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Our plans were to skin out to a area that I had scoped out for years but had never skied because the distance was too far. We decided to do a multiday tour setting up a basecamp halfway out.

A early mourning start

Mt Rainier in the Distance

Up on the ridge

Some Skiers in the distance

Getting ready for the warm up run

Looking down the run

Scott getting ready for his run

After the first run we dropped off our overnight gear and started heading for are destination

That colouir may go through

Skinning across valleys


Summiting the ridge

Our View Across the valley

Our Destination

To keep up with the Norse theme since it is Norse Peak Wilderness we called it Valley of the Titans.


Our First run in the Valley

Nice Dry Pow

Scott ripping down the slope

Getting ready to skin up for some more

It was a steep skin

Back on the ridge

The View on Rainier

Scotts Next run

Some of the runs you have to drop in blindly

My next run

A photo scott took of me looking down my line

steep and deep

We started heading back toward our basecamp with a few hours of sunlight left. As we made it to the first run the wind was blasting right up though the valley. We rode into the wind scoured bowl and started skinning to the next high peak.

The sunset on some opposing ridges

Rainier

Getting ready for the last run of the day

We went to bed under a clear sky but that didnt last long. The wind was so strong that it was pushing the walls around. The next mourning when we woke up and looked outside to find all our tracks had dissapeared and the wind was going up to 60 mph. It took us a while to pack up almost loosing our tent that flew up the valley 100 feet. Conditions were sketch so we decided to head back to the car.

Skinning up the ridge

It looked so amazing I tried to persuade scott to take one more run. We agreed that if it past a pit test we would ride it.

Digging the pit

It passed so here is our run

Scott ripping the slopes

The pow was DEEP
When we started our skin track it was all flat except for a steep section at the top of a gully. As I started skinning across the 20 foot steep section it fractured 1 foot deep and took me for a ride. I slid about 100 feet and stopped about 20 feet short of a group of trees.

Looking up at the fracture

The Debris

The crown

We carefully wrapped around the basin and back onto the old skin track as the storm was heavy


Getting ready for the final run

Dropping in

Its fresh

The last steep face of our tour

The weather was Bipolar Saturday was bluebird while Sunday was gale force winds. Enjoy.

Awesome TR. I was just at Crystal on Friday with my wife and her dad. We all snowboard, and he is 70 and still rips quite nicely. He had been here a week and we had boarded a few of the resorts. I was showing him all my bc gear and splitboards and he was amazed at the human powered powder chase. He asked as we approached Crystal if I splitboard there pointing to the ridge, cliffs and chutes opposite the resort. I told him that I was too green for that, but some studs on the site rip it I'm sure.

Now I know I was not lying. Awesome, and if your snow was anything like we found stashes on Friday, you had plenty to play in for sure.

Wow. That's quite the trip. Sick looking snow/terrain.
And swept away while skinning in a slide.
Now that's a good TR.

Once again, great stuff Kyle! Thanks for the TR.

Great write-up and pictures, thanks. And the view never disappoint when the weather is clear like that.