Adams SW Chutes question

Having been about 15 years since I climbed Adams and never having skied it, I have a question about the return to the South Spur route once one has skied the SW Chutes--<br><br>What problems are posed on the traverse as the snow melts while one waits for schedules and weather forecasts to converge? Does it just mean more on and off of skis and more volcanic dirt to march through or are there actual "technical" difficulties one needs to negotiate?<br><br>Any info would be helpful mostly just so I know what to expect more or less.

last 4th of July weekend was the first time I had skied the sw chutes. We didn't bother trying to do a descending traverse while on skis to get back to the south climb trail (mountain was too melted out), instead we skied down towards the trail at treeline that loops back over towards the south climb trail. <br><br>Just skied until we ran out of snow, then about fifteen minutes of offtrail hiking (and one minor ridge to scramble down) to reach the trail. <br><br>We opted to carry our running shoes up and over the mountain rather than cache them so we could switch back to shoes once we hit the trail.<br><br>I imagine its fastest to do the descending ski traverse while there's good coverage on the mountain, but once that snow is melted out, I'd recommend heading straight down to the trail and hiking around.<br>

The traverse back to the South Spur route is only worthwhile when fully (or almost fully) snow covered, when the snow is gone there is mainly blocky lava and rough moraine and small cliffs, with little smooth "volcanic dirt" to walk on. Nothing too technical if done with careful routefinding. If you're camped up high (like beside Crescent Glacier or at Lunch Counter), then the traverse is really the only feasible option to get back to camp, even though it is unpleasant walking and scrambling when bare. <br><br>If you're doing the route in a day from the car, it's much easier and faster to follow the small creek drainage which exits the 7100 ft bowl at the bottom of the SW Chutes, straight down to the Round the Mountain Trail. Several climbers trails can be found in this drainage when the snow is gone, and it's an easy descent to join the RTM beside a small waterfall at 6080 ft. The RTM trail has several annoying ascents and descents on the way back to the South Climb Trail, but it gets you back to the car in about an hour.<br>

Thanks. That answers my question. We'll be car to car in a day so no need to return to camp. Sounds like the straight shot will be the best option by the end of the month.