Cummins Ridge - April 8, 2005
||Golden to Clemenceau Icefields || Clemenceau Icefields || Cummins to Laurence Grassi Hut | Cummins Ridge to Cummins Glacier || Tusk Glacier and Mount Irvine||
The Laurence Grassi hut is at 2040m 11U 0432138 5781248. Although we've scoped out a route to get to Mt Rhodes by contouring south down the Cummins Glacier, for reason I won't get into, we decide to stick to skiing off Cummins Ridge. The minor peak of Cummins Ridge, which extends just a short ways north from the hut itself is at 2270m. The Cummins Glacier from where you ascend to ski up to the knoll where the hut is located is at 1946m. Here is Sharon heading up the ridge towards the summit. The valley to the right is Cummins Creek, an old-growth forested creek where sadly the provincial government plans to allow logging. It's remarkable that during our entire trip in the Clemenceau, we didn't see clearcuts once we left Golden and Kinbasket lake. Most other places are surrounded by clearcuts.
Finally we get some nice snow! Although its just boot top powder, pow is pow. Here goes Jonny with Reconaissance Ridge veiled in clouds to the northeast..
and then Sharon
We get another two runs of really nice 1000 ft runs down to the glacier. The snow is super stable so we're getting nice steep roller coaster type runs off convex rolls. Then we do a run down the bowl on the other side down to Cummins Creek. Here the snow is a little wind-loaded and a little deeper in the trees; I was having too much fun to take pictures.
Here we are on top of Cummins Ridge again looking south after our third run. Sharon decides to head back as her little legs are fried and Jonny and I go for another run.
Here goes Jonny
Then we do another run. By that time, my cold is starting to catch up to me and I beg off. Jonny does another three more runs before he quits! The guy's a machine .... We sleep well and content that night
||Golden to Clemenceau Icefields || Clemenceau Icefields || Cummins to Laurence Grassi Hut | Cummins Ridge to Cummins Glacier || Tusk Glacier and Mount Irvine||