Home > Trip Reports > Chinook Pass traverse to Crystal Mtn June 11, 2006,

Chinook Pass traverse to Crystal Mtn June 11, 2006,

6/15/06
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
4731
10
Posted by Joedabaker on 6/12/06 10:13am
Chinook to Crystal has always been on my list of to do tours.
Mark and I started by leaving a car at Crystal and starting from Chinook.
Saw the Scotsman, his wife and lisa at the starting gate.
The snow was really quite nice, and as reported before- clear skys turned to rain 1/3 of the way into the tour. At least the visibility was good.
8.25 miles traveled 5051 up and 6802 downhill at least according to GPS readings.
The tour was a Summits and Chutes tour.
We decided that the snow is not very skicky if the chutes were steep enough.
We only donned the skins a couple times, mostly boot pack and walking with sticky ski bases up vertical.
The highlight of the tour was the chute in the center of
Nice trip.  I have usually done the traverse in late April or May, so it was encouraging to see the amount of snow around Shepards. Thanks for the GPS info.

Way to go!  That's one of my favorite lines.  We call that mountain "Peak 69" and we've tossed around a few names for that couloir (another story).  Good seeing you again this spring!

Stimbuck

wow that looked like fun :)
how long did that take?
alisa

Nice job Mark and Joe. ;D
Thanks for being patent with my husky who would have followed you all the way if he could have. :D

Alisa, my wife Pam and I had a great day at the pass .I was very proud of my wife as that was her first day of steep skinning  which she handled very well thanks to Alisa's gentle teaching. She told me to piss off. Why is that guys can't teach their wives driving or skiing?

Nice chute and congrats on your ballsy descent.
The Scotsman.

author=blitz link=topic=4919.msg20765#msg20765 date=1150220221]
how long did that take?

Counting the 1/4 mile detour to a chute that had to big a cornice to even sneeze. 7 Plus hours, no race that's for sure.

author=Stimbuck link=topic=4919.msg20747#msg20747 date=1150167409]
Way to go! That's one of my favorite lines.
Good seeing you again this spring!

Also, good seeing you and Gib this spring. Great to catch up.
I have been closed out of doing that line for a couple trips due to one reason or another.
Those other days may have been a safer (more coverage) ski than our decent.
The new locals are calling this Shepard's Chute, so I have just gone along with them since I do not have a better name and Puckers has been taken.

author=Scotsman link=topic=4919.msg20766#msg20766 date=1150220870]
Why is that guys can't teach their wives driving or skiing?

Some things we will never know.
We were kicking our selves for not giving you the keys to the truck and having you drive it to the CM access road on your way home. Every time I would say, "Man, that would have been nice if Chris..."
Mark would say don't even bring it up.
Joe

Sorry Joe. Didn't even think about that :-[. That would have been a great idea and saved you a lot of trouble.  :(
That's what happens when a bunch of fools like us get on the snow, only thing on our brains is " got to get some turns, got to beat him to the top/I like my orange ski boots/I'm thirsty/got to get some turns/my tan is coming along/got to get some turns/I think I look good in these sunglasses/ wish they would put a chair up here/ can't stop or she'll think I'm soft " etc, etc.
There is no intelligent thought going on just a stream of garbage.

Next time.
;D

Ive rode out there quite a few times this winter and on one ocassion I was out there with a few ski Patrolers and they told us it was the smoka chute andways here is a pic of it in mid season
http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/4179/smoka5jp.jpg glad to see the line is still doable I assembled a group to do it a few weekends ago from chinook but the traverse was to dangerous with wet slides

Teter you take some nice pictures.
I like the hang fire right below the cornices on "Smoka, Shepard's, Chute 69"
Good work with the camera.
When was that taken? Must have been a good snow year based on the lower cliff coverage.
Oh..Bring a rope if you plan to do that chute this year, I think that inch of rain yesterday  may have taken it out in the midsection. The one skiers right may still be a do-er.

Joe - stream of garbage aside - Chris and I could work a car shuttle with you all at Shasta next month to make up for it.

Cool trip Joe and Mark!  Glad the chute near Sheep Lake was continuously skiable  8)

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chinook-pass-traverse-to-crystal-mtn-june-11-2006
Joedabaker
2006-06-12 17:13:06