Nature coasting has been a prominent sport at Paradise for a number of years but usually it is confined to the snowy slopes near Paradise Glacier. However, one of the slickest slides in the park was found on the southern wall of Williwakas glacier. This slide is bare rock polished so smoothly by the glacier that its surface glistens in the sun as if it had been varnished or waxed. The surface is steep enough to give a real thrill and at the bottom is a snow bank to serve as a shock absorber. This glacier has been steadily retreating up the mountain as have all the other glaciers, but since this has been cut off from its source of snow and ice and has ceased its downward movement it is known as a dead glacier. No more will this mass of ice polish the canyon walls and carry a load of debris to its terminus. Slowly this mass of ice will recede up the slope of the mountain and eventually disappear.

Howard Coombs
Ranger Naturalist.