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Nisqually Chutes (MRNP) - Apr. 25

2010-04-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

Sneaking-in one last post before Blogger cuts me off for good...

Taking advantage of the nice weather and unexpected late April powder, the Verdinas trudged up the Muir Snowfield for a run down the Nisqually Chutes. That's 3-strikes for yours truly but only a first-time offence for my accomplice. Conditions in the main chute were a mix of sun-affected powder, some thinly covered avalanche debris and surfy creamed corn. Notable highlights include painful sunburns for the both of us, and being harassed by Larry The Tool for allegedly endangering people's lives by riding down all the way to the parking lot. Cooler heads must have prevailed for nothing came of the incident after Larry stormed off to report our heinous crime to the "authorities."

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (for now)

2010-04-19T14:02:00.000-07:00

"Testing" my knee 1-week post injury at Snoqualmie Pass with Oz and Agata (behind the lens).

The calendar may say spring, but for the first few weeks of April we finally enjoyed winter again. A couple strong storms blew through our region bringing unseasonably cool temperatures and generous amounts of mountain snow. This seemed to re-energize the local ski population, bringing out the masses (myself included) for what would surely be the last dose of lift-served powder.

Meanwhile, as I recuperate from a partial MCL tear Google Blogger is threatening to discontinue their FTP service thereby crippling my ability to post updates to this blog. This may be my last post for a while, at least until I come up with an alternative.

The Swath - ski/split, Mar. 27

2010-03-31T16:12:00.001-07:00

Preston first put the bug in my ear regarding The Swath about a month or so ago. According to him:

"The Swath is probably one of the most distinctive avalanche paths and obvious ski runs around these parts. You can't miss it when driving west on Hwy. 2 from Leavenworth as it cuts an unmistakable scar from a point high on Chiwaukum Ridge, falling 4,000 feet to the valley floor."

Funny really, since I had never heard of it before let alone taken note of the feature while driving by on Hwy 2. Surely I've glanced over in that direction once or twice over the years, and ironically probably even skinned right over the small summit en route to our first night's camp during the North Chiwaukum Tour Tod and I did back in December 2004.

Similar to Preston's experience earlier this winter, "with this years lack of low elevation snow pack, only the top 2,700 feet were in." But with cold dry powder of variable depth for most of the descent, The Swath is one of the more memorable tours of the season for me.

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Heliotrope Ridge (Mt. Baker) - Mar. 20

2010-03-23T14:34:00.001-07:00

With a front parked offshore and due to push inland over the course of the day, the strong east wind we experienced up on Mount Baker should have come as no surprise. Blue morning skies rapidly gave way to high clouds and gusts that felt in excess of 60mph up on the Coleman Glacier. If that wasn't enough, technical difficulties with Agata's splitboard kept us confined to slopes in the vicinity of Grouse Creek where thankfully the pow was deep and refills free thanks to the wind.

Scaling a pale fish - White Salmon Glacier, Mar. 6

2010-03-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

It was certainly a busy day on the northwest side of Shuksan Saturday March 6th. At last count, I noted a twosome gunning for the North Face, a solo hiker, a party of 4 who stopped just below the solo-called BYS Coulior access gully before turning back, a party of 5 (3 of which apparently skied the Hanging Glacier) half way up the White Salmon just as we were about to descend the clearcut, a party of 3 half way up the White Salmon as we approached the base of the glacier and finally a party of 2 that passed us on-route and continued on up Winnie's Slide and Hells Highway presumably to tag the summit. Oh, and just as we were about to descend, a party of 3 'boarders simply dragging their area boards by hand the entire way from the resort showed up as well...boy, we felt pretty lame after seeing that! So, let's see that's 2 + 1 + 4 + 5 + 3 + 2 + 3 = 20, not including Eric and me!

Looking back, from the lodge patio at the end of the day while sipping a beer, I was amazed at how tracked-out the glacier was...holy hell, the place got shredded!

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Paradise Glacier (MRNP) - Feb. 28

2010-03-11T17:02:00.000-08:00

A casual day-trip up to Camp Muir with an enjoyable descent starting from Anvil Rock, and ending up finally at the big road bend in Paradise Valley. A worthy alternative to the Muir Snowfield descent and possibly also the Nisqually Chutes, especially if you're bored of either of those lines.

Snowdays - Feb. 13, 14 & 18

2010-03-08T18:24:00.000-08:00

Agata slashes the nose descending into Harmony Bowl.

