We dropped in just after noon. The snow near the top was soft but it wasn't very steep. I was hoping that it would stay soft but my experience told me that it wouldn't. We hit the firm snow as the slope turned to a steady 40 degrees. There were a few patches of ice that we tried our best to avoid. We even found a few rocks mixed in which wasn't so pleasant for our skis. The base on the upper face was thin for this time of year and I imagine that it was completely melted out within a couple of weeks.
Josh on the upper face.
Jason did a little filming as we made our way down the first steep section. I dazed a bit as I continued to head straight down. This led to a 45-degree slope consisting of water ice with a couple streaks of icy corn. I traversed further right to see if we could ski around it but all I found was more ice. I finally traversed left to a small rockband that was surrounded with new snow. We hugged the rock and were able to make a few turns through a chute that allowed us to avoid the ice. This was a not so pleasant experience on a 50-degree slope that could have easily been avoided by skiing on the left side of the small rockband.
Jason on the right side of the small rockband. Notice the steep icy slope behind him.
The main rockband was about 500ft down and to the left of us. We skied a 40-45 degree slope on firm corn to reach the top of the rockband where we stopped to take some photos and film. I recall that spot well as I stop there every year. It is one of the few spots on the face where I feel comfortable taking off my pack for a photo. I realized my mistake as I saw the easier route directly above us. Josh and I continued down the middle face while Jason filmed.
Josh on the middle face.
I skied the middle face and stopped at the entrance to a chute that I managed to avoid the previous two years. It looks cool from below and provides a very aesthetic line down the middle face. The chute is more like a 50ft gap that is slightly steeper than the main face. Nothing special but it kept us entertained.
Jason in the chute/gap/whatyoumacallit.
We skied the lower face where it intersects with the Adams Glacier. The snow was softer so I was a little concerned about avalanches but it was still early and the Adams Glacier was a stone's throw away so we went for it. We could have entered the glacier just about anywhere we wanted to on the lower face which is very unusual. Josh and I chose a conservative line about halfway down. Jason dropped in higher so he could jump a small crevasse.
Jason jumping a crevasse on the lower Adams Glacier. Yes, there was an easier way down.
The rest of the glacier provided excellent skiing as usual. I stopped to take a few photos but it was mostly cruising from there on out. Finding our way through the flats was a little more challenging than in years past but we managed to make our way through with a few breathless floats.
Josh carving on the lower Adams Glacier.
Jason sails over a serac.
We made it back to camp by 2pm. It was quite hot and we managed to find the camp with the least trees so we spent the rest of the afternoon basking in the sun. Looking through the binoculars made my hands and feet sweat far worse than any nightmare you could imagine.
Our trip had just begun.