Timberline-Zigzag-Illumination Rock "Ski" Misadventure. Dec

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scott_willson
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Timberline-Zigzag-Illumination Rock "Ski" Misadventure. Dec

Post by scott_willson » November 25th, 2014, 10:39 pm

A trip report a year late about bad choices.

Two years ago, I also failed to write a trip report about a happier day. My friend Marjon and I skied from Trillium Lake to Little Zigzag Canyon. There was feet of cold powder snow. So much deep snow that we skied for five hours and still didn't reach our goal of Zigzag Canyon.
Marjon tackles Sand Canyon.jpg
Tiny skiers.jpg
Bennett Pass.jpg
A year later, I was going to make it to the lip of Zigzag Canyon. Skiing solo, I shortened the trip by driving to Timberline Lodge.

You might remember Christmas-New Years 2013. There was snow at the ski resorts, but so little down low that we drove into our rental cabin at Trillium Lake. The last eight years, we had to ski or snowshoe. This year, it had also rained a good deal on top of the snow. At least there were sunny days. I choose December 28 for my Timberline-Zigzag ski because of the good weather forecast: sunny, calm, stable, moderate temperatures.

Thinking ahead, I brought snowshoes in case the snow wasn't good for skiing. And it wasn't. After a sliding and scraping traverse across Timberline's ski runs, I put the skis on my back and switched to snowshoes and ski poles. The snow was hard and icy but I found a way up a ridge with wind-packed snow. There were snowshoes tracks so I figured it was a good route.
Timberline snow.jpg
Icy snow.jpg
Long before I got near Zigzag Canyon, I changed plans. There hadn't been enough snow to fill in the ravines and canyons. Even crossing Sand Canyon was a chore, and I'd have to go far up over the head of Little Zigzag to cross it. So I decided to follow the good snow up towards Illumination Rock. I figured I would climb until I ran out of time or got too close to rockfall danger. Maybe the bright sun would even soften up the snow enough to ski back down. Maybe the snow was better up high.

Just before 8300', I had to cross a small downslope. It wasn't much, maybe three feet of slightly steeper terrain with big bubble ice. I carefully choose a path between the bubbles sticking out of the snow, but it was all ice, even under the loose, thin snow. I slipped, slid down on my butt, and laughed at my clumsiness.

And then I couldn't stop.

I flipped onto my stomach and dug in with my snowshoes cleats, my elbows and fingers. I slowly gained speed. Then I lost a snowshoe and started spinning. My skis were in an "A" on my back, so I flipped myself over feet first and the skis bit into the snow. I almost stopped until a ski broke loose and it was back to spinning again.

I thought, "You had better fix things fast. This is how people die on mountains." But there wasn't much I could do with my elbows and toes. I kept picking up speed, slid past rocks, and started to get air on bumps.

Then, more luck than I deserved: I stopped on a flat patch of soft snow in a small ravine. I laid there for a minute checking myself, amazed I wasn't hurt, terrified of sliding again. My lost ski came sliding over the top of the ravine, spun for several seconds just out of reach, and then slid away out of sight. I didn't move a finger.

I had my Garmin GPS watch on. For the record, I slid 0.4 miles from 8291' to 7624' for 2 minutes and 25 seconds. I hit 21 mph. My heart rate averaged 161 bpm with a max of 187. In the last three years of racing cyclocross, my max heart rate has only reached 174 bpm.

After the speed and excitement, the slow and tedious part began. The ravine was a triangle with 20' walls and a cliff-like lip on the downhill side. I tried to walk up the way I came in but hit an ice band. I tried a different route, slipped, and barely stopped sliding again.
The ravine.jpg
Icy wall of ravine.jpg
I took stock. I had extra clothing, food, water, an emergency blanket, and a firestarter. But there was no wood, and the snow was far too hard to dig. I also had a Spot locator. It was an early birthday gift from my wife. We both had laughed at it as expensive, paranoid technology. She had given it to me two days before and this was the first time I had carried it.

My Spot has a preprogrammed message button (e.g. "Running late"), a red "send the medevac" button and a vague "non-emergency assistance" button. I hit the last one. Lights blinked. I thought it worked but I didn't know. My cell phone sure didn't work and even my GPS signal was weak.

Almost always, in a situation like this, the best thing is to hunker down and wait for help. Certainly, it was treacherous to move and I wasn't in immediate danger. On the other hand, I was far off my planned route. I wasn't sure anyone know where I was or that I needed help. It was also cold even at midday. I doubted I could scrape out enough footing to exercise enough keep warm, let alone dig shelter. So I tried find a way out.

