Mt. Adams - SW Chutes - July 27, 2006

Well, I am new to this community and this is my first post. 

Climbed Adams via the South Route yesterday July 27th with my buddy on his 50th birthday.  Left the parking lot at 6am and the temp was 66 degrees.  Needless to say conditions were not firm.  Climbing the normal South Route revealed that it is in no condition for anyone to ski.  Large suncups, lots of patchy rock and a needed downclimb is what one would find descending the way we came up.  Summited by 12:30 on a glorious day.  We skiied from the summit all the way down to 6800' via the SW Chutes with only 2 ski-less traverses.  The suncups off the summit were Man eating.  We started down the skiers left chute after crossing the plateau below the summit.  The snow was nice and soft but many runnels had formed after this last bout of hot weather.  Definitly want to hit this a few weeks earlier next year.  BTW, the best way back to the cars is the head straight downhill to the around-the-mountain trail and head left for probably 3 miles.  Picts below.