In the words of a friend and fellow heli-crack addict, "The smell of Jet-A combined with the sound of rotor blades cutting through the cold winter air on a bluebird morning after a week of snow is better than just about anything I can think of." - TW

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East Peak/Cement Basin & Table Mountain (Jan. 30 & Feb. 7)

2010-03-07T14:29:00.000-08:00

Good days at the local resorts have certainly been few and far in between this season. Normally a quick and reliable staple for the Seattle-based chair lift crowd, Alpental has arguably yielded but a single "powder day" back on January 26 - hardly a justification for a season's pass mind you. But it's still winter and there's pow to be had somewhere, so off to earn our turns we go. Back to the familiar environs of Crystal's East Peak with three excellent laps into Cement Basin where low expectations were met with face shots and smiles all around. We found somewhat heavier powder on the slopes around Table Mountain the following weekend but with increasing clouds and fog later in the afternoon, we felt better about having abandoned our more ambitious plans for the day...more on that some other time.

El Nino pow @ W/B - Jan. 16-17

2010-02-06T22:03:00.000-08:00

Judging by the record crowds as of late and not to mention playing host to the 2010 Winter Olympics in a matter of days, one might laugh hysterically at the suggestion of that oh-so-popular ski resort north of Vancouver as having financial difficulties. Isn't it ironic then that Fortress Investment Group (owner of Intrawest) is looking to auction this particular asset to the highest bidder? This certainly explains the curtailing of staff and operations we've experienced the past couple of seasons. Apparently not even Whistler/Blackcomb is immune to the world of big finance.

But while cash is tight these days, winter has at least shown some occasional generosity. Yes, the media sure likes to sensationalize the absence of snow on the North Shore Mountains (specifically Cypress which will host the Olympic half pipe event for starters), but the mountains along the Sea-to-Sky highway have fared relatively well this season. Latitude and certainly altitude makes a big difference in an off-season such as this. And so with that in mind, we hedged our bets on a rare bluebird blower day and ended up nicely in the black.

Dolomiti - Dec. 19 - Jan. 3

2010-01-23T00:44:00.000-08:00

Between the 12 hours stranded in Frankfurt on the way in and the two days stranded on the way back, you'll forgive my unembellished recount of the Italy trip this time around. The stunning gross incompetence exhibited by the Frankfurt airport and Lufthansa airline staff to effectively manage the several hundred poor souls hopelessly stuck at the mercy of German inefficiency and non-hospitality is NOT something I'm liable to forget anytime soon. And why our board bag arrived three days late in Verona and seven days after we returned to Seattle still baffles me. I suppose we should be happy we got the bag back at all. In any case, I could easily dedicate this entire report to how awful the trip to and from Italy was this year, but I won't. Suffice to say that I'll never set foot in that godforsaken shithole of an airport again!

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Gray Falls (ice climbing) - Dec. 12

2010-01-12T15:40:00.000-08:00

Being the non-ice climber that I am, I couldn't let the mid-December cold snap slip by without so much as a swing of an ice tool or two. Ok, all jokes aside, when the snow gets so bad for sliding then it must be great for climbing, right? With that in mind, I joined Tod and JB for a day out on ice of the vertical variety. Inspired by recent reports of a newly discovered 3-tier icefall tucked 5 or 6 miles up Ingall's Creek Valley, we decided to go have a look at the so called Gray Falls for ourselves.

Crystal b/c - Nov. 7 & 14

2010-01-09T11:55:00.000-08:00

Did a couple tours out in the Crystal b/c when the getting was good this past autumn. Combined with a few deep weekends at Whistler late in November, it seems conditions have either been warm and wet or cold and dry (and firm) ever since. Here's to wishing that punk El Nino leaves us alone for a few months...

Crystal - Cayuse Pass loop

Union Creek/Bullion Basin

Scary Canary - October 11

2010-01-06T19:21:00.000-08:00

The temperature at our trailhead bivy the night prior to our Serpentene Arete attempt was well below freezing, and remained comfortably below the 20-degree mark all that next day thanks to the arctic air which was in place over much of the state that weekend. The prospect of enduring that kind of cold on a large north-facing wall where the sun now remains absent until Spring gnawed away at my motivation throughout the approach. Unable to feel my fingers and my toes and feeling wholly unsecure scrambling along the snow-dusted ledge low on the route, I eventually decided I'd had enough. We salvaged what was left of the short day climbing Canary on Castle Rock instead. Tod did a fine lead up the first 5.8 pitch with a stout finish onto Saber Ledge. The airy and classic step off the ledge at the start of p2 really gets the blood flowing and is easily the highlight of the route. Yes, a far cry from Serpentine Arete but at least now I have something to look forward to come spring or summer this year.

