It has been busy this last week at the park. Skiers and snowboarders of all sorts headed up to Camp Muir to enjoy some great backcountry turns. There is still plenty of snow to be had for this upcoming weekend. See the report on the snowfield for current conditions.
Use caution if you plan on skiing on or near crevasses. A lucky skier walked away from a face first 120 foot crevasse fall on Sunday, April 27th. He was skiing with a group of two others when he plunged through the surface. He ended up wedged upside down between the icy walls of the crevasse. After he was pulled out of the crevasse he was flown off the mountain for further evaluation.
On Tuesday, April 29th, rangers flew a reconnaissance mission near the summit after a report of a missing climber. Two ski mountaineers were headed toward the summit when clouds caught them. They were separated in the whiteout and one returned safely that night while the other made an emergency bivy on the summit. The emergency bivy worked out and he skied out the following afternoon under his own power.
It is important to have a partner and to stick with that partner while ski mountaineering. Both of these instances are examples of how a partner can really help the outcome of a rescue when things go wrong.
On another note... Gib ledges was climbed on May 5th by one of our local guides. The ledges are still in great shape. You can read about the trip report here. Also, many climbers are calling about route scheduling and reservation changes. You can read a little about both here.
