April 22, 2004, Chair Peak Loop
4/22/04
WA Snoqualmie Pass
2747
3
After dropping my son off at school I headed to Alpental for a "School Day Patrol." I'd never done the Chair Peak loop before and this seemed like a good time for it.
Although the circumnavigation of Chair Peak has only recently appeared in a guidebook (by Martin Volken) this is a very old tour. In the 1928 Mountaineer Annual, Mrs. Stuart P. Walsh wrote: "A party of four cross-countried from Denny Creek to Melakwa Lakes over the divide to Melakwa Pass, to Snow Lake and back to the [Snoqualmie] Lodge, and reported this to be the finest trip in the Lodge country." It's about time I checked it out!
I left the parking lot at 10:30 a.m. and skinned up the trail to Source Lake. As I climbed toward Pineapple basin, the snow became very mushy. Volken's high route over Bryant-Chair col looked unsavory. I checked the map and decided that Hemlock-Bryant col might be reasonable, so headed that way. The gully to the notch was quite steep (probably fifty degrees) but offered good step kicking. On the west side a gentle vale and a short gully led to the bench south of Melakwa Lake. I glided to the upper lake and found a flat rock for a boots-off lunch stop.
I'd hoped to climb and ski Kaleetan Peak, but conditions looked bad. The snow was rotting in the sun and peeling off the rocks. I skinned to Melakwa Pass and found the best skiing of the trip on the slope down to Chair Peak Lake. From the lake I took the direct gully down to Snow Lake. This was very sluffy and I ski cut it repeatedly to clear a safe path down.
There was a lot of recent slide activity off Roosevelt Peak. The north side of Chair Peak was a mess, with big recent sluffs and lots of glide cracks. I skied across Snow Lake (no water showing yet) and climbed to the Source Lake divide. After another short break, I glided back to Alpental, arriving at 2 p.m. Overall, I found the skiing poor. The new snow received during the past few weeks is poorly consolidated. The loop is a nice tour though. I can see why the old-timers liked it.
Although the circumnavigation of Chair Peak has only recently appeared in a guidebook (by Martin Volken) this is a very old tour. In the 1928 Mountaineer Annual, Mrs. Stuart P. Walsh wrote: "A party of four cross-countried from Denny Creek to Melakwa Lakes over the divide to Melakwa Pass, to Snow Lake and back to the [Snoqualmie] Lodge, and reported this to be the finest trip in the Lodge country." It's about time I checked it out!
I left the parking lot at 10:30 a.m. and skinned up the trail to Source Lake. As I climbed toward Pineapple basin, the snow became very mushy. Volken's high route over Bryant-Chair col looked unsavory. I checked the map and decided that Hemlock-Bryant col might be reasonable, so headed that way. The gully to the notch was quite steep (probably fifty degrees) but offered good step kicking. On the west side a gentle vale and a short gully led to the bench south of Melakwa Lake. I glided to the upper lake and found a flat rock for a boots-off lunch stop.
I'd hoped to climb and ski Kaleetan Peak, but conditions looked bad. The snow was rotting in the sun and peeling off the rocks. I skinned to Melakwa Pass and found the best skiing of the trip on the slope down to Chair Peak Lake. From the lake I took the direct gully down to Snow Lake. This was very sluffy and I ski cut it repeatedly to clear a safe path down.
There was a lot of recent slide activity off Roosevelt Peak. The north side of Chair Peak was a mess, with big recent sluffs and lots of glide cracks. I skied across Snow Lake (no water showing yet) and climbed to the Source Lake divide. After another short break, I glided back to Alpental, arriving at 2 p.m. Overall, I found the skiing poor. The new snow received during the past few weeks is poorly consolidated. The loop is a nice tour though. I can see why the old-timers liked it.
A very grand ski, eh, Lowell?
It seems the Kaleetan side trip has been much sought after of late. We were lucky enough to be able to ski off the summit (table top sized!) of Kaleetan 3/21/04, on our way around Chair. Even then the route was anemic in the middle, but made the skiing choice through the bottleneck. Our day was bluebird and warm with a superb corn set up at about noon. Powder (cascade at least) was found going back over Melakwa's north face (where you, too found great snow!). A very curious, rewarding skiing day.
And the return ski off Kaleetan's East face into Melakwa pass - it sho' is steeper then expected!
Over all, if you can believe it, the side trip actually cranks up the Chair Pk Circ. by a notch or two. You stumble out to your car grin from ear to ear with your day.
Maybe this year was different in how the wind deposited snow into the summit couloir, but March seemed to be the ideal time to ski the Kaleetan-Chair loop.
It seems the Kaleetan side trip has been much sought after of late. We were lucky enough to be able to ski off the summit (table top sized!) of Kaleetan 3/21/04, on our way around Chair. Even then the route was anemic in the middle, but made the skiing choice through the bottleneck. Our day was bluebird and warm with a superb corn set up at about noon. Powder (cascade at least) was found going back over Melakwa's north face (where you, too found great snow!). A very curious, rewarding skiing day.
And the return ski off Kaleetan's East face into Melakwa pass - it sho' is steeper then expected!
Over all, if you can believe it, the side trip actually cranks up the Chair Pk Circ. by a notch or two. You stumble out to your car grin from ear to ear with your day.
Maybe this year was different in how the wind deposited snow into the summit couloir, but March seemed to be the ideal time to ski the Kaleetan-Chair loop.
As a follow up, here's a shot of the route when it's "in".
And a glory shot of Matt skiing with the summit chute behind, (Sorry, charles, couldn't resist. It's snow cover related. Honest)
And a glory shot of Matt skiing with the summit chute behind, (Sorry, charles, couldn't resist. It's snow cover related. Honest)
I think MW88888888 hit it on the head - March is the best time to ski Kaleetan. The summit gully is steep and faces due south; it's bordered by rocks and has rocks in the center that heat up in the sun. Consequently it melts out pretty quickly.
The Chair loop w/ Kaleetan side trip is the nicest tour I've done near Snoqualmie Pass. The descent off Kaleetan is beautiful. You can click in directly on the summit, then ski a continuous spiral around the mountain - down the gully, down the east face directly to Melakwa Pass, then down to Snow Lake. The summit is small and feels like a summit. It's worth the effort to get it in good conditions.
The Chair loop w/ Kaleetan side trip is the nicest tour I've done near Snoqualmie Pass. The descent off Kaleetan is beautiful. You can click in directly on the summit, then ski a continuous spiral around the mountain - down the gully, down the east face directly to Melakwa Pass, then down to Snow Lake. The summit is small and feels like a summit. It's worth the effort to get it in good conditions.
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