Lessons Learned

Author and friend cooking breakfast in the Tatoosh Range.

Mt. Rainier National Park offers some of the most diverse alpine terrain in the Pacific Northwest. Millions of visitors flock to the dormant juggernaut during peak seasons, and even in winter there is a steady flow of admirers. Surrounding areas receive some traffic too, such as the impressive Tatoosh range on the south side of the park. Main peaks like Castle and Plummer see lots of backcountry use by snow shoers and skiers alike. However, as the range continues deeper into the park, use becomes scarce and the terrain less traveled.

Aiming for an area that didn’t see much use, two friends and I brought gear for an overnight trip which would hopefully allow us to tackle more terrain and to ski lines that have seen few descents. We progressed further into the Tatoosh and the clouds pushed down further into our plans. Luckily, our last few glimpses of Unicorn Peak preceded the receding light and we found a spot to call camp for the night. Quickly setting up camp, Joe and myself headed out for a last run of the day and to evaluate snow conditions a bit. Snow pits and a Rouche Block test left us feeling a bit uneasy and we conservatively returned to camp to discuss conditions with Brad. We had a night to sleep on it, so we all felt like waiting to see what the morning would bring.

Author and Joe Bell head out to evaluate snow conditions. (Picture by Brad Kwasnowski) - Tatoosh Range, MRNP

Three glorious inches of light snow greeted us on a morning when the forecast was supposed to be clear. Perfect Washington weather. Occasional pockets of bluebird made the day look promising and breakfast became a time to fill not only our stomachs but also our hopes. We continued our snow assessment discussion and agreed that playing it safe was a better idea. Deciding to cache our gear and return for it on the descent, visibility began to deteriorate yet again. Lapping some relatively safe terrain, the weather finally got the better of us and we called it a day. Returning for our gear we packed up and headed out, traversing the ridgeline until we arrived at our last line to the road.

Avalanches aren’t an uncommon event in the backcountry. They occur all the time, which is why it is so important for backcountry travelers to know how to interpret, comprehend and put to use proper snow evaluation techniques so as to avoid them. And, if necessary, they need know what to do if their involvement is required. Perhaps it was the heavy packs, or maybe this area had been more sun or wind affected, but either way we were growing tired and decided to ski cut as our method of testing stability. It looked good and Brad dropped in. He got to a safe zone and Joe followed, down a slightly steeper part of the slope. I yelled as the entire snowpack underneath him spider-webbed and began to slide. Joe skied out quickly and the three of us watched as the two-foot-deep slide proceeded to its resting spot at the basin floor.

Having a higher starting area, the terrain required me to ski over a section of the upper hill which hadn’t slid yet, but would, once I touched it. Alert and aware, I dropped in quickly, making a hard turn into the snowpack to send it loose and then raced down and out of the way.  I could hear the whoosh! of the snow behind me as I sailed in to our safe zone. Not much to be said but sighs of relief. We safely skied out to the car and packed up to leave. Every time we visit Rainier we learn a lesson, and this time was no exception.