Tonga Ridge 2/1/15

Discussion about deep snow wheeling, vehicle builds, trip reports, etc
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christensent
Posts: 112
Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2014 6:34 pm
Location: Woodinville, WA

Tonga Ridge 2/1/15

Post by christensent »

This winter sucks, but I'm not sitting around at home waiting for snow to never come.

First we went up the Whitepine Creek Road a few miles east of Stevens Pass summit. First few miles were plowed with dusted over water ice. Get out and you just fall over (to think, before we left in the morning we were joking about how we were going into the mountains and nobody brought crampons). Those fun conditions where you spontaneously do a 180 spin right out of nowhere. My friend winched over the plow berm while I aired down and drove over. Easy snow conditions from there up to the trailhead.


Then we went up Tonga Ridge. No snow until about 3000ft. Then it is icy rutted driving. I drove for minutes at a time without even putting my hand on the wheel, drives itself through the ruts.

Turned uphill, then turned uphill again on unbroken overgrown trail to the highest point up there. There was a hard pack layer a few inches down that I was able to float on for the most part, but when you broke through you fell into feet of faceted sugar and it was nearly impossible to get back on top even winching out.

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Earlier in the weekend tried to climb Rainier, didn't summit though.
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n16ht5
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Re: Tonga Ridge 2/1/15

Post by n16ht5 »

looks like you are on NWhikers? nice last pic.. you're nuts to try and summit rainier with conditions like that!
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Nobody
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Re: Tonga Ridge 2/1/15

Post by Nobody »

Thanks for the trip report! Good to someone going for it. Love that rainier pic. Was that around 8,500'?
WINTER IS HERE
christensent
Posts: 112
Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2014 6:34 pm
Location: Woodinville, WA

Re: Tonga Ridge 2/1/15

Post by christensent »

n16ht5 wrote:looks like you are on NWhikers? nice last pic.. you're nuts to try and summit rainier with conditions like that!
Yes I am on NWhikers too. This was possibly the best winter Rainier window that's been for years (now over due to the weather systems moving through this week). No snowshoes necessary from the car to the summit. Unfortunately it was very windy on the night we were up there and my partner wasn't feeling great so we didn't go for the summit attempt.
Nobody wrote:Thanks for the trip report! Good to someone going for it. Love that rainier pic. Was that around 8,500'?
This is 10,500' a little ways above Muir towards Gib Ledges.
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