West Lion - South Route, October 4

2009-12-18T22:20:00.000-08:00

Back in N. Van for the weekend, I couldn't pass-up the unexpected good fall weather just lounging about the house. While the North Shore riding on Mount Fromme was a blast as always, I was really looking forward to once-and-for-all scrambling up West Lion the day after. Hands down the most prominent and obvious peaks as seen from downtown Vancouver, the hike up to The Lions is a notoriously popular undertaking, akin to our own Mount Si, but with far better views.

Mount Larrabee & Am. Border Pk - West Ridge, Sept. 26 - 27

2009-12-16T22:03:00.000-08:00

Ok, I got "greedy". At least so says John of our failed attempt at climbing American Border Peak. The decision to "quickly run up" Mount Larrabee on our way to camp below American Border Peak proved to be a bad call. It's not that it can't be done; mind you, assuming one can follow basic directions. Going on good beta which I somehow misinterpreted, the idea was to drop our packs by the Gargett Mine at the end of the trail shortly beyond High Pass. Then we were to continue up and right (faint trail here) to rejoin the standard Southwest Route. Instead of doing this however, I blindly led our party on a tedious traverse across countless gullies and ribs high on the West Face towards a broad shoulder below the West Ridge. Not only did this eat time and energy, it brought us closer to our final objective, American Border Peak while at the same time distancing us from where we left our packs back at the mine.

We nevertheless climbed Larrabee via the horribly loose West Ridge and returned relatively late in the day to camp in the first basin below the West Face. We were two basins short, hours from where we wanted to be, and were we to go for ABP the next day, we would definitely be hiking out in the dark. Fatigue and hesitation then got the better of partners Ben and John and plans for a sortie on ABP were promptly scrapped. I'll do a better job of keeping my eye on the prize next time!

Devil's Gulch mountain biking - Sept. 12

2009-12-14T20:55:00.000-08:00

Arguably one of the best XC rides in the state, the Devil's Gulch Trail is a must-do ride for the casual and avid mountain biker alike. To that end, Agata and I were joined by fellow Lake Wenatchee campers Heather Henricks, Mike LeRoy and Scott Shillito for an afternoon out on the singletrack. A large washout a couple miles before the trailhead proper, however eliminated any possibility of a car shuttle and left us to ponder the merits of a rather longish 28-mile loop.

Many years have passed since I last did this ride and it seems that I conveniently forgot about the occasionally steep 12+ miles of UP. We were all pretty pooped by the time we reached the upper-trailhead and wanted nothing but a quick, mellow ride back to the car. Alas it seems I forgot about the DOWN as well, for it was neither quick nor mellow. Suffice to say, it was also a real workout surviving the descent on a circa 1999 hardtail without disk brakes. In any case, Devil's Gulch is still a great ride but make sure you come prepared for a long uphill grind and for heaven's sake have at least 100mm of travel for the ride down!

Sunshine Coast - Sept. 4-7

2009-12-13T23:13:00.000-08:00

And now for a relaxing Labor Day weekend on BC's scenic Sunshine Coast. True to the forecast, the crummy weather put the kibosh on any hope of exploring the increasingly popular rock climbing in and around Powell River. Highlights instead include a bike loop on Savary Island and kayaking around Okeover Inlet and Desolation Sound Provincial Marine Park in a downpour. Rain or shine, there's a lot more than a long weekend worth of stuff to see and do here and a visit is well worth the two ferry sailings and long drive.

Mount Edith Cavell - West Ridge, August 28

2009-12-05T12:55:00.000-08:00

With our two weeks in Western Canada coming to a close, there was just enough time for one last Rockies' classic before returning home. Named after a nurse who was executed by the Germans for helping allied solders escape from occupied Belgium to the Netherlands during World War I, Mount Edith Cavell is arguably the most popular and frequently climbed peak in Jasper National Park. Although the North Face has the honor of being included in Steck and Roper's book Fifty Classic Climbs of North America, the aesthetic (and moderate) East Ridge deservedly gets the most attention. Having previously glimpsed the hulking shale wall with its characteristic tilted bands of snow and ice seemingly emanating from the prominent East Ridge, the peak has long been an obvious must-do climb for me.

