Home > Trip Reports > Adams 7.7.08

Adams 7.7.08

7/15/08
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
19522
27
Posted by Joedabaker on 7/7/08 11:44am
With the week off we waited for the weather to clear on Adams so a group of four could lightweight our way up to Pikers.
The clear morning with the cold days before lead to frozen resaturated snow using ski Crampons for me to Pikers, others had no crampons or boot crampons, but the morning sun made for softer snow and good skinning all the way up to Pikers. There is a melt out zone before Pikers that reduces the snow pack to 30 feet wide in a short section, that was a surprise and the summit of Adams was dramatically melted.
It is amazing that last week we were discussing approaches from Morrison and or alternates. That discussion is moot until another year.
There are just patches left on the lower hill, in fact on the ski back we skied to 5900ft level just above Cold Springs.
One of our party is from Utah and was his first time to Adams, unfortunately we left him behind at the Lunch Counter due to some heel pains.
At Pikers the wind was howling, SW Chutes looked sweet, but we traveled back to meet our buddy at the Lunch Counter and ski the route of accent.
Probably the best ski out ever, the snow was mostly perfect smooth which was really a surprise, because last year the suncups were so big it was like skiing the inside of an egg carton.
SW chutes melting fast, main run to from Pikers to Cresent may hold a while.
All melting real fast!
Nice Job; Great report, Joe.

Thanks for the report Joedabaker, Do you think Adams will still be skiable the third weekend of this month?  You're description and pics lead me to think it won't be...

Way to nail it Joeda!  Lunch counter is looking really melted!  thanks for the info!

You selected the perfect ascent/descent day. Glad to hear someone had smooth corn recently. I think I loosened a filling on the sun cups this weekend - really.  ;)

Joe ,Nice report! Dreaming of smooth snow here . Which road system did you use ?

I'm thinking about heading down to adams this weekend.  couple of questions:  where did you hit the snow line?  when did you hit skinnable/continuous  snow?  How far was the hike in without snow?  Thanks :)

Heh -- I had no idea Lunch Counter was that melted out.  We never saw anything beyond 150 feet.  Glad you go the weather -- the ski down was just buttery smooth, wasn't it?  Great stuff.

author=Merk link=topic=10598.msg42998#msg42998 date=1215491305] Do you think Adams will still be skiable the third weekend of this month?  You're description and pics lead me to think it won't be...

hmm...tough call, SW probably out by then. Probably melted out south approach to Pikers by then, below that it will be a haul up the trail with the gear-good luck.

author=Robie link=topic=10598.msg43005#msg43005 date=1215523531]
Which road system did you use ?

Just the regular approach to Cold Springs, as Marcus said, it is clear all the way and the road is relatively smooth.

author=jpslagle link=topic=10598.msg43009#msg43009 date=1215529915]
I'm thinking about heading down to adams this weekend.  couple of questions:  where did you hit the snow line?  when did you hit skinnable/continuous  snow?  How far was the hike in without snow?  Thanks :)


On trail 183 right about 6200ft just off the trail bearing straigt to the lunch counter.
Hike in 700vft, so 2 miles I guess? Pretty gentle grade hike.
It may melt a lot due to hot temps this week.

author=Marcus link=topic=10598.msg43010#msg43010 date=1215530214]
Heh -- I had no idea Lunch Counter was that melted out.  We never saw anything beyond 150 feet.  Glad you go the weather -- the ski down was just buttery smooth, wasn't it?  Great stuff.

Wished better vis for you and your crew, I was wondering how you were doing. looking over to Adams while I was buzzing around on my mountain bike.
Glad you got those great turns down from Lunch.
Joe

Thankyou for the report. Heading to coldsprings tonight.

Nice work Joe its crazy how fast the snow melted.
Two weeks ago it was a 3 mile hike to the trail head now there is no snow below 6200. This season has been crazy.