This was hard. I was in cross-country ski boots, had my ski poles, one battered ski and one snowshoe. For two hours, I tried different routes but they all petered out on hard ice. I methodically kicked footholds with my boot and braced myself with the snowshoe and ski poles. I slipped twice. Finally, I got high enough to flop up on a soft bench of snow.

One-legged snowshoe progress back up was slow. It took a lot of strength to keep traction on the snow.

Then I heard skis scraping upslope. I hoped no one had made the mistake to ski down this way, and I was afraid that someone was going to barrel down into me. But it was the Mount Hood Ski Patrol from Timberline.

My wife had gotten the Spot message and convinced the ski patrol that I would have only send the message if I were really in trouble. Two ski patrollers with ice axes and crampons gingerly made their way to me. The rest of the day was a rather slow, logistical hike back to Timberline. A third ski patroller came out with extra crampons for me, and found my missing snowshoe. Seven hours after I started, I was back at my car in the Timberline parking lot.

Thanks to the ski patrol for risking their skin for me.
Chris from Ski Patrol.jpg
Mount Jefferson at sunset.jpg
Mount Hood sunset.jpg
Sunset over icy Timberline.jpg
Now, I've thought a lot about this day. I didn't understand the dangers I faced. I was well-prepared for a long ski: I was fit, checked the weather, had extra clothes, had food and maps. But I wasn't skiing, I was mountaineering. I shouldn't have traveled on snow like that without crampons, an ice axe, and the knowledge of how to use them. Even then, and I don't really know, I assume that people simply avoid conditions like this when they can.

I didn't know if there were crevasses on my route, and I wouldn't have known what to do about them.

It's difficult to navigate high up on Mount Hood, even on a clear day. I took the wrong bearing towards the top of Little Zigzag and towards Illumination Rock. Both the ski patrol and I thought we were in Zigzag Canyon when, in fact, I had slid into the upper Sandy River drainage.

Plainly, I need to recognize when I am in a new environment, and learn the dangers and techniques from someone experienced.

I also made a few more classic mistakes: I went alone, was goal-fixated, and tried self-rescue. While it all worked out in the end, I am not sure those were good choices.

I hope you enjoyed a non-triumphant trip report, and I hope maybe it will help us all make better choices!
GPS track.jpg
Google Earth fall.jpg
http://www.strava.com/activities/103797306/overview
https://www.flickr.com/photos/67100771@N03/
Last edited by scott_willson on November 26th, 2014, 8:54 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Peder
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Re: Timberline-Zigzag-Illumuniation Rock "Ski" Misadventure.

Post by Peder » November 25th, 2014, 11:08 pm

scott_willson wrote:For the record, I slid 0.4 miles from 8291' to 7624' for 2 minutes and 25 seconds. I hit 21 mph.
Thank you for sharing - it is amazing how quickly things can go wrong. Hitting a rock or a tree at 21 mph is very unhealthy. :( That is a very long slide...

That Spot locator sure came in as very helpful and the Timberline Ski Patrol acted very professionally.
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Guy
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Re: Timberline-Zigzag-Illumuniation Rock "Ski" Misadventure.

Post by Guy » November 26th, 2014, 6:44 am

Thanks for posting this it's a good cautionary tale. Yes you were indeed on the way to Paradise Park. Navigation can be deceptively difficult on this part of the mountain if you haven't been there before & go by what looks right rather than what's on the map! Several years ago we were up at the top of Paradise when we saw a guy climbing down from about where you got into trouble. He had Summitted Hood & been in a race with his friend back down to Timberline, keeping his head down & not paying attention he found himself on Mississippi head & now faced 6 mile hike back to Timberline on the PCT!

I've done this over the top route several times in the Summer & Fall thanks for putting me off doing it in the Winter time :).
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sprengers4jc
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Re: Timberline-Zigzag-Illumuniation Rock "Ski" Misadventure.

Post by sprengers4jc » November 26th, 2014, 8:07 am

So glad you are OK. With as much time as hikers, skiers and snowshoers spend outdoors, we are all likely to face a moment where we underestimate the terrain, our own physical health or conditions. My wife has a brain disease and seizure disorder that landed her in a life or death situation in 2012. I know from experience that everytime you closed your eyes, you probably relived that moment for months. Maybe, like me, you still do at times, and are so grateful that S&R exists and that they were able to assist. We are now the proud owners of a McMurdo Ranger personal locator beacon and I hope to God we never have to use it. Glad you made it out, and super glad you had your Spot. Thanks for sharing your story with us, and may the slopes continue to beckon you despite the inherent risks we all take when venturing outdoors.
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Re: Timberline-Zigzag-Illumuniation Rock "Ski" Misadventure.

