Home > Trip Reports > August 19, 2011, Nisqually Chute - smoothish

August 19, 2011, Nisqually Chute - smoothish

8/19/11
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
2804
4
Posted by E_N on 8/20/11 12:21pm
The entrance is pretty rough, but who doesn't like bathtub sized suncups?  After traversing below the rocks it's pretty smooth from about 8200' until the angle relaxes a bit at the pinch, then 2-3 inch deep cups to the base of the chute.  Ten more days in August, I'll put in my bet that it stays continuous until September... barely
Huge thanks for the beta! 

On Monday, although we had a good view from ascending earlier in the day, as well as my waypoint from a prior descent, still, the top is steep and has an unnerving off-camber feel, plus the view of the full length isn't available until in the heart of the chute, so I was very reassured that it had recently been skied:



Hey there E.N. Thought I should let you know I am moving to South Lake Tahoe to ski the Sierra backcountry for a couple years. Let me know if your traveling south any time soon and we should hit up some of the steeps down here.

@ Jonathan, glad I could help stoke the confidence.  I agree about the spooky factor through the top.  Kind of wish I had brought my helmet.  I was more worried about rock and kept looking up.  Think the line will last the month?


@Brandon, sorry to hear you're departing, but good choice on the destination.  Think I'll need to head south and give you a visit.  I should have called last week and tried to recruit you, it was one of those rash decisions to leave town late in the morning.  I trust you've been recovering nicely and are back on form?

I'm not familiar with late-season melting patterns on that line, but the only signs I saw of a potentially thinning snowpack were the holes starting to open up among some rocks.
Who knows, with the impressive snowpack there, might make it all the way until some autumn snow falls arrives, in which, it will have been in the entire year!

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E_N
2011-08-20 19:21:19