May 17, 2016, Chinook Pass â Opened Today
5/17/16
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
3621
3
On Monday I noticed that Chinook Pass would open on Tuesday, the 17th and the weather would be great. Nice surprise. The area was quiet, I only saw one snowboarder and 3 skiers. The slope next to the rest stop had one snowboarder kicking steps to make his first tracks. At the pullout on the south side there were no folks. Great coverage looking south and at Zap's Peak at 6567'. ;) I parked at Tipsoo Lake, and the big problem was getting over the snow berm. I did a circumnavigation o f Naches Peak. Wow, it's been 6 years since I've done that tour. The east facing bowl was good, but it was soft. The north and west slopes were perfect before noon. I got lucky with both the snow and the weather.
Great route. Didn't we do that tour together 4-5 years ago?
Hey Zap - any intel on the snow depth and conditions up at the pass itself? How is it holding up this year with all the warm days. It is my favorite Memorial Weekend tradition for 20+ years. Thanks for making the first tracks this year and scoping it out!
The east-ish facing bowl is holding snow nicely as of the afternoon of 4/18. The snow in that bowl was getting pretty sticky and slow about 500' below the summit of Naches Peak. There's also plenty of snow on the north side (no surprise there). The south slopes seem to be melting out pretty quickly (again, no surprise) with large patches of bare dirt/rock open on the upper portions of Naches. The west bowl is holding up better and for now, there's a skiable ramp leading into the upper portion of the west bowl. The pond and creek on the east side of highway, just across from Tipsoo Lake are partially melted out. The forecast low freezing levels should keep conditions from deteriorating too much for at least the next few days.
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