Full report here.

Mount Assiniboine - North Ridge, August 23-26

2009-11-19T17:08:00.000-08:00

The iconic Matterhorn of the Canadian Rockies, Mount Assiniboine is a classic peak popular among climbers the world-over. I first heard the calling several years ago when Eric Hoffman and I intended to climb the peak during a 10-day stint in the Rockies and Selkirks of British Columbia. Unfortunately, reports suggested that conditions weren't favorable for an ascent of the North Ridge, as a late-August storm had plastered the peak with considerable amounts of fresh snow. Enter plan 'B'. Leaving Lake Louise, we pointed the car north on the Icefields Parkway and went on to climb Mount Athabasca instead.

Come August 2009, it seemed as if Eli and I were doomed to suffer a similar fate. A storm the week prior to our two-week trip in Canada once again blasted the top 1500 feet with new snow. Hoping to capitalize on the week's worth of forecasted sunshine and warmer temperatures in and around Kananaskis Country, we delayed our Canadian Rockies itinerary so as to allow time for some of the new snow to melt off. Now, after having burned through the first half of our trip gallivanting in the Coast Range, we felt conditions up on Assiniboine were about as good as they were going to get for us. With Eli's WRX packed to the gills, we departed North Vancouver for the long drive over to Lake Louise.

Full report here.

Overseer Mountain - Southeast Face, August 19-21

2009-11-04T00:15:00.000-08:00

Eli and I had time for one more Coast Range climb before making good on our already twice-revised plans and high-tailing it east for objectives in the Canadian Rockies. Sticking with a theme that had treated us well up until now, we narrowed our choices to a handful of selections from the Scrambles Guide. With the vast expanse of snow and ice surrounding the peak, I had always wanted to climb Overseer Mountain, preferably as a spring ski tour. However, approach and access considerations aside, the peak was just too far out of sight and mind to register on most of my Seattleite friends' radar.

Hiking down from our Cirque Peak camp at mid-morning on a smoky Wednesday in August, it occurred to me that there was probably no better time than the present to go for Overseer. We had the time, favorable weather conditions, and were in the general area to boot. I could always come back in the spring sometime if I cared enough to 'board down it. Eli was of a similar opinion and so without further discussion we set our sights on the highest peak in the Pemberton Icefield.

Full report here.

Cirque Peak - North Ridge, August 17-19

2009-10-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

With soreness in the legs only just developing from the previous day's Ashlu climb, Eli and I got a lazy afternoon start from North Vancouver. We selected the North Ridge of Cirque Peak from Matt Gunn's Scrambles Guide as our next objective as it looked to us to be one of the more aesthetic, if not challenging (and loose) scrambles in the guide. The peak also lies in an area of mountains near Pemberton, BC neither of us had visited before. The idea of 'discovering' yet another perspective on the Coast Mountains was exciting to us. The fact that Cirque Peak seemed to offer a fun ridge climb with great position was an added bonus.

Full report here.

Ashlu Mountain - East Ridge, August 15-16

2009-10-06T22:33:00.000-07:00

As was the case with Mount Rexford, Welch Peak, Overseer Mountain, Mount Matier and probably a handful of other peaks in BC that I have since forgotten about, I first learned of Ashlu Mountain while perusing the many trip reports on Bivouac.com. The Ashlu report describes a stout 5.10a rock climb on the peak's impressive South Face. Though the climb itself certainly intrigued me, the photos depicting the wild, glaciated scenery in this remote corner of the Coast Range were really what captured my imagination. Years went by and I would have all but forgotten about Ashlu were it not for a chance sighting while heli-skiing near Powder Mountain last March. Seen as an aesthetic pyramid of rock towering above neighboring peaks, Ashlu's lure was too much to resist a second time around. Content with simply scrambling up the peak's East Ridge, Eli and I chose Ashlu as our 'debut' climb for a two-week romp in the mountains of BC and AB.

Full report here.

