McLean

Greeting from the Mount Shishapangma Snow & Scotch Winter Resort. Conditions continue to improve above 20,000ft, with a nice layer of crust developing on most aspects. Pockets of powder can be found on the lee side of blue ice ridges and the avalanche hazard is low to extreme on most skiable slopes. We are having a special today on Drunk Pickled Pepper spread, so bring out the whole family for some turns.

Saari on Ice Tooth

Today was a mixed foray on a formation known as the Ice Tooth, which is a popular 6,300m acclimatizing peak just outside of Base Camp. The outing begins with about an hour walk on a talus until you reach the toe of a very old glacier. From here, there was some beautiful skinning up and around ridges until we reached the saddle at the base of the Tooth proper. From this saddle, it was about an hour of booting to get up to a ridge that led to the summit block. As the weather was deteriorating and we had reached the top of the logical skiable line, we called it good and put our skis on.

The snow conditions were variable — no two turns were the same and each turn was an adventure. The most consistent conditions on my run could best be described as "Magic Carpet Rides," where pool table-sized blocks of crust would break loose under your skis, giving you a little 10ft ride until they broke up enough for you to get your edges into the hard, underlying bed surface. All of this was greatly enhanced by being able to only make a few turns at a time before you had to stop and slurp down some oxygen. As many people mentioned, 'It can't get much worse than this!'

— Andrew McLean, MountainZone.com Correspondent

EXPEDITION DISPATCHES