Joe ,I'm sorry i should have been more clear. What highways  did you use ?  IT appears FS 23 is closed and perhaps FS25 . Did you go down I-5 ?

author=Robie link=topic=10598.msg43042#msg43042 date=1215565856]
Joe ,I'm sorry i should have been more clear. What highways  did you use ?  IT appears FS 23 is closed and perhaps FS25 . Did you go down I-5 ?

No problem Robie, we went I-5, nothing special or more ingenious.

Thanks for the report and pics!  I was thinking maybe the 3rd week in July would still be in, but it's looking like it may not be worth the effort.....

Sounds like fun.  We're planning on heading up and skiing the SW chutes this upcoming weekend.  I've climbed the South climb route 3x, but all a while back.  Couple questions....we'd like to bring our very mtn savvy dog but I couldn't remember if the south climb gets real steep just below pikers?  If so, maybe ascending directly up the chutes might be better for him?  Can anyone shed light on this?  If it's not real steep he should be fine, but wondering if it is, does anyone know what it's like to climb the chutes directly? Thanks.

I don't recall it being that bad below pikers. My memory (admittedly from a year ago and a few times before that) is that the chutes are at least as steep if not more so and certainly more sustained steep. And there's also talus you can hike to the left of the snow going up to Pikers - if your dog belongs on the tour I think he could handle the south climb to Pikers.

Thanks for the helpful TR and comments from Joedabaker and others.  I'm heading to Adams Friday to ski the S ridge or possibly the SW chutes.  We've never been there before and we'd like to tag the true summit while we're there.  I'm curious to know whether it gets too steep to skin all the way to the true summit?  Are ice axe and boot crampons (assuming firmer snow up top) generally required for the last bit?  I'd like to leave the extra gear behind if I can get away with it.  Thanks in advance to anyone with advice on that.

One more quick comment for Wiley, if you're still tuning in. I could swear I saw comments elsewhere that the Chutes are getting thin as of last weekend and in fact only one went - the trick from the top is that you can't see them until you've gotten over the roll and onto the steeper section. You can of course get an eyeball on them from down on some of the paved roads in the area, which might help you a bit, but in any case you obviously don't want to blindly ski down anything that you aren't sure your dog can follow you back up if you find the route won't go...

Apologies for the potentially paternalistic tone - you're likely an awesome dog owner who only takes you loyal pal on tours that are appropriate for him to fully enjoy, but I've sadly seen a few too many dog owners who overcommit their dogs who suffer in ways that vary from small to troubling (either from lack of appropriate fitness for the tour size, overly deep loose snow, or super rough terrain). I have one dog who, in her prime (she's now 15 and slowing down a LOT, but in her day was the most athletic dog I've ever known), would have had no trouble doing the chutes, but another (much bigger, now gone) who, no matter how much weekday conditioning and weekend trips we did with him, hit his limit on somewhat smaller tours - we of course learned this by trial and error (so on at least one or two tours I'd perhaps be accused of having been one of  those "...few too many dog owners..."). It was tough to leave him home when we did the big spring trips, but it was the right call.

author=Mark M link=topic=10598.msg43082#msg43082 date=1215635173]
Thanks for the helpful TR and comments from Joedabaker and others.  I'm heading to Adams Friday to ski the S ridge or possibly the SW chutes.  We've never been there before and we'd like to tag the true summit while we're there.  I'm curious to know whether it gets too steep to skin all the way to the true summit?   Are ice axe and boot crampons (assuming firmer snow up top) generally required for the last bit?  I'd like to leave the extra gear behind if I can get away with it.  Thanks in advance to anyone with advice on that.


Hi Mark,

Hard to say what you'll need, but given this week's hot weather it will probably be fairly soft up there.  That said, I still had my boot crampons, though I took a whippet and not an axe last weekend.  We didn't go to the top though.  Also worth noting that there's a small glacier up there, on climber's left.  I think you can stay off of it by sticking to the talus/edge of the snow, but keep it in mind.  If the conditions were right you could skin it, but we found it faster to boot when we were last there -- it gets fairly steep.

