June 4, 2004, Denman Chutes
6/4/04
2929
1
Today was forecast as the last day of the high pressure system that brought summer back to the mountains. I was scheduled to lead a trip to the Chutes on June 5 but the forecast was for showers--kind of hard to believe based upon the beautiful day at Paradise. I really love this tour because I can park the camper next to the TH at Reflection Lakes and start skinning within 5 feet of the vehicle. No hiking on dirt or traveling horizontal for miles. The approach is the standard Castle/Pinnacle route BUT you head southwest towards the base of Pinnacle. At the large clearing/avy deposition area at about 5300', you head south to the base of Pinnacle and eventually the base of the Chutes. The big question is usually which one of the three chutes to ascend. I usually head up climbers left. It's not as steep and allows you to skin thru the gulley, into the basin and to the head of the steep face. Once at the steep face you have more choices and I usually head slightly climbers left to gain the ridgeline. The beauty of the left gully is it is usually in the shade until 9:30am and the climbing is pleasant versus the Paradise side where folks are sweating in the sun.
When I reached the base of the steep face I noticed someone had skied from the ridge down 100vf and stopped and kicked in a nice boot path back to the ridge. This was great and I followed the path to the ridge. When I reached the ridge I heard a couple of voices and met a young couple who had camped on the ridge the previous evening. These are the first people I have ever seen in this area. They had a great view of Rainier from their tent and the Tatoosh Range and south behind their tent.
I followed the ridge around to the top of Plummer Peak at 6370'. From this high point you can head down to Cliff Lake, ski the south face of Pinnacle or descend the area I call Denman Chutes between Pinnacle,Plummer and Denman Peaks. Lots of lines with steep segments interspersed with a bowl then funneling between rock bands and then opening to a wide basin. The runs are about 1200vf and north facing so the surface is usually ideal for corn even on days with a high FL. From the high point on Plummer, I skied in a NW direction and descended a steep drop towards the skiers left gully. There are numerous slots that cliff-out, so approaching them at a moderate speed increases longevity. Once in the basin, there is plenty of room to crank up the GS turn speed as you approach the narrowing chutes towards the bottom. I happened to go skiers left because it was the narrowest line and I thought it would be melted out soon. After the narrow chute, the basin opens and you get sucked down the drainage. This is where you have to reign in your testosterone level and stop. Go back and do it again, but select another slot. Once you are ready to leave, the hard part is convinving yourself that you really can not do a skiing traverse down to the vehicle. The easiest return route is following your approach path. It is a great morning ski route with plenty of exploring available if you head towards Cliff Lake. Plus your beautiful lines are visible from Paradise. :) Zap
When I reached the base of the steep face I noticed someone had skied from the ridge down 100vf and stopped and kicked in a nice boot path back to the ridge. This was great and I followed the path to the ridge. When I reached the ridge I heard a couple of voices and met a young couple who had camped on the ridge the previous evening. These are the first people I have ever seen in this area. They had a great view of Rainier from their tent and the Tatoosh Range and south behind their tent.
I followed the ridge around to the top of Plummer Peak at 6370'. From this high point you can head down to Cliff Lake, ski the south face of Pinnacle or descend the area I call Denman Chutes between Pinnacle,Plummer and Denman Peaks. Lots of lines with steep segments interspersed with a bowl then funneling between rock bands and then opening to a wide basin. The runs are about 1200vf and north facing so the surface is usually ideal for corn even on days with a high FL. From the high point on Plummer, I skied in a NW direction and descended a steep drop towards the skiers left gully. There are numerous slots that cliff-out, so approaching them at a moderate speed increases longevity. Once in the basin, there is plenty of room to crank up the GS turn speed as you approach the narrowing chutes towards the bottom. I happened to go skiers left because it was the narrowest line and I thought it would be melted out soon. After the narrow chute, the basin opens and you get sucked down the drainage. This is where you have to reign in your testosterone level and stop. Go back and do it again, but select another slot. Once you are ready to leave, the hard part is convinving yourself that you really can not do a skiing traverse down to the vehicle. The easiest return route is following your approach path. It is a great morning ski route with plenty of exploring available if you head towards Cliff Lake. Plus your beautiful lines are visible from Paradise. :) Zap