Home > Trip Reports > June 27, Adams SW Chutes with my 10yr Old

June 27, Adams SW Chutes with my 10yr Old

6/15/09
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
8883
17
Posted by Mofro on 6/30/09 8:15am
Seems everyone and their 10yr old was skiing Mt Adams this past weekend. The snow and weather were perfect, here's a little father and son TR from a successful day on Saturday.

Mt Adams SW Chutes, 06/27/09
Mofro and Christopher, age 10
Possible youngest descent of SW chutes??

A few years ago when he was 7, I took my son to climb and ski Mt. Adams but we had to turn around at 10K still a few thousand feet from the top in 2006. The plan was to return the next summer and get it again, but my nasty habit of needing ACL repair in May 2007 and AGAIN in May 2008 kept us away. I was able to kick my rehab habit this year,  and we were set to go down and get after it again on Fathers Day but the weather wouldn€™t cooperate.  Finally on Saturday along with a throng of hikers and skiers,  Little C. bagged his first volcano ski descent.

We pulled into the lot at the Cold Springs campground a little after 4pm Friday and it was already nearly packed with cars. Having forgot the earplugs, we decided to hike up to the snow line and camp to give us a better shot at a good nights sleep and making the top the next day. We climbed up from the lot to around 6500ft and a spot with a nice view of the SW chutes.  After teaching the little guy to play Texas Hold Em (he cleaned me out of MM's by catching a straight on the river to beat my 3 aces), we caught a beautiful sunset and racked out for the night. Neither one of us slept very well, probably nervous about the next day and I was just entering the good deep sleep when the alarm went off at 5:15. We started off skinning just before 6am and the mountain was already bustling with people.

I had Christopher using my ski crampons, but the firm sun cupped snow and his short 138cm skis were making it a tough go and we switched over to booting after an hour. The early morning mixed skin/switch to booting had us going a little slower than I€™d hoped, but just passed 8000ft the snow softened and the pitch moderated and we made up some time skinning up to the Lunch Counter. After a good 30min break at the LC we skinned about a quarter of the way up to Piker's Peak before switching back to booting along with the masses.  Booting was much faster and we rallied up to the False Summit at 1000K/hr, arriving just before noon.

After another break we started out skinning again toward the summit but after a short ways the altitude and the toll of the mornings 5K of climbing got to the little guy, so we stopped just before the last steep and Christopher had a 20 min nap. Starting out again it was 50 steps, rest, 40 steps, rest, 30... until finally, just before 1:30 we hit the top. We took it all in and had celebratory beers at the summit- MUG for Christopher and a very tasty Mirror Pond for me. We hung out on top for almost an hour, re-fueled, I bumped into some old ski buddies I hadn't seen in at least 5 years and got caught up, then it was time to ski. Unfortunately this was where I somehow messed up the white balance on the camera and all of the ski photos came out grainy/overexposed. Grrr.

The ski down was fantastic. Smooth ripened corn skiers left off the Summit, and Christopher let them run. We dropped into the SW chutes and skied the center line, Christopher said it was like skiing International at Alpental, only twice as long and no moguls. I actually asked him to slow it down.

The line down the SW chutes puts you out a couple of miles from the South climb trail, and we needed to get back to 6500ft to break camp and then hike to the car. We started traversing left around 7K and I was hoping we€™d be able to come out above our camp. We rounded the ridge and scrambled down through a cliff band and we could see our camp- still 2 ridges over. We needed to either climb ~600ft to get above the next cliff band or descend and pick up the RTM trail and walk over and back up to camp. Christopher opted for the latter, and we linked patches down to ~6200ft and with a short walk down we hit the trail around ~6000.  Too bad the approach shoes were still at our campsite. The trail was mostly clear of snow and it was a long 1.5-2 mile walk back to the South climb trail for a very tired 10yr old, hiking in Alpine ski boots. We made it back to camp just after 5 PM and 11 hrs of climb and ski. I packed everything up and we skied the final snow patches back down to ~6200ft and then hiked out the trail back to the car, where the beer and root beer was ice cold in the cooler.

Even though it was a week late, still the best Father€™s Day present I€™ve ever had.







Thread with full pics found here
My new goal: have my daughter (now 5) become the youngest girl to ski SW chutes (then we'll walk up and snowboard it!)

This TR made my day, thanks.

Nice!  I've got a 2-year old and I can't wait to get him out in the backcountry with me when he's older.  Thanks for posting!

Very cool.  My son (now 16) and I have a tradition of skiing the Nisqually Chute on Rainier around Fathers Day every year.  We started when he was 10 and we haven't missed a year yet.  It's always one of my favorite ski days of the year.  By that age, he was already faster than me on the way down.  Now he's also faster on the way up, too.  But he still waits for me.

That's great to see you and your son climbing and skiing together.  He is quite the little shredder and has great form. 


As far as I am concerned, this says it all! Great job to the both of you, one for setting the example and the other for his young pluck!

What a Dad! and what a Son! :)

Cool.

My son and I wanted to do it last year, but the long drive kind of put me off early and then the forest fire kind of forced us elsewhere.

I am leaning in that direction with my now 12-year old sometime within the next week.  Would like to hit the weather yet avoid the throngs.

Alan

The most inspiring TR I have ever read.  As a new father to be in late aug my wife and I have been planning how we are going to get out there with our kids.  It is certainly clear that it will just enhance skiing.  Nice work kids!

Chris Janes

BEST. TR. EVER.

This is what skiing is about.

I am a big fan of Father and Son adventures. A lot of kids (and adults) don't have the the mental stamina for long outings, so its great to see a 10 year old making it to the top of an impressive mountain. I started my son on hiking trails as soon as he could walk and on back country ski trails before kindergarten. I believe that he is the youngest at 7 to climb the Golden Ears (the twin peaks straight north of Bellingham) and at 30, he still likes to ski with his old man. Keep up what ever you are doing, Mofro and you will have a mountain boy/man companion for many years.

Definitely best TR. Your son is making some rippin' turns - is he really just 10? Nice work, both of you for getting up and down, and all the way back to the root beer.

I hope I get a chance to share that kind of fun with my kids in a few years. We're having fun as it is just doing ski lessons and riding lifts - it seems to get a little easier every year.

I was recently nominated Father of the Year, but I humbly pass it off to you Mofro, and the title "Radical 10 year old ski pro" to Christopher!

Thanks for the report.

I've got an almost 1 month old little guy.  We're hoping to get out there soon.

Does your boy give ski lessons?

Way to get after it!! Christopher rips it too!!

We were also up there on Saturday and could not believe how great the snow was! Perfect timing for this trip!

My wife is still pregnant and I'm already planning this same trip in 2019!! Hopefully sooner!

Love it - way to go C and dad.  C is a ripper for sure.
My son is 10 and he is a Kristoffer, maybe we will see you around some time!

Great TR. My boy and I have been bc skiing since he was 6 and it is our passion together. We think he might have some "youngest" moves as well, not least of which was breaking the Pineapple trail at age 10. Some things in life just can't be beat, and skiing a 12,000 foot volcano with your son is one of them. Bravo.

Reply to this TR

6622
june-27-adams-sw-chutes-with-my-10yr-old
Mofro
2009-06-30 15:15:07