To follow up on Jims comment about only one chute being open.  We were up there last weekend and only the left hand chute (viewed from above) is continuous now.

author=Jim Oker link=topic=10598.msg43083#msg43083 date=1215636332]
you're likely an awesome dog owner who only takes you loyal pal on tours that are appropriate for him to fully enjoy

And hopefully take along the pooper scooper and bluebag for the dog, too, to spare us all the sort of unpleasant excrement we find mainly at the start of ski tours in late spring snow.  Let the flames begin, maybe continue discussion at Random Tracks?

For what it's worth, my dog climbed to the summit of Adams with me last year and "skied" the SW chutes w/ me the year before.  He's in great shape, though (puts me to shame) and has better traction than me, even when I have  ski crampons on.  But, if I was going on something where I thought I would need boot crampons and/or an ice ax for myself, then I personally would leave him home.  I imagine these might be necessary on the ridge or chutes on Adams if conditions were well frozen.

Blue-bagging is a good question, seems like if it's a place where we people would do it, then maybe we should follow suit for our pups too...

author=DG link=topic=10598.msg43114#msg43114 date=1215666931]
Blue-bagging is a good question, seems like if it's a place where we people would do it, then maybe we should follow suit for our pups too...


Seems like a reasonable line to draw, along with not leaving it in the middle of trails (as with the cat track from the upper lot at Alpental - ewww!

And to be clear, I certianly did not mean to say that no dog could/should do the tour. Agreed on traction - I've been impressed but have also seen the limit and humans needing cramps is somewhere around the line.

I wasn't aware you could take poochs up Adams or I would have taken mine. Given the conditions yesterday, it would have been a cake walk for any dog with a little bit of endurance.

And yes, Please!! Anyone taking your dog out. Please be considerate with the pooh.

Let's try this thumb nail thing one more time...

two more times...

three?



Can I at least get one of them emoticons with the guy banging head on a brick wall?

Look for yourself. Adam's south side, 7-9-08 4pm.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/luckyana/Adams%207-9-2008/adams7-9-08068.jpg

Hi everyone,
  Sorry to have opened a can of worms, I was afraid that my mention of bringing my dog could conjure up lots of opinions or assumptions.  Sorry if it's done that.  Yes, of course I'm planning on blue bagging for him.  Also, I'm fully aware of his capabilities in terms of fitness and grip on varied terrain, I've toured with him a lot.  My inquiry was simply whether or not that top section below pikers was real steep (I just coudn't remember, it had been a while) because I was afraid that if it's icy he won't be able to grip, and in that case I might opt to try and climb the chutes directly so that if we had to turn around due to that issue, we'd already be on our ski line.  Either way, turning around is always and option if the pooch can't make it, but he usually can.  Just trying to plan our route efficiently.  Thanks for the concern, and again, sorry to open the can of worms. 

Have a fun outing, Wiley!

Certainly no can of worms from my perspective, and I probably should have just left it at answering your question.

author=Jim Oker link=topic=10598.msg43083#msg43083 date=1215636332]
I have one dog who, in her prime (she's now 15 and slowing down a LOT, but in her day was the most athletic dog I've ever known)


Speaking of fit dogs.  This year at Steven Pass, we were getting onto the Double Diamond lift and on the chair ahead of us a patroller got on and left his dog to follow up on foot.  That dog headed straight up under the lift line on snow that was not firm but not too deep either.  With some encouragement, the dog made it to the top to meet his/her master when he got there!  I couldn't believe it!  Anyone who has ridden that lift knows that it rises in a sustained way.

Alan

I'd like to see him try that on 7th heaven ;)

That is some climb though. Especially the last section that hardly gets ridden.

Hot tip for anybody riding the slack country at Steven's... Carry a hot dog in your pocket. I dropped into tye bowl after a patroller and dog, and found a giant sack of cut up hot dogs they had lost. It took me a bit to catch up to them, but when I did, the dog knew I was holdin.

No intentions of being one of the worms coming out of the can. No worries here.


Reply to this TR

5496
adams-7-7-08
Joedabaker
2008-07-07 18:44:43