Backcountry Touring Field Trip - Mazama Ridge; Mount Rainier

Overview

This activity is part of the Backcountry Touring Course - 2026 course. To register for the course, register or cancel lectures and field trips, or cancel entirely from the course, visit the course page.

• Difficulty:
  Moderate, M1 Intremediate Ski

Students will demonstrate that they have all necessary gear and means to carry it. Practice :

• Keep your skins cold and moisture free before you tour
• Use risers when needed
• Loosen bootstraps when going uphill
• With loose snow, stomp/compact snow when laying skin track/steep track
• If you’ll need crampons, put them on before you need them

• Kick turns

• Kick heel
• Shove downhill ski tail under the uphill ski to bring the center of gravity closer to you

• Translations

• If the skins are icing up, scrape them across the ski edge
• Stuff skins in jacket to help prevent icing
• Show two different standing transitions

TBD

Travel skills and applied route planning, in more complex terrain and over longer distance

Location subject to change based on availability, weather and avalanche conditions.

• Recommended Maps & Charts:
• USGS Mt Rainier East
• Green Trails Mt Rainier East No. 270
• Green Trails Paradise No. 270S
• Green Trails Mount Rainier Wonderland No. 269SX

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