July 16, 2006, SW Chutes, Mt Adams
7/16/06
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
2610
3
Every year we close out the ski season with a trip to Mt. Adams. Usually, we try to go before July 4, but this year we had other obligations, so we didn't make it until July 16.
What a difference a couple weeks makes! We didn't hit continuous snow until a little below the Crescent Glacier, and the South Climb Route had just a thin ribbon of snow connecting it to the false summit. Along the route all the snow had been stomped by a thousand pairs of feet each going their own slightly different route to the same destination. The true summit is so melted out that it didn't seem worth the effort of hauling our skis up so we dropped them near the false summit and hiked to the top.
A little after 1:30 we pointed our skis down the SW Chutes and hoped for the best. The snow had softened nicely (maybe a little too much). Minor runnels added a little extra challenge to the skiing, but it was great fun and well worth the effort.
We skied down to around 6800-6900 feet (est.) on continuous snow, and hiked down the the Round the Mountain trail in about 20-30 minutes.
Sorry, no action shots, but these should give an idea about current conditions. First photo is summit and crowds, and second photo is looking back at the chutes from about 7000 feet.
What a difference a couple weeks makes! We didn't hit continuous snow until a little below the Crescent Glacier, and the South Climb Route had just a thin ribbon of snow connecting it to the false summit. Along the route all the snow had been stomped by a thousand pairs of feet each going their own slightly different route to the same destination. The true summit is so melted out that it didn't seem worth the effort of hauling our skis up so we dropped them near the false summit and hiked to the top.
A little after 1:30 we pointed our skis down the SW Chutes and hoped for the best. The snow had softened nicely (maybe a little too much). Minor runnels added a little extra challenge to the skiing, but it was great fun and well worth the effort.
We skied down to around 6800-6900 feet (est.) on continuous snow, and hiked down the the Round the Mountain trail in about 20-30 minutes.
Sorry, no action shots, but these should give an idea about current conditions. First photo is summit and crowds, and second photo is looking back at the chutes from about 7000 feet.
I was up there as well with some friends on Sunday. Couldn't have asked for nicer weather! Our trip sounds almost identical. We mostly just booted it since the South Route was so well trampled. Sneakers were quite nice for the approach and the Round the Mountain trail coming out.
The summit weather was great -- light winds and not too cold. The wind at Pikers Peak was actually much harsher. The visibility was just about unlimited, with Mt Baker easily visible. We also skipped the ski from the summit, and hit the chutes around 2pm - probably just after you guys. The first couple thousand feet were almost perfect. The runnels at the bottom added a bit to the challenge, but not too bad. The hike down to the Round the Mountain trail (now almost entirely melted out) was quite straightforward.
Also, one of my group lost a camera somewhere in the chutes. We skied down the chute that was skier's left of the obvious rock outcropping N of the false summit. I think it went missing at ~8-9000 ft. It's a Pentax digital camera. If by random chance somebody managed to pick it up, please let me know. Thanks!
The summit weather was great -- light winds and not too cold. The wind at Pikers Peak was actually much harsher. The visibility was just about unlimited, with Mt Baker easily visible. We also skipped the ski from the summit, and hit the chutes around 2pm - probably just after you guys. The first couple thousand feet were almost perfect. The runnels at the bottom added a bit to the challenge, but not too bad. The hike down to the Round the Mountain trail (now almost entirely melted out) was quite straightforward.
Also, one of my group lost a camera somewhere in the chutes. We skied down the chute that was skier's left of the obvious rock outcropping N of the false summit. I think it went missing at ~8-9000 ft. It's a Pentax digital camera. If by random chance somebody managed to pick it up, please let me know. Thanks!
We were the tele skiers who started down with you (maybe it was almost 2 pm). When we got to the bottom of the steep part, we looked up and saw your party stopped midway down and wondered if there was a problem. We waited for awhile, and asked another skier who had passed you. He told us what was up, so we headed out. Sorry to hear about the camera, but glad that it wasn't anything more serious.
The visibility from the summit was indeed unusually fine.
The visibility from the summit was indeed unusually fine.
Thanks for keeping an eye out for us! The camera thing was a bit of a bummer, but hard to complain about such a nice day of skiing. We enjoyed sharing the chutes with you guys -- you were making some nice tele turns!
Reply to this TR
Please login first: