December 22, 2004, Nisqually Chutes
12/22/04
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
2343
2
Chains required on the road past the Nisqually Bridge in the morning today. I put my chains on even earlier where the snow started sticking to the road at Carter Falls TH, because I had to use my very unsnowworthy 2WD truck to get up there, our good mountain car was in use while company in town. By the time I left at 3PM tho road was mostly cleared.
Gate opened around 9:30.
In the morning, the choice was between good weather and good snow - the good weather being to go high and the good snow to stay low. I decided to go high thinking that the Chutes might be nice. And the initial skin to Pan Pt was thru 3 inches of delightful fluffy snow on top of the boilerplate. Then however things changed - no more fluffy snow! I think all the snow at Paradise on telemetry came out of cloud layers that didn't drop anything at all above 7200 feet or so. The initial skin up the winter way to Pan Pt was OK but as soon as topping out the ice got more and more dicey, time consuming to climb and lots of slippy sliding. I think the summer way to the low Pebble trail might be better.
Anyways as I headed across to the Chute entrance across this NHL regulation ice I got more and more nervous about the condition of the Chutes proper. I could see some recent tracks but these proved to be frozen in tracks from people that did it when it was softer. The only other skier I saw all day was coming back down from the Chute entrance after pronouncing it a no go, and this turned out to be TAY poster Skinveen. We discussed the viability of it and I decided I needed to at least look at it. As I got close the ice got just plastic enough that I decided it might be possible. I tried to get in to it from the side, the normal entrance was definitely scary glary ice. Through this section I tried a little experiment skiing with heels locked down and skins still on, the theory being that the skins would help eat some of the speed from what was occasionally very skaty ice. This was a good way to get into the chute safely when traversing in but did NOT work once I started turning - the skins railed my turn attempts so that I couldn't finish quickly and the result was several ungraceful huge arcing jump turns. I doubt this was helping with the speed either. Won't try that again. Once I got to a point where there was at least a little surface snow, I got the skins off and the rest of the run was much more pleasant. Toward the bottom it was in fact mightyfine - 3 inches of that fluff again on the boilerplate, just enough to get good purchase in and feel like a powder turn, albeit one with much crunchiness underneath.
I also saw that Skinveen had made his way into the Chutes after all, via a long traverse in from the side, and made some awesome turns. Fortunately he re-interpreted my somewhat bad beta about how to still get down to the Nisqually from farther toward Pebble Creek (that often works, but not now - a couple of breakover rocks are not nearly covered enough and most of it is cliffed now, I hadn't paid enough attention to that fact on the way up) and had made a skiers right traverse of some 600 yards to get to exactly the point of the chute where it started getting really good. Good call Skinveen and sorry if I misled ya it looked like it turned out all good!
The best snow was on the lower flatter part. There was also good snow on the slopes I skinned up to get out of the moraine. If I had to do it all over, I'd drop the moraine in the first place, then skin up the flat part, and finally boot the Chute to the point where the snow started to disappear to be replaced by the nasty ice. That way all the hassles of the upper slopes including getting over Pan Pt could be avoided, and all the good parts of the trip could have been enjoyed.
I think in general the coverage around Paradise proper is starting to get good, and now there's fresh snow, whereas the Muir snowfield has been getting worse and worse. If I go up Paradise again this winter/spring I'll be making it a point to stay below 7K until stuff corns or otherwise improves up there.
Gate opened around 9:30.
In the morning, the choice was between good weather and good snow - the good weather being to go high and the good snow to stay low. I decided to go high thinking that the Chutes might be nice. And the initial skin to Pan Pt was thru 3 inches of delightful fluffy snow on top of the boilerplate. Then however things changed - no more fluffy snow! I think all the snow at Paradise on telemetry came out of cloud layers that didn't drop anything at all above 7200 feet or so. The initial skin up the winter way to Pan Pt was OK but as soon as topping out the ice got more and more dicey, time consuming to climb and lots of slippy sliding. I think the summer way to the low Pebble trail might be better.
