Mount Adams Ski Summit Elevation: 12,276 feet Trip Length: 2 Days Route: South Spur Difficulty: Beginner / Intermediate Elevation Gain: 7,876 feet Roundtrip Distance: 22 Miles Date: June 1-2, 2002

We figured out this was going to be a long trip, especially early season, but 22 miles roundtrip? I was the only one skiing, and the others had left their snowshoes behind. All I had was my Randonee boots, and just prayed that they would suffice the long distance, even though they were a half size too big (rentals). The road had patches of bare road all the way to Morrison Creek campground (1 mile from car) and then slush from there on up. After 5 miles of slogging we made it to the trailhead. We had lunch and decided to keep moving until 7pm or the lunch counter, whichever happened first. We made it to about 8200 feet when it reached 7pm, and we were all hurting in one way or another, as Joseph's new pack was killing him, my skis were pissing me off, and the others were just plain tired. We found some bare spots on a ridge to the right of the Crescent Glacier (this spring route stays way east of the regular summer route). Unfortunately, only one spot was really good (which Joseph and I snagged), and the other guys had decent spots. We got camp setup, filtered water, and prepared our summit packs for the next day. By 9pm we were all in bed and ready to get some rest. We decided on waking up at 4am and walking at 5am. Sunday, 545am Oops! We overslept! We all got ready as quickly as possible and headed out around 615am. The snow was solid, but we did not get our crampons out until above the Lunch Counter. The weather was perfect, with only a few clouds in the sky. We were all excited, and feasted our eyes on the massive slope that lead to Pikers Peak, the False Summit of Mt Adams at 11,657 feet. Near the top were a few climbers which were just specks in the distance. I started feeling the weight of my pack at this time as my skis made a big weight difference. The sun was shining brightly, and a cool breeze kept us from overheating. We finally make it to Pikers Peak (11,657 feet) around 10am. Tom is only a few minutes behind me, and Chuck and Joseph have been there for about 45 minutes waiting for us. I feel dumb, but collapse on my pack and think about what I want to do at this point. I have already summited this mountain before, but I got these skis that I have hauled up here for the last 10 miles! I eat some food, drink some water, and start to tend to Tom. He is weak and not sure what he wants to do. I turn over the top lid of my pack that turns into a fanny pack and load his essentials in there so his weight is minimal. We head out, but in 2 minutes he realizes he does not have the energy to go on, and in making a good decision he saves it for the descent. I continue on, and radio the group ahead that I am behind them. The plateau leading to the summit climb is windy and cold, but once we reached the base it is warm and nice again. I finally gain a visual confirmation of the summit, and join our group just below the summit a few minutes later. It was pure ice coming up, how can I handle this on skis and get a full ski descent? My first turns off the summit were horrid, and then my next few turns after that