June 4, Mt. Adams Summit and SW Chutes
6/4/13
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
3713
2
Mike, Brad, and I left the Seattle area around 9pm Monday, arrived at the Cold Springs TH at something like 2:30am after a quick stop at the ranger station for climbing permits. The FS obviously did a bunch of great work smoothing down the first half of the dirt road - it was in awesome condition. The latter half still retains its rough road character, but nothing the '95 Honda Accord "Mountainmobile" edition couldn't handle. No snow till the TH - we're guessing the burned forest canopy allows snow to melt out sooner than in years past?
Alarm went off at 5am, we were on the trail by 5:45am. (Mike forgot his boots in his truck at my apartment - blast! Luckily we had an ice axe and he ran off with trail runners & the axe, and had a good time doing a solo run up and down the mountain)
Brad and I made our way up the trail, walking somewhere between .5 and 1 mi before starting to skin - there were enough patches that made it more efficient to boot the first bit. Smooth sailing up to lunch rock - climbers path is currently going more directly over the South Butte rather than following the summer trail through the Crescent Gl. (Makes sense.) We had shade from clouds blowing in from the east until about 9am, though Suksdorf Ridge and the summit were getting light before the lower down areas. Lunch rock by 8:30, top of Pikers by 11. Brad beat me by a half hour or so and had a nap out of the wind in the sun. Ski crampons were used about halfway up to Pikers; there are little icy chunks and glassy proto-melt-freeze in spots that make pure skinning difficult.
We spent some time eating & chatting with other folks between Pikers and the true summit, then headed up to the actual summit ridge. Lots of snow up there on top of the shack - no sign of that shack at all. Summitted around 12:30, again with Brad getting there earlier.
Left the summit around 1ish; ski down was good sugar snow in places but the windblown bumps made it a bit interesting in parts. That was my experience anyhow - Brad blasted GS turns down the whole summit face, so it can be skiied in style :)
SW chutes around 1:15, awesome conditions. We skied the skier's right largest chute, as the entrances to the other ones had more of that lovely icy-chunk windblown crud. That is a fine, fine ski run. I had a lot more fun than I did skiing Shasta's West Face - probably has something to do with not biffing on ice and throwing a ski downslope this time ;)
The traverse out of the bottom of the chutes took us roughly 1:45 - 3:15pm - lots of sidehilling, a lot of sidestepping, and some good rock/tree skiing. Wouldn't be the PNW without a schwack. Lots of those little ridges will melt out in the next few days, necessitating more ski carries than we had (one or two). Managed to rejoin the trail about a half mile from the cars and walk out by 3:30.
Pictures to follow, but in the meantime this weather's too good - gotta get out and enjoy it!
Alarm went off at 5am, we were on the trail by 5:45am. (Mike forgot his boots in his truck at my apartment - blast! Luckily we had an ice axe and he ran off with trail runners & the axe, and had a good time doing a solo run up and down the mountain)
Brad and I made our way up the trail, walking somewhere between .5 and 1 mi before starting to skin - there were enough patches that made it more efficient to boot the first bit. Smooth sailing up to lunch rock - climbers path is currently going more directly over the South Butte rather than following the summer trail through the Crescent Gl. (Makes sense.) We had shade from clouds blowing in from the east until about 9am, though Suksdorf Ridge and the summit were getting light before the lower down areas. Lunch rock by 8:30, top of Pikers by 11. Brad beat me by a half hour or so and had a nap out of the wind in the sun. Ski crampons were used about halfway up to Pikers; there are little icy chunks and glassy proto-melt-freeze in spots that make pure skinning difficult.
We spent some time eating & chatting with other folks between Pikers and the true summit, then headed up to the actual summit ridge. Lots of snow up there on top of the shack - no sign of that shack at all. Summitted around 12:30, again with Brad getting there earlier.
Left the summit around 1ish; ski down was good sugar snow in places but the windblown bumps made it a bit interesting in parts. That was my experience anyhow - Brad blasted GS turns down the whole summit face, so it can be skiied in style :)
SW chutes around 1:15, awesome conditions. We skied the skier's right largest chute, as the entrances to the other ones had more of that lovely icy-chunk windblown crud. That is a fine, fine ski run. I had a lot more fun than I did skiing Shasta's West Face - probably has something to do with not biffing on ice and throwing a ski downslope this time ;)
The traverse out of the bottom of the chutes took us roughly 1:45 - 3:15pm - lots of sidehilling, a lot of sidestepping, and some good rock/tree skiing. Wouldn't be the PNW without a schwack. Lots of those little ridges will melt out in the next few days, necessitating more ski carries than we had (one or two). Managed to rejoin the trail about a half mile from the cars and walk out by 3:30.
Pictures to follow, but in the meantime this weather's too good - gotta get out and enjoy it!
author=ejk link=topic=28739.msg120854#msg120854 date=1370457399]
Mike forgot his boots in his truck at my apartment - blast! Luckily we had an ice axe and he ran off with trail runners & the axe, and had a good time doing a solo run up and down the mountain
We ran into Brad on the summit, then at the trailhead again. He was getting a little worried about you two at the trailhead, glad to hear you made it down alright. For whatever reason he thought the traverse would take a much shorter amount of time.
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