Trip Type: Overnight (Day2)
Start Time: 07:25
Finish Time: 19:30
Camp Elevation: 1790m
Highest Elevation: 2100m
Date: June 7th, 2017
After an incredible night under the stars, Day 2 was all about lapping the classic spring terrain below the glacier before roping up to push a bit higher for one final, long ride on Coleman Glacier.
07:30 — Morning Prep & Slow start: Waking up to a crisp morning in the alpine. We took our time getting ready, melting snow for water, and capturing some lifestyle photos around camp as the sun began to warm up the Hogsback Route. Starting a day in the mountains is always special, and I’m very grateful for it:-)
08:15 — Leaving Camp: With our day packs loaded and skins turned on, we officially left basecamp behind to start hunting for our first lines of the day. No one else was around in the morning; the whole terrain was ours.
Tomoki and Kenji are walking towards Mt. Baker from our camp, and a huge playground is in front of them.
09:04 — Run #1: Kenji dropping in for his first run of the morning, shredding smooth spring snow right near the toe of the Coleman Glacier.
09:30 — Moving Up for Round Two
10:00 — Run #2: Another lap right near the ice. It was a truly photogenic run with the massive glacier towering in the background. Seeing its scale, I truly hope that future generations will be able to come up here and enjoy this landscape just as we do. 🏔️
10:45-12:30 — A few more laps for Tomoki and Kenji. It was incredible to see these athletes doing what they do best in such a vast landscape. Kenji’s ski racing background served him incredibly well in this technical spring terrain.
13:20 — Glacial Travel Preparation With the lower slopes thoroughly lapped, it was time to transition for our bigger objective. Kenji and Tomoki roped up to safely navigate the higher, glaciated sections of the mountain.
15:00 — The High Point (2,100m) After a steady climb, they reached the transition point at roughly 2,100 meters of elevation.
15:20 — The Drop-In: Tomoki and Kenji dropped in one by one from the high point, carving big alpine turns down the vast, open face through the crevasses.
16:00 — Cruising Back to Camp: Stoked and exhausted, we enjoyed a long, continuous ride all the way back down the mountain, right into our basecamp perimeter.
We all had such a fun day out there. The rest of the crew and I got to sneak in plenty of skiing and riding ourselves! Big thanks to this awesome group for making the day so special.
Left to right: Kenji Kono, Ranyo Tanaka, Tomoki Fuse, Yuta Watanabe, Keiji Tajima, and me.
05:35 PM — Heading Back Down We quickly packed up our tents, loaded our heavy overnight packs, and began the long journey back down to the valley. As we hiked, my mind was entirely focused on three things: a freezing cold drink, a steaming hot shower, and a massive, refreshing dinner back in civilization!
19:30 — Back at the Trailhead After navigating the fun, cruising snow section to the dirt trail, we finally arrived back at the trailhead. Twelve hours after waking up, our Mt. Baker mission was officially complete—tired legs, full camera cards, and unforgettable memories.
Sea to sky 