Skiing The Cowlitz Glacier, Mt. Rainier
p.1 #1Skiing The Cowlitz Glacier, Mt. Rainier
I'm posting these to Sports (not much skiing represented) plus Landscape since enjoying that is half the reason we go here.
Spring/summer skiing on Mt. Rainier is a must do for me every year. Once the winter snow melts and refreezes many times it firms up to form "corn" snow, which is very easy to ski, and has minimal avalanche danger. This Monday these conditions came together with a good forecast so I made the long drive south to meet up with my partner Eric at Paradise.
I'm not in great shape for a big day like this, so I went light/simple as possible with only my iPhone for a camera.
Me climbing at about 8000 ft., Mt. Adams in center, Hood to the right
A nice breeze kept us cool on the climb, which can be a problem for me on a warm day. We took a long break on some rocks at the top of our line, then dropped into the Paradise Glacier for a few hundred feet before angling over to the Cowlitz.
Eric on the money shot into the Cowlitz Glacier
We often ski the sidewalls of the valley for steeper slopes
My favorite shot of the day. Don't worry, his sun hoody only came off his head for a few minutes of skiing. 
The views over to the icefalls are why I love this place.
At the bottom of the run you still have one more big steep climb up to the exit of the Paradise valley. This seems to keep the riff-raff out - we had this whole area of the mountain to ourselves on this beautiful day.
Spring/summer skiing on Mt. Rainier is a must do for me every year. Once the winter snow melts and refreezes many times it firms up to form "corn" snow, which is very easy to ski, and has minimal avalanche danger. This Monday these conditions came together with a good forecast so I made the long drive south to meet up with my partner Eric at Paradise.
I'm not in great shape for a big day like this, so I went light/simple as possible with only my iPhone for a camera.
A nice breeze kept us cool on the climb, which can be a problem for me on a warm day. We took a long break on some rocks at the top of our line, then dropped into the Paradise Glacier for a few hundred feet before angling over to the Cowlitz.
At the bottom of the run you still have one more big steep climb up to the exit of the Paradise valley. This seems to keep the riff-raff out - we had this whole area of the mountain to ourselves on this beautiful day.
May 13, 2026 at 08:09 AM
p.1 #3Skiing The Cowlitz Glacier, Mt. Rainier
Great action shots Jim! I didn't even know Paradise is open through the winter season. At least Rainier doesn't have to worry about this year's light snowpack...
May 13, 2026 at 04:51 PM
p.1 #4Skiing The Cowlitz Glacier, Mt. Rainier
Thanks for the comments guys. Sam, there's still pretty good snow up there, but it is melting fast, more like late June in a normal year.
May 14, 2026 at 05:11 AM
p.1 #5Skiing The Cowlitz Glacier, Mt. Rainier
Jim Dockery wrote:
Thanks for the comments guys. Sam, there's still pretty good snow up there, but it is melting fast, more like late June in a normal year.
It's that bad huh? Guess I should get a new air purifier because the smoke is probably going to be a lot worse this year...
Thanks for the comments guys. Sam, there's still pretty good snow up there, but it is melting fast, more like late June in a normal year.
It's that bad huh? Guess I should get a new air purifier because the smoke is probably going to be a lot worse this year...
May 14, 2026 at 07:05 AM
p.1 #6Skiing The Cowlitz Glacier, Mt. Rainier
Wow! Very cool that you try to do this every year. Beautiful place. Kudos @Jim Dockery
May 24, 2026 at 12:32 AM
p.1 #7Skiing The Cowlitz Glacier, Mt. Rainier
Love the pictures -- jealous of the mountains out west!
May 27, 2026 at 06:39 PM
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p.1 #9Skiing The Cowlitz Glacier, Mt. Rainier
Love these Jim. Shows the effort to get there and the thrill of skiing where no one else might dare to go! And the scenery can't be beat!
Aug 20, 2026 at 11:35 AM
p.1 #10Skiing The Cowlitz Glacier, Mt. Rainier
Lovely action shots. Nothing beats a good spring day - except maybe a 3 foot powder dump
Sep 15, 2026 at 06:34 AM
p.1 #11Skiing The Cowlitz Glacier, Mt. Rainier
Nice place to ski and good pics.
Sep 15, 2026 at 10:13 AM
p.1 #13Skiing The Cowlitz Glacier, Mt. Rainier
The 5th is my pick Jim
Morris
Morris
Sep 18, 2026 at 10:15 AM
p.1 #14Skiing The Cowlitz Glacier, Mt. Rainier
Thanks again for all the additional comments friends. Summer skiing is long over for me, now the wait for winter snow. The long term forecast isn't good for this year, will have to wait and see. I'm glad I got in my best years before global warming really set in 
Sep 19, 2026 at 12:18 PM
p.1 #15Skiing The Cowlitz Glacier, Mt. Rainier
Hell yeah. These came out so clean
Sep 23, 2026 at 12:16 AM