Anyways as I headed across to the Chute entrance across this NHL regulation ice I got more and more nervous about the condition of the Chutes proper. I could see some recent tracks but these proved to be frozen in tracks from people that did it when it was softer. The only other skier I saw all day was coming back down from the Chute entrance after pronouncing it a no go, and this turned out to be TAY poster Skinveen. We discussed the viability of it and I decided I needed to at least look at it. As I got close the ice got just plastic enough that I decided it might be possible. I tried to get in to it from the side, the normal entrance was definitely scary glary ice. Through this section I tried a little experiment skiing with heels locked down and skins still on, the theory being that the skins would help eat some of the speed from what was occasionally very skaty ice. This was a good way to get into the chute safely when traversing in but did NOT work once I started turning - the skins railed my turn attempts so that I couldn't finish quickly and the result was several ungraceful huge arcing jump turns. I doubt this was helping with the speed either. Won't try that again. Once I got to a point where there was at least a little surface snow, I got the skins off and the rest of the run was much more pleasant. Toward the bottom it was in fact mightyfine - 3 inches of that fluff again on the boilerplate, just enough to get good purchase in and feel like a powder turn, albeit one with much crunchiness underneath.
I also saw that Skinveen had made his way into the Chutes after all, via a long traverse in from the side, and made some awesome turns. Fortunately he re-interpreted my somewhat bad beta about how to still get down to the Nisqually from farther toward Pebble Creek (that often works, but not now - a couple of breakover rocks are not nearly covered enough and most of it is cliffed now, I hadn't paid enough attention to that fact on the way up) and had made a skiers right traverse of some 600 yards to get to exactly the point of the chute where it started getting really good. Good call Skinveen and sorry if I misled ya it looked like it turned out all good!
The best snow was on the lower flatter part. There was also good snow on the slopes I skinned up to get out of the moraine. If I had to do it all over, I'd drop the moraine in the first place, then skin up the flat part, and finally boot the Chute to the point where the snow started to disappear to be replaced by the nasty ice. That way all the hassles of the upper slopes including getting over Pan Pt could be avoided, and all the good parts of the trip could have been enjoyed.
I think in general the coverage around Paradise proper is starting to get good, and now there's fresh snow, whereas the Muir snowfield has been getting worse and worse. If I go up Paradise again this winter/spring I'll be making it a point to stay below 7K until stuff corns or otherwise improves up there.
Thanks for this report. We are planning on heading to this general area on Sunday and will take your elevation suggestions into consideration.
Also, thanks for sharing your skins on, locked heals experience. I've tried it too and had similar results, but thought it was all related to my propensity to gack on ice.
Is it your experience that the Muir snowfield remains windswept and icy throughout the winter or might the expected snowfall later this week soften things up?
Again, thanks for the many details. I think that's why we share these things.
Also, thanks for sharing your skins on, locked heals experience. I've tried it too and had similar results, but thought it was all related to my propensity to gack on ice.
Is it your experience that the Muir snowfield remains windswept and icy throughout the winter or might the expected snowfall later this week soften things up?
Again, thanks for the many details. I think that's why we share these things.
Wolfs, it was a pleasure chatting with you yesterday.
I was able to sneak in under the boiler plate on the chute proper, but it was a bit sketchy traversing over some very steep water ice to get there. As you said, no complaints from midchute down. Looking back I figured your first few turns must have been over some wicked ice, but your skin trick explains the drastic difference from your turns lower down. Glad to see that you were able to make it in from the top but all in all where I entered worked out just fine.
Send me a PM next time and I'll see if I can't save you from chaining up.
Scott
I was able to sneak in under the boiler plate on the chute proper, but it was a bit sketchy traversing over some very steep water ice to get there. As you said, no complaints from midchute down. Looking back I figured your first few turns must have been over some wicked ice, but your skin trick explains the drastic difference from your turns lower down. Glad to see that you were able to make it in from the top but all in all where I entered worked out just fine.
Send me a PM next time and I'll see if I can't save you from chaining up.
Scott
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