Post by raven » November 26th, 2014, 8:55 am

Destinationitis is deadly disease. Glad you found a place you could stop your slide.

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Re: Timberline-Zigzag-Illumination Rock "Ski" Misadventure.

Post by BurnsideBob » November 26th, 2014, 9:33 pm

Thanks for sharing your adventure. That's a little too real for my taste.

I was in the general area of your fall this summer past and coincidentally took a photo of the area below your fall and slide. (Trip report here: http://www.portlandhikers.org/forum/vie ... =8&t=20207)

You were very fortunate to have stopped where you did. Another 200 vertical feet and the gully you were in gets steeper, and leads to the terrain shown in the photo.

The photo was taken at approximately 6900' from approximately 45.36135 -121.73304. The craggy stuff at left top of the photo is Illumination Rock.

Image
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Re: Timberline-Zigzag-Illumination Rock "Ski" Misadventure.

Post by Sean Thomas » November 27th, 2014, 4:28 am

Thanks for your sharing your adventure, hardships and all. Sounds like it was quite an experience and one you really learned from/wont soon forget. I once heard someone say, "it takes some toughness to recreate in the mountains but it takes a lot more than being tough to admit when you're over your head or to call for help."


Most of all, glad you're safe :)

scott_willson
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Re: Timberline-Zigzag-Illumination Rock "Ski" Misadventure.

Post by scott_willson » November 27th, 2014, 8:38 am

Thanks for the kind words, all.

Dave, thanks for the photo. I think I was just to the upper-right of this view. I probably would have slid in by the right of the dirty snow near the bottom of your photo. That looks to be a couple small waterfalls some of the year. From another angle, my "route" would have been down a 60º slope.

It's hard to tell from Google Earth and topos, but there's probably some sort of cliff below where I stopped. Certainly, the lower drainage is steeper, less straight, and rockier. I'm glad I didn't find out what that would have been like. I wonder where my ski is ….

Thanks for inspiring me to check out trip reports. Looks like Timberline-Paradise Park-Mississippi Head-Timberline is a popular loop. I am curious about checking it out if conditions are right. And with probably a ridiculous amount of safety gear. ;
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Upper Sandy drainage.jpg

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kepPNW
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Re: Timberline-Zigzag-Illumination Rock "Ski" Misadventure.

Post by kepPNW » November 27th, 2014, 9:01 am

Incredible story! Especially for the good outcome.
scott_willson wrote:It's hard to tell from Google Earth and topos, but there's probably some sort of cliff below where I stopped. Certainly, the lower drainage is steeper, less straight, and rockier. I'm glad I didn't find out what that would have been like. I wonder where my ski is ….

Thanks for inspiring me to check out trip reports. Looks like Timberline-Paradise Park-Mississippi Head-Timberline is a popular loop. I am curious about checking it out if conditions are right. And with probably a ridiculous amount of safety gear. ;
First thing I did was pull up some tracks of mine on that MS-Head loop, and compare them to yours. Yeah, you slid right over the upper reach of that area. An area where most on that loop don't cross, as it avoids the "highlight" of the cliffs and crash site. (Probably a good thing, in your case!) I think if the slide hadn't stopped, this illustrates the ultimate endpoint...
  • Image
    Ski is probably in "gully" to left, below the waterfalls.
In most cases, you can do that loop with microspikes, and may not even need those. I've never done it with ice the way you pictured, though!

Thanks for sharing. It's good to hear these stories.
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Chip Down
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Re: Timberline-Zigzag-Illumination Rock "Ski" Misadventure.

Post by Chip Down » November 28th, 2014, 6:02 pm

I slipped, slid down on my butt, and laughed at my clumsiness.
And then I couldn't stop.
Yeah, a crisis sometimes begins that way. I remember once laughing at myself for being so clumsy. I think it was, what, about six months on crutches after that.
Then, more luck than I deserved: I stopped on a flat patch of soft snow in a small ravine. I laid there for a minute checking myself, amazed I wasn't hurt, terrified of sliding again. My lost ski came sliding over the top of the ravine, spun for several seconds just out of reach, and then slid away out of sight. I didn't move a finger.
Would I be an ass if I observed that there's a bit of dark humor in that description? Sounds like something that would happen to Wile E. Coyote.

More random commentary:

Cool that you had that Garmin data to share.

Little ZZ often develops some nice steep pitches, like a half pipe capped with a cornice. Other spots around Miss Head can be interesting. Lots of fun to play around with if properly equipped; not so much if you're not.

Hey, could have been worse. At least it wasn't snowing.

Glad you weren't hurt...ego bruised a bit, I imagine.

Thanks for sharing your tale of ignominy and defeat.

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