On the previous weekend, a BCMC group went a little more that halfway up the Easton Glacier route, not intending to summit, but making good time. We realized that the conditions were perfect for an alpine style ski to the summit in a single day. The stage was set for an attempt the following weekend, which happened to be Summer Solstice.

Participants: Mike Hamata, Cameron Norton, Andrew Brown, Dominik Schaefer, Magda Wierzbicka, Angus Robb.

Date: June 22, 2013.

We slept in the cars, and were "skinning" up the Park Butte trail by 4:45.

The snow was intermittent up to the the foot of the moraine on the summer route, and we boot packed most of the way up the creek.

We were stopped by fog for 45 minutes at the toe of the Easton Glacier.

When the fog broke by around 6:15, the skies opened, and it looked like we had lucked out and indeed picked the perfect day. Blue skies, firm snow, and the longest day of the year.

We got to Sandy Camp at 8 a.m., and were a little surprised to see some of the lazier mountaineering groups in their tents still. It was getting warm, and they had a long day of post-holing ahead of them.

After passing camp, we swung to climber's right, and headed straight up the mellow glacier, still totally filled in, rather than ascend up the more crevassed rolling hills on the climbers left of the route, favoured by the mountaineering groups.

My 5 year old skins weren't happy with the warming snow, but a little duct tape courtesy of Magda and Andrew kept them on for the rest of the day. We roped up at about 7500 feet, and continued to push upwards.

Geology porn:

 We got to the crater by about 1:00.

After a quick break, started up the still very snow covered Roman Wall, with Andrew Brown setting the world record for most agressive skin track set by a splitboarder.

We gained the summit by 2:30, exchanged views on the merits of the older style DPS Wailers with another group on the summit (including a lady skier who stole poor Cam's heart), who had also come up from the cars that morning, via the Squak Glacier. We took our summit shot...

... and proceeded to ski back down to the cars in heavy and wet snow.

We were on the lawn of the Brew Pub on State Road 20 by 5:30. 

A nice little Saturday.

Photo Credits: Magda Wierzbicka and Dominik Schaefer.