Tantalus Mountain - North Ridge, July 25-27

2009-09-02T23:49:00.000-07:00

For our third and (probably) final Tantalus Range installment, Eric and I set out to climb the North Ridge of Tantalus Mountain. As before, we prearranged a heli-bump up to our home for the next two nights, this time at a location below the North Ridge proper. We expected to be dropped off at a luxuriously comfortable camp spot somewhere on a heathery ridge crest at the head of Mawby Creek. So it came as a bit of a surprise when the pilot informed us that he could only drop us off at one of two somewhat uninviting locations. Not exactly an exposed perch, but the col overlooking the northern most margin of the Rumbling Glacier was not exactly what we had in mind.

Full report here.

Mount Deception - Gilhooley Saddle, July 18

2009-08-13T21:44:00.000-07:00

At most I might average a single Olympics trip a year. After all there's only so much choss that even I can take. Having climbed both Anderson and Deception within a few weeks of each other, one might ask what the hell has gotten in to me this summer. Have I lost my mind?

Whatever. I had it on relatively good authority that a trip to climb Mount Deception would be well worth the effort, no matter how loose or easy the climb for that matter. From outrageously scenic Royal Basin to the lofty summit (by Olympic standards) with its expansive views of surprisingly rugged peaks both near and far, Deception doesn't disappoint. But make no mistake; the peak certainly harbors some awful rock, although frankly I didn't find it any worse than that which I have encountered on so many peaks in that mountain range east of the Sound. Besides, being that it's the second tallest peak in the Olympic Mountains alone warrants visitation by any avid Seattle-based...er, um chossaholic in my opinion. It certainly also doesn't hurt that the climb is doable in a day from my bed in North Seattle. Bed-to-bed in less than 20 hours I like to say...ha ha! Had I not gotten hosed by the damn ferry wait once again I'd have made it home in time for a late dinner even!

Full report here.

Tower Mountain - West Gully, July 11

2009-08-04T22:20:00.000-07:00

Having worn my last pair of mountaineering boots well past their prime, I found myself frantically searching for a new pair. REI's internet-only Garmont Tower GTX boot sale presented an offer I could not refuse; an offer made even better by putting my REI dividend towards the purchase. With the great price and better than expected fit, it seemed only fitting that the maiden voyage for these boots would be Tower Mountain itself.

As seen from many summits in the Washington Pass area, Tower Mountain presents itself as a slanting rock fin rising abruptly from the undulating terrain at the southern edge of the Pasayten Wilderness. Ever since I first laid eyes on the peak in 2002 from the top of Liberty Bell, Tower has held my imagination and curiosity. I however always seemed to have had greater climbing priorities; that is until now. My 'thing' these days seems to be day-trip scrambles from Seattle (lame I know, but at least I'm not claiming some FKT nonsense). Armed with the Swamp Creek approach beta and a good estimate on how much time the approach and climb should take, I managed to convince Eli into joining me on this seemingly masochistic enterprise.

Full report here.

Lichtenberg Mountain - ski/split, May 1

2010-05-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

After rendezvousing with Eric in Marysville only to realize I’d forgotten my skins at home, plans for a tour somewhere off the recently opened highway 20 were nixed in favor of something a bit closer to home. Neither of us had visited the slopes off of Lichtenberg Mountain and with new snow accumulation at Stevens Pass that day, it seemed like a worthwhile venue all things considered.

Stevens Pass (ski area) - May 3

2010-05-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

While I’m not one to make a big to-do about touring around at a ski area which has been closed for the season, the conditions we experienced at Stevens back in early May warrant an exception. With about 20 inches of snow accumulation at pass level within little more than a 24-hour period and early daytime temps in the 20’s, it was yet another unexpectedly late hit of winter – one that we were quick to capitalize on. Unfortunately, so too were the throngs of snowmobilers who were busy shuttling their ski/snowboard buddies to and from. I must have inhaled the 2 and/or 4-stroke exhaust equivalent of hundred cigarettes that day. Air pollution aside, there was lines aplenty for us to enjoy before the sun came out and worked its magic. More shaded/sheltered aspects remained cold and dry well after we wore ourselves out and called it a day.

Snoqualmie Pass b/c - May 9 & 13

2010-05-21T21:39:00.000-07:00

Described below are a couple rather civilized tours starting at mid-morning(ish) from the upper lot at Alpental. Eli joined me on the first of these well rested adventures, bagging a ski down both Chair Peak Basin and Bryant Coulior. I returned a few days later to take care of some unfinished business and once and for all complete the Chair Peak circumnavigation tour.

