Previous :: Next Topic |
Author |
Message |
Stefan-K Member
Joined: 10 Aug 2009 Posts: 522 | TRs | Pics Location: seattle |
|
Stefan-K
Member
|
Sat May 14, 2011 10:59 am
|
|
|
-
It's been a while since I posted a TR here, been mostly over at TAY. Pugh fits well though, since it was as much about mountaineering as it was skiing.
Pure skiing (and I mean boarding too) just looks for a good line, where summiting is secondary. I pretty much fit that profile though I do like to summit as well...
I was up on Pugh last Summer - for some reason I'd never been - it was a really fun day, what a beautiful mountain! It's a fairly popular and well visited mountain, and I can see why. For all that summer activity, it's not seen a lot of winter activity. When I started looking for winter pics of the NW face, I couldn't come up with much. I think I found one or two, Scurlock has some, but not of the entire NW face. There were some ski trips, but mostly of the Straight Glacier. So I was pretty thrilled when Trevor posted a TR over at TAY about two weeks ago with some fantastic pics of the NW face. He had boarded the Straight Glacier but wanted to do the face. The trip came together a week later in a somewhat roundabout way in that Andy put up a partners post for last Tuesdays weather window to Sahale, and both Trevor and I replied also suggesting Pugh... Zack had been wanting to ski too, so we were four.
Here's Andy's excellent report over at TAY. So I won't write much, just a brief summary and some more pics.
We got to the gated road to the Pugh trailhead at the break of day and started hiking from the Mountain Loop highway up the road and trail, skis and boots on our back, up to Lake Metan. We hung our shoes from trees there and put boots on. A couple hundred more feet to adequate snow coverage and the skis came on too.
below Stujack Pass heading up Stujack Pass Stujack Pass Sloan Peak
heading up from Stujack approaching Pugh Pugh NW ridge and Sloan
Mt. Pugh May 10, 2011
our route up followed the first ramp up from the top of the Straight Glacier (right hand side of pic), then traversing over to the second higher ramp on the left (avoid convexity directly above)
click on above pic: link to video covering mid-day decisions
Baker and White Chuck Three Fingers and White Horse above the second ramp Trevor and Sloan
Mt. Pugh needed a weather vane...
The summit is well filled. I looked around but there was absolutely no evidence of the summit horn to be seen (pic from last summer). It's at least ten feet tall.
descending off Mt. Pugh
sorry, not a lot of skiing pics. The mountain was in motion. Snow and rocks flying overhead skiing back down under that first ramp... no time for pics. Keeping an eye on the terrain and each other. Plus the cloud bank had risen and we were in the midst of it during the descent.
the Straight Glacier in fog on the way out looking back Stujack on the way out farming the slopes below Stujack - note snow waterfall upper left
We used all the gear we brought: ski crampons, crampons, whippets, ice axes, sunscreen
fun day, good company!
|
Back to top |
|
|
Tom_Sjolseth Born Yesterday
Joined: 30 May 2007 Posts: 2652 | TRs | Pics Location: Right here. |
Excellent shots. That looks like a great line.
|
Back to top |
|
|
Josh Journey a.k.a Josh Lewis
Joined: 01 Nov 2007 Posts: 4836 | TRs | Pics
|
So did you take the standard route near the summit or a different way?
|
Back to top |
|
|
Layback Cascades Expatriate
Joined: 16 Mar 2007 Posts: 5712 | TRs | Pics Location: Back East |
|
Layback
Cascades Expatriate
|
Sun May 15, 2011 3:22 pm
|
|
|
Wow - looks like an awesome trip!
|
Back to top |
|
|
Magellan Brutally Handsome
Joined: 26 Jul 2006 Posts: 13116 | TRs | Pics Location: Inexorable descent |
|
Magellan
Brutally Handsome
|
Sun May 15, 2011 4:48 pm
|
|
|
That is a great trip! You are right in that it doesn't see much action outside of summer.
|
Back to top |
|
|
Stefan-K Member
Joined: 10 Aug 2009 Posts: 522 | TRs | Pics Location: seattle |
|
Stefan-K
Member
|
Sun May 15, 2011 10:33 pm
|
|
|
Flow wrote: | So did you take the standard route near the summit or a different way? |
Josh - the summer trail more or less follows the NW ridge up and then curls around to the SW to get to the summit. We just took the NW face all the way up. To get over the last steep section at the top (you can see it in the photos) two of us booted up around the rime, and the other two went through the first notch on the right. So there's options, depending on conditions, cornices, etc.
|
Back to top |
|
|
Josh Journey a.k.a Josh Lewis
Joined: 01 Nov 2007 Posts: 4836 | TRs | Pics
|
I've been to the summit twice, just had to ask. And I appreciate you letting me know.
|
Back to top |
|
|
Chief Joseph Member
Joined: 10 Nov 2007 Posts: 7701 | TRs | Pics Location: Verlot-Priest Lake |
Might be a good place to go check out some avalanches?
I envy you guys, wish I were there, and able to ski down....
Nice pics too.
Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
|
Back to top |
|
|
beaudaddy Coast To Cascades
Joined: 25 Feb 2010 Posts: 401 | TRs | Pics Location: Tulalip, WA |
|
beaudaddy
Coast To Cascades
|
Mon May 16, 2011 11:12 am
|
|
|
Amazing trip you guys had and the pictures/video were wonderful.
I like the feeling you captured in the photo "below Stujack Pass."
I took a couple pics of Pugh the week before you guys skied/summited it.
Its from a Northeast angle flying at about 6,000'.
Pugh Summit and Straight Glacier to the right Corniced summit of Pugh seen from the Northeast
|
Back to top |
|
|
Stefan-K Member
Joined: 10 Aug 2009 Posts: 522 | TRs | Pics Location: seattle |
|
Stefan-K
Member
|
Mon May 16, 2011 12:41 pm
|
|
|
thanks for the comments everyone -
and holy cripes those are great pics of the east face Beau! Thanks for posting those.
Good to see especially since I was up in the top NE corner looking for a way up, hacking away at the endless snice/rime trying to find purchase while also aware that to the east there may very well be a cornice and drop off... (there was no good view of the east face and we were definitely staying away from any edges that may have afforded one) I couldn't find any decent holds so I backed off and traversed west and joined Trevors bootpack up.
btw - all those views of White Chuck made me think of those fantastic sunset pics you took!
|
Back to top |
|
|
the Zachster Member
Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 4776 | TRs | Pics Location: dog training |
Pugh is a favorite of mine but I have only imagined what it would look like in snow. Now I know... MAGNIFICENT!!! Thank you!
"May I always be the kind of person my dog thinks I am"
"May I always be the kind of person my dog thinks I am"
|
Back to top |
|
|
EastKing Surfing and Hiking
Joined: 28 Mar 2007 Posts: 2082 | TRs | Pics Location: 77 miles from Seattle! |
|
EastKing
Surfing and Hiking
|
Sun May 22, 2011 1:44 am
|
|
|
Purely Awesome!!! Great pics! Always would about that peak in spring!!
YouTube | SummitPost
Saw the depths of despair. Now I am salvaging what time I have left on Earth.
YouTube | SummitPost
Saw the depths of despair. Now I am salvaging what time I have left on Earth.
|
Back to top |
|
|
|