12 Months of Skiing

Yesterday I went skiing on the Muir Snowfield on Mt. Rainier and it marked my 12th consecutive month of skiing in Washington. This is the second time I've skied every month of the year (although, not in back-to-back years) and it can sometimes start to feel a bit like a chore in September and October. Fortunately, the Cascades received early-season snowfall this past week and it greatly improved the conditions compared to last month.

In September, Dustin and I went up onto the Muir Snowfield and found sun-cupped snow covered in a layer of volcanic dust. Not the greatest skiing conditions, but it was a beautiful day to be out.

Yesterday, with probably about 8 - 12 inches of new snow, the sun cups and dust were well buried but there were rocks hiding just enough to trick you into thinking you could let it rip. Dustin and I were conservative and tried to protect our bases. Other skiers were a little more bold and will be paying a local ski tech for it.

Let's hope the cold, snowy weather continues and many, many powder days are had!

Snowy slopes on Mt. Rainier in October

Dirty September snow on the Muir Snowfield