Colonnade huckfest (and more) - May 2010

2010-06-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

Looking out my window as I type these words, day has turned to night in advance of yet another deluge. This is the “winter” weather that had eluded us much of winter this year. Periods of dry weather have been few and far in between lately but occasionally suitable for a quick spin - be it on the asphalt around nearby islands, local (and not-so-local) singletrack or Colonnade when I’m jonesin’ for some park riding action.

Mount Shasta - Avalanche Gulch, June 2010

2010-06-29T16:19:00.000-07:00

Tired of the recent weather and needing a change of scenery, I decided it was about time for a road trip down south where I was hopeful to find some sun and corn snow. First up on my volcano-bagging agenda was Mount Shasta and being that I was flying solo, just the standard Avalanche Gulch route would do.

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Lassen Peak - North Face, June 2010

2010-06-30T14:31:00.000-07:00

I climbed and rode down Lassen Peak’s North Face the day following the Shasta climb. The normal south-side approach was inaccessible still due to snow but a chance encounter with fellow splitboarders I recognized from SplitBoard.com, Jim and Storn, salvaged the Lassen trip for me. They had just spent the previous day schralping Lassen’s north-side slopes and gave me the scoop. Despite being all on my own and without a map or any navigational aids, the approach and climb was pretty straightforward. It certainly helped that I had both a skin track, and boot path to guide my way to the summit. 3.5 hours to summit and 30 minutes back down to the car. I was able to take advantage of continuous snow to within a 10 – 15 min walk of parking lot. Thanks guys! Their report and photos can be seen here: (scroll down to 10th post)

Mount McLoughlin - Mt. McLoughlin Trail, June 2010

2010-06-30T22:57:00.000-07:00

Oregon’s forgotten volcano they call it…and rightfully so I might add. For a ~9500ft mountain I was expecting something a bit more alpine, but with vegetation to within a few hundred feet of the summit I found the ascent to be total bore. Wet, unconsolidated, and at times knee deep snow also made for much more tedious going than seemed worth the effort. You know, I figured I was in the area so what the hell…might as well check it out. At least I had the good sense to leave the splitboard back in the car this time.

Crater Lake National Park, June 2010

2010-07-01T17:34:00.000-07:00

Just passing through on my way back north and thought I’d post a few pics of what amounts to a colossal hole in the earth, and which in my opinion is probably Oregon’s best national park. This is apparently what’s left behind after a 12,000ft volcano blasts almost 5000-ft off its top. Having visited Crater Lake now for a second time, I can tell you that it’s much more dramatic on a sunny day in the spring with a healthy blanket of snow draped over the surrounding peaks and crater rim.

Mount Thielsen - West Ridge, June 2010

2010-07-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

Immediately south of Crater Lake looms the striking and aesthetic Mount Thielsen. Similar to Oregon’s Three Fingered Jack and Mount Washington, Thielsen has been heavily eroded over time leaving behind a decaying plug in what was once the main vent of a much larger volcano. Nevertheless, the peak is such a dominant feature in this region of the Oregon Cascades I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a closer look at the so-called “lightning rod of the Cascades.”

South Sister - South Side, June 2010

2010-07-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

In keeping with the volcano skiing theme, which has treated us well thus far, Eric and I set out to climb and ski/board down the South Sister. A goal of mine ever since first visiting the area on a failed attempt at the Sisters Marathon (on skis) back in June of 2008, I’ve been biding my time for just the right conditions during just the right spring corn season. With an unseasonably cool and moist spring this year, all the necessary ingredients finally came together in late June. With continuous snow for the bulk of the ascent starting from the road and being able to ski smooth corn back down to within a 15 – 20 minute walk of where we parked near the Devil’s Lake trailhead, I’d say our timing was spot on. Here's another perspective on the conditions we experienced that day.

Mount Adams - Southwest Chutes, July 2010

2010-07-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

Eric and I set our sights on the Southwest Chutes of Mount Adams as our final volcano skiing objective of 2010. As has been suggested in previous reports, the long cool spring has really preserved the snow this year making it so that descents such as the Southwest Chutes really first came into good corn-snow skiing conditions starting in early July. As with many other of the Northwest volcano ski summits, timing is everything. Ideally one wants to be able to drive as close as possible to the trailhead but at the same time be skinning on snow well before breaking out of the trees. This combination usually only lasts for about a week or two but seems to guarantee the best possible snow conditions for the ski down (no suncups etc.) while at the same time minimizing miles of hiking (or skinning) to reach the trailhead in the first place.