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4/14 Traverse in the Chiwaukums

4/14/10
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Posted by Kyle Miller on 4/16/10 5:03am
Scott and I did a
Dude, nice pics and way to nail it you guys!  Great pics Kyle!  Did you guys eat some delicious breakfast sandwiches to help you on your way? ;)

Very well done! Kick-ass fantastic.  I've always wanted to snowboard up there.  Incredible terrain with a trailhead within 30 minutes of my house.

Cool pics and nice one guys! Although I do call BS on your comment, "Scott took the lead..." booting up the couloir, unless there were smoked burgers waiting for him at the top.

That is such awesome terrain up there. I spent many summers hiking as a youngster up there. Glad you got a piece of that action, always wanted to ski that prominent chute and the Swath.
I am surprised how much snow there is in the Swath with the bad season and all.
Great work!


author=Joedabaker link=topic=16396.msg68519#msg68519 date=1271467336]
That is such awesome terrain up there. I spent many summers hiking as a youngster up there. Glad you got a piece of that action, always wanted to ski that prominent chute and the Swath.
I am surprised how much snow there is in the Swath with the bad season and all.
Great work!



JOe The Swath needs to be hit. Call me ;)
Amazing Kyle, great photos.

Good work. I am curious if you topped out on the actual true summit of Big C? If not what would your impression be of continuing on from where you reached your high point.

Thanks,

Eric

"I call BS"

I got in front by accident, and then Kyle couldn't get around me. No burgers, but we did have some smoked salmon and summer sausage up top... and then snorted some dehydrated gu.

It really was an awesome route. Thanks to Kyle for doing a great job at planning this out.

From our vantage I would say the summit looked obtainable, but somewhat technical. it was corniced and getting alot of sun.



Sweet! Thanks for the stoke.

Good gettin guys!
Way to represent the split boarders.

Great pictures Kyle.  It definately looks good up there.

So I have free-based Gu but never snorted it.  Sounds straight off eight mile.  ;)
Is it worth dehydrating?

Nice trip Kyle! Thanks for the link to Oyvind's report too.  I have been wondering if any TAYers have been getting to the Big Chiawaukum chutes.  The route home looks to make it a classic 1 or 2 day tour!  Back in the 80's and early 90's I did several weekend trips up Wildhorse creek after Stevens would close and usuallly skied both sides of Deadhorse pass.  Those trips were on "toothpicks and tennis shoes" so the chutes were not even considered.  In the Spring of 1997 Jack Soukup (Still on the Stevens Patrol) and I toured from Scottish Lakes High Camp through Deadhorse pass to a camp below the chutes.  The next day it was socked in but not bad conditions for booting up and skiing down the big chute (Hoodoo chute, you can see it in Oyvind's photo) cautiously as it was quite solid and we were on teles (alpine skis and early beefy boots).  A week or two later a couple of other Stevens locals skied the shorter chute.  I do not know if these were firsts at that time but few people in the NW ever went that far to ski rock chutes with the gear available.  Most tours would likely have been limited to things like Deadhorse pass.  Wow! how things have changed in just 13 years!  Glad to see someone is getting there when conditions are ripe and you can rip, you did!

SkierY,

Thanks for that interesting bit of history!

Nice work getting out there Kyle et al. At least it is more successful than our last trip there. Too bad i couldn't join you, but warmer weather beckoned!

Back in the mid 70's I worked in a small bakery with a guy named Karl Ritchie who had a cabin/home on Sunland DR,  just East of the White Pine road. He has long passed, I assume, unless he is in his early 100's. He used regale stories of hiking and skiing the Chiwaukum and Stevens Pass areas in the 40's. Way before there were any lifts, maybe a rope tow or T-bar at Stevens.
I was always amazed by this stout old euro with his sagging barrel chest and thick accent. His back ached from many years of skiing and baking, but he kept me on the edge of my prepubescent seat reeling through his adventures blazed by youthful legs and wooden skis. While I was wallowing around the Chiwaukum's foothills on my leather boots and cross country skis, his stories made me feel like Karl and his Euro buddies were as big as mountains that entertained his tales.

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4-14-traverse-in-the-chiwaukums
Kyle Miller
2010-04-16 12:03:18