conditions are thin and melting quickly; unroped crevasse falls are normally fatal. 2) Conditions good; weather okay to great; made it to the Summit. 3) Excellent boot trail all the way up.

6/12/2005 North Ridge
6 inches last night at Moraine Camp; poor visibility; received unfavorable weather forecast by cell phone and decided to descend.

6/12/2005 Coleman Deming
At least 6 parties were on this route. No summit attempts were made due to weather conditions.
1) Snowed 4 inches at 7000 feet;
2) Snow soft to 8000 feet;
3) Trail to 6000 feet; 2 crevasses on lower glacier; camped at 7500 feet below Buttes; Snowed all night and aborted climb; Route good; 8 inches of fresh snow.

6/12/2005 Easton Glacier
There were at least 8 climbing parties on this route between Friday June 10 and Sunday June 12. Snow and white out conditions prevented all groups from a Summit attempt. The seasonal bridge over Rocky Creek has been installed. The trail is snow free to about 4500 feet. The upper meadow is snow covered. The snow is melting from the underneath (punching through). The Railroad Grade is snow free to 6000 feet.

6/10/2005 Easton Glacier
At least 3 groups reached the Summit. Snow was soft and mushy to 9000 feet. (This group left camp at 1:30 AM at 6200 feet and reached the summit at 6:30 AM).

6/10/2005 Coleman Deming
Boot path from Heliotrope Ridge in good shape. The snow is mush; Snow shoes very helpful and recommended.

6/09/2005 Coleman Deming
Trail to Hogsback is snow free and in good condition. Summit was 20 degrees F with 20 MPH winds. Clear and great visibility; Summit at 7:00 AM; 1 foot new snow; Hard top inch and then you punch through.

6/05/2005 Coleman Deming
Snow free to 5000 feet. Easy access to high camp at Black Buttes (7,000 feet). Did not encounter crevasses by staying to the west. Roped up above 6000 feet. The weather was foggy but other climbers reported sunny conditions above 8000 feet. Left camp at 2 AM; foggy with 60m visibility, 6 degrees Celsius. Crossed a crevasse at 9000 feet on a very small snow bridge; the wind picked up and the temperature fell below freezing. Started snowing at 9500 feet. Did not encounter any other crevasses. The snow was grippy not icy. Reached the summit at 6:30 AM in white out conditions. On the way down we found another larger snow bridge to cross the crevasse to the climbers right. Snowed to below 5000 feet. Arrived at the car at 1:30 PM soaked.

6/04/05 Coleman Headwall
Access to the bottom of the route was made by climbing to 8,400 on the standard Coleman Glacier route, then traversing over to the base of the Roman Wall, and then circling back slightly west and down around the base of the Roman Wall. There where a few small fallen serac run-outs down to the start of the Headwall. Freezing level was below 6,000 the previous night, so conditions on the route were excellent. We had good glacial ice and hard snow through the first three serac at the start, then from mid-point to the summit we had consistently very hard snow including all the steeper sections (55+ degree slopes). The hard snow didn't accept much step kicking so front pointing and two axe placements were the norm. The two bergshrunds near the top were easily passed on their left ends.

6/03/2005 Coleman Deming
Big crevasses opening up above 8500 feet on incline. Very difficult to cross. Snow bridges not good.

6/03/2005 Easton Glacier
1) Road to trail head is rough and slick when wet. Park Butte trail is snow free to 4500 feet, 50% covered to RR Grade and RR grade is snow free. Snow level = 5000 feet. Snow is soft and slushy below 8000 feet. Apparently hard Neve and solid crampon conditions above 8000 feet night freeze level. Climbers report a straight forward and direct route from 6000 feet up to crater rim. Few open crevasses and solid snow bridges. The Roman Wall is “good Neve” and crampons are advisable. Early starts are recommended. It is early season so practice your rescue skills. 2) Great shape few open crevasses, slushy low, neve high.

5/30/2005 Coleman Deming
Road access relatively good. Snow free to alpine zone – 4900 feet. Then mostly snow free to camps at Mirkwood and Hogsback. Snow level approx 5500 feet. The snow was melting fast. Some Glacial ice was visible on the Coleman route. Route appears in good shape, not many open crevasses, but bridges over crevasses could be thin. Rope up above 5800 feet on the Coleman Route.

