June 22, 2013, Mt. Adams, SW Chutes
6/22/13
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
3869
3
Spectacular day on Adams today. The fact that the narrow weather window of opportunity lined up with a Saturday made for epic crowds. SW Chutes were in prime shape. Snow only got sticky at the exit to the chutes. Random thoughts are below:
Road: I heard a lot about the rough condition of this road. The only rough part about it was the waterbars. Our honda minivan made it no problem. We even passed two subies and a Jeep on the way out.
Parking lot: Lived up to its crowded reputation. One small pile of snow kept cars from accessing the very large parking area by the vault toilets. If only that would get plowed, parking pressures would be alleviated. We snagged a spot right next to the TH. If we had been smart, we would have walked our sleeping bags to the parking area (above) to get away from the late night circus of cars pulling up, not finding spots, and turning around. To the jackass who showed up at midnight and spent 30 minutes blathering on about his praxis skis, we all thank you for sharing.
Weather: Way hotter and sunnier than the forecast. Took a nap on Pikers for an hour waiting for my friend. Had to be at least 70 degrees. Zero wind.
Chutes: we took the far skier's left option (dropping in immediately after the flat bench at Piker's). Seemed almost unskied (most people went more right). Velvety smooth, about 1" of corn. Evidence of several recent slides once we got about 1/2 way down (8" crown spanning most of the chute).
Exit: As you exit the chute, the route is really obvious. You follow a bowl / drainage to the left and head towards a bit of a saddle that is very clear. Round this low spot to the left (you are at 7000' at this point) and then start traversing, staying as high as possible. Maybe 3-4 short carries. One 200-300' skin up to gain an obvious snow tongue over one of the ridges. This was our first time on the route, so a bit confusing. It will be a piece of cake the next time.
Fun! Go get some!
Road: I heard a lot about the rough condition of this road. The only rough part about it was the waterbars. Our honda minivan made it no problem. We even passed two subies and a Jeep on the way out.
Parking lot: Lived up to its crowded reputation. One small pile of snow kept cars from accessing the very large parking area by the vault toilets. If only that would get plowed, parking pressures would be alleviated. We snagged a spot right next to the TH. If we had been smart, we would have walked our sleeping bags to the parking area (above) to get away from the late night circus of cars pulling up, not finding spots, and turning around. To the jackass who showed up at midnight and spent 30 minutes blathering on about his praxis skis, we all thank you for sharing.
Weather: Way hotter and sunnier than the forecast. Took a nap on Pikers for an hour waiting for my friend. Had to be at least 70 degrees. Zero wind.
Chutes: we took the far skier's left option (dropping in immediately after the flat bench at Piker's). Seemed almost unskied (most people went more right). Velvety smooth, about 1" of corn. Evidence of several recent slides once we got about 1/2 way down (8" crown spanning most of the chute).
Exit: As you exit the chute, the route is really obvious. You follow a bowl / drainage to the left and head towards a bit of a saddle that is very clear. Round this low spot to the left (you are at 7000' at this point) and then start traversing, staying as high as possible. Maybe 3-4 short carries. One 200-300' skin up to gain an obvious snow tongue over one of the ridges. This was our first time on the route, so a bit confusing. It will be a piece of cake the next time.
Fun! Go get some!
Awesome! Great Report.
Great TR. ;)
It was indeed a great day to ski the SW chutes of Mount Adams. Excellent conditions. it was my first time on Adams and I can say that I've never skied something quite like the SW chutes. Phenomenal!
We dropped a little too low and had to track back up to make the lip you describe in your TR. I think we might have found and followed your skin track there. Thanks! :)
We dropped a little too low and had to track back up to make the lip you describe in your TR. I think we might have found and followed your skin track there. Thanks! :)
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