July 10, 2010, Paradise Glacier and Nisqually chute

Original plan for the day had been to check out the Mowich Road opening and Flett Russell but wasn't feeling that well and decided enroute would rather do something easier. Got to Paradise by driving all the way to Ohana and up the Stevens Canyon road. Turns out that it takes 2 hours 45, pretty comparable to what takes to drive the regular way, lots prettier, and it got me around the I405 foulup too. Once at Paradise, first time I have parked in the lower lot, definitely helps the parking situation to have that open (lots were definitely full during the day but I found a spot pretty easy).

Tons of climbers and people day hiking to Muir. I cut over at mcClure and climbed the side of the PG, would rather be the sideshow than at the circus.

Warm day but not crazy hot, occasional refreshing breeze. Topped out Anvil @ 3. Snow was slightly oversoft but still good corn on Anvil steep, a little stickier but also still good on the upper Paradise Glacier. Stopped about 200vf above McClure and traversed all the way over to the Chute entrance, much of it a climbing traverse.



Was a little worried that at this late hour it would be a snow cone, but no! In fact the snow in Chute had firmer base and generally skied better than  the PG did. Although there is a big tongue of debris to cross in the very bottom lower middle, even the debris was soft and didn't ski too bad. Only 3 other tracks in Chute this day and they had inexplicably skied the W side that looked runneled rather than the nice smooth E side apron where I skied. Older tracks here that were visible but created no bumps at all.



Definitely a good day out with the bonus of catching the chute in great condition even at an improbable time of day. And 100% JOM with 5K worth of skiing to the bumper (nearly) in July. One thing nice about lower lot parking while there is still snow cover is that skiing out Deadhorse Creek is a much more natural slope for getting through all the post Pan Point stuff, and it goes right to the lot.