Hunting for spring corn snow on the slopes of Mt. Rainier. While we originally planned to push all the way up the Inter Glacier to Steamboat Prow, a washed-out trail and unmotivating grey sky slowed us down. We adjusted our plans, lapping lines on the lower half and looker’s left terrain of the glacier instead. The sun didn’t fully break through the fog, but the moody lighting made for an unforgettable session and some of my favourite photographs of the season.
- Trip Type: Day Mission
- Start Time: 09:16
- Finish Time: 19:07
- Glacier Basin Trailhead Elevation: 4,300 ft (1,310 m)
- Highest Elevation Reached (Lower Inter Glacier): ~8,600 ft (2,621 m)
- Total Trip Time: 9 hours 51 minutes
- Date: June 12, 2017
07:00 — Drive & Park Gate
We drove from Greenwater down toward the National Park boundary. By 07:12, we reached the historic Mt. Rainier park gate.
09:16 — White River Campground & Glacier Basin Trailhead
After spending some time filming and prepping our gear at the White River Campground, we put on our hiking shoes and started the Glacier Basin Trailhead by 09:16. Packs were fully loaded with our backcountry skis, splitboards, and camera gear. We pushed past the initial Emmons Moraine trail junction at 09:48, keeping our eyes peeled for optimal snow coverage.
10:30 — Debris Zones & The Washed-Out Trail
About an hour into the approach, we encountered a heavily washed-out trail section. A spring heavy snow avalanche had torn down the path, leaving a chaotic maze of dense, fallen trees and broken branches.
11:46 — Reaching Glacier Basin & Going Uphill
By 11:46, the dense forest finally broke away as we arrived at Glacier Basin. We transitioned our gear, put our skins on, and soon began climbing uphill, tracking looker’s left away from the main valley floor.
12:50 — Foggy Climbs & Alpine Visibility
As we gained elevation, thick alpine fog rolled in over the ridges, mixing with brief windows of bright blue sky. The glare through the mist was intense. As I forgot my sunglasses, I had to make DIY eye protection; I was surprised that this worked so well. Around 14:00, the true scale of the active volcano opened up, revealing massive, beautiful crevasses and blue icefalls cascading down the adjacent Emmons Glacier.
14:15 — The Ski & Ride Session (Kenji & Tomoki)
Realizing that the high visibility window wasn’t going to hold long enough to do photo shoots, we picked out an awesome, steep face on rider’s right to start lapping lines. At 14:15, Kenji dropped in first, laying down fast, aggressive ski turns across the vast open face.
Tomoki followed him down at 15:50, slashing smooth, fluid turns through the spring snow pack. Standing below them with my camera tracking their lines against the moody, misty mountain backdrop was an absolute dream.
19:07 — Trail End & Returning to White River
We called an end to an incredible session at 17:15. After a long, continuous cruise down the lower snow slopes, we transitioned back into our hiking boots for the final return haul.
Walking past the avalanche debris zones, we finally made it back to the White River parking lot at 19:07. Tired legs, wet skins, and a camera full of some of my favourite shots of the entire year!
Sea to sky 