Mount Ruth and the Interglacier are the two main at the head of Glacier Basin in Mount Rainier National Park. From the basin floor the faces rise dramatically over 3000 feet. With a 4 mile hike up the Glacier Basin trail you can find yourself surround be these mountains to the South and the 3rd Burrough to the north. With a 5,000 foot freezing level and cleared out road to the White River campground it seemed it was a rare late Spring day to find powder. Our plan was to do an overnight camping trip in the basin and ski whatever line or lines that got our attention.

Heading up Glacier Basin Trail in a Storm

It was Friday afternoon when Scott and I arrived at the White River Campground. As we geared up in the pouring rain it was hard to motivate ourselves to head up the trail. We were already soaked after a few minutes of packing all of our gear together and there was no visibility. Knowing the snow level was just a few hundred feet above us made our way up the trail racing the sunlight.

When we made it to Glacier Basin it was snowing rather heavily. Knowing it was going to be a nasty night we chose a spot somewhat protected from the elements and put up camp. Once our basecamp was good the weather started clearing and we decided to go for a quick lap off the ridge. It would be a great opportunity to feel the snow for the next day. After a 800 foot run in a foot of new snow we were back at camp and getting rest for the next day.

Day 2 Attempting to Link up Mount Ruth and the Interglacier

The next mourning we woke up to a blue sky and another few inches of fresh on our tent. By now we could already see a line of people heading up the basin and heading towards the Interglacier. With our skin track still barely visible up the ridge we decided to focus on riding Mount Ruth. With al the new snow the Northeast couloir looked to be in amazing conditions and we could ride back to camp from there.

It was beautiful as we gained the ridge on our skin track from the previous day. The clear weather allowed for a scenic view of Little Tahoma and Whitman Crest in the distance. Below of the Emmons glacier was coated in new snow and almost looked like winter.

Arriving at the Summit of Mount Ruth

We made our way up the ramp that connects Mount Ruth and the Interglacier until arriving on our high point. From our vantage point we had a clear view of the upper Emmons Glacier rising to the Summit of Mount Rainier. The night before the winds had been brutal leaving the ridges covered in ice but we hoped it had deposited snow in the gully below.

Snowboarding down the Northeast Chute of Mount Ruth

After a few minutes of transitioning it was time to ride down the Northeast side of Mount Ruth. Taking our first turns the snow was edgeable and better than we had feared. Below us was a sea of clouds but at the moment we were enjoying turns in the sunshine.

20 turns later we were in the upper gully where conditions improved dramatically. What was semi firm snow above quickly turned to wind packed powder. Making our turns down a small suck hole opened up. In the distance we could see Sunrise visitor center and Goat Island Mountain rising above the White River and our hiking approach in the previous night.

The lower we went the better the snow got as we made the most out of the sunshine. It seemed we were on a race with the clouds below and made the most our of good visibility.

Riding into the Northeast Chute

Before long we were at the top of the main chute and enjoying the quality of snow. It was getting heavier with every turn but it was mid June.

Once in the chute the clouds quickly rolled in and the blue sky quickly became flat light. A few seconds earlier the line was still in the sun but now it was hard to see anything. Making our way down a turn at a time we were out of the choke and on the lower apron below.

Though visibility was limited the lower section was great. Riding back to camp we took the opportunity to melt down some snow and eat some food hoping the weather would clear. It was still quite early in the day as the winds blew the clouds around. After an hour the clouds had moved out again and we decided to head over to the Interglacier and try our luck.

Linking up Mount Ruth and the Interglacier

Wrapping around Glacier Basin and our tracks from the previous run we made it to the base of the Interglacier. There was a solid skin track by now so we started heading up on the beaten in track. The weather was much better than two hours prior as we looked at the South face of the Third Burough behind us.

As we were climbing toward the summit of the Interglacier a huge lenticular engulfed the summit of Rainier. The winds were picking up and we could tell that the weather was changing once again.

Arriving at the Summit in Clouds

After being beaten around by the wind for we were standing on Steamboat Prow. By now the clouds had swallowed the upper slopes. Knowing we were on a race against time we quickly transitioned and 5 minutes later we were ready for our descent.

Below us it was still a clear sucker hole. We were fortunate to be on the Northeast rain shadow of Mount Rainier. From our vantage point we could see the West face of the 3rd Burrough in the sun. In the distance was Mount Fremont and Skyscraper Mountain.

Snowboarding Down the Interglacier

With the weather still holding out on our line we dropped in to find it still head powder snow. There were already a few tracks but we were easily able to find a smooth canvas.

Compared to Mount Ruth the Interglacier had a bit more wind packed snow but it was still great. A turn at a time we made our way down the open face happy to be riding powder in June.

Before long we were back in Glacier Basin and riding all the way to our camp. We were happy that the weather had allowed us to link up Mount Ruth and the Interglacier in a single day.

Exiting Glacier Basin

Back at camp we decided it wasn’t worth staying another night. We had already rode the lines we wanted and the weather was quickly deteriorating. After packing our bags we were riding down a beaten in summer trail still covered in snow. Arriving at the car we were happy that we had made the most out of the trip.

Thank you for reading this trip riding Mount Ruth and the Interglacier. If you want to see more ski tours within Mount Rainier Backcountry check out this link