5/29/2005 Coleman Deming
Climbed Friday night and Saturday morning. Left trail head at 9:00PM. A few patches of snow to cross after breaking out of the trees. The Hogsback is melted out. Roped up after 10 minutes of climbing up the first steep hill. Several hidden crevasses were found lower on the glacier and up closer to the Black Buttes. The snow was better than expected in spite of the 13K freezing level. Crampons were not needed until the saddle at about 9K. Snow on the Roman Wall was firm and stable. Reached the summit at 5:00 AM, clear skies, approximate temperature was 35 degrees. Made it back to the car at 9:30 AM.

5/29/2005 Boulder Ridge
Snow covered after Boulder Ridge is reached. Hot and snow is slushy. Crevasses well covered.

5/29/2005 Easton Glacier
Very soft snow. Crevasses are opening up.

5/29/2005 North Ridge
Soft snow. Seracs falling all night (very warm). Snow bridges were very weak over large crevasses. The snow slopes were stable and straight forward. We pitched out two sections of ice (W13) and the ice was surprisingly hard for this time of year. Suffered through 2.5 hours of knee deep plunge stepping down Coleman Deming route for descent. Snow was very soft. No other tracks on this route.

5/26/2005 Easton
RR grade clear to 5500 feet. Camps still snow covered. Snow is Melting very fast. Soft snow on Easton Glacier. Snowshoes not necessary.

5/22/2005 Squak Glacier
Low visibility; snowed all day Sunday; Snow Level 4500 feet.

5/22/2005 Easton
1) Did not go – white out conditions. 2) Snow up to knee deep with 1 foot of new snow in last 2 days at 6000 feet.

5/21/2005 Heliotrope
Trail is snow free to Kulshan Cabin site. Hogsback 90 percent snow free. Road is drivable to the end – no snow. High winds @ 30 MPH +; 12 inches of new snow above 6,000 feet. Sunny/Partly cloudy; Trail is mostly in good shape. Overlook trail is 50 percent covered in snow with easy creek crossings. Last creek crossing is covered in large avalanche debris. Hazard is mostly abated. Hogsback trail is mostly snow free to 6000 feet. 12 inches of new snow covered up possible hazards (boulders, cracks, creeks, etc). Harrison Camp is snow free. Hogsback camp site is mostly snow covered.

5/21/2005 Squak Glacier
2 feet of fresh snow at Craig View Friday and Saturday nights. Snowshoed up to Summit Crater but did not attempt Roman Wall. Some sloughing of snow on wall, didn’t want to chance it.

4/23/2005 Easton Glacier
Crevasses closed. Avalanche danger low. Post holing. Park Butte Trail was in good shape.

3/13/2005 Boulder Glacier
Boulder Ridge trail was nearly snow-free until forest opens around 4000 feet. Climbrd 4 class rock band (70 foot rappel on return) to access the Ridge and camped at 5700 feet. Snow conditions were stable throughout - hard frozen surface (crampons) which softened in the afternoon below 5000 feet. Conditions were very windy overnight and on summit attempt forcing us to retreat at about 9500 feet. No open crevasses on route. Snowshoes carried but were of marginal value.

2/26/2005 Easton Glacier
Stable avalanche conditions. Breakable crust below 8000 feet. Crust above.

2/26/2005 Railroad Grade
The high camp toilet sign is 2 feet above snow. Railroad Ridge is dry to 6000 feet.

01/29/2005 Coleman Deming
(Climbing party = 3) Road is clear to the trailhead. Water was low in the creeks and crossings were easy. Crevasses up to base camp were covered. From base camp there was about 6" new snow on a harder base (with wind deposited and bare sections of course). The travel was easy with about 8" compaction under steps on average. The steep section up to the roman wall from the Coleman Glacier was perfect kick stepping snow. The roman wall was 1" soft snow over icey base. The summit "field" and "cup cake" were icey.

We were concerned about avalanche due to high hazard reports but the snow on the more avalanche prone areas seemed well consolidated and stable. There was continuous whiteout on our summit day and we used map, altimeter and compass as our only means of way finding. Due to this our round trip time was 12 hours from base camp to summit and back even though the snow conditions were very favorable.

USDA Forest Service - Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Last Modified: Thursday, 17 November 2005 at 17:53:25 EST