Chair Peak beta/conditions?

[Friedrich]

Anyone been up around Chair lately? What are the snow conditions? Wondering if the NE buttress is still in shape.. Alternatively, any info on the E face would be appreciated.

 

thanx

[cracked]

Are you kidding? The Buttress have been free of snow for more than a month. It's June now.

[chucK]

I haven't been on the climbs but, was in the area on Wednesday. The NE Buttress appears to be a rock climb now. Still some snow on that section just after the steepness relents, so could be drippy.

 

Snow was good walking snow on Wednesday, but soft enough for easily controlled glissade back down without an axe. Looked like the gully above the "thumbtack" still had snow.

 

Of couse, this could all change by tomorrow. Does anybody really buy that the weather's gonna suck tomorrow? Sure looks nice now.

[Gary_Yngve]

picture of Chair from mid-April

 

[Norman_Clyde]

As of yesterday, the NEB was dry. Snow on approach is slushy, but firm enough to ascend in running shoes. Standing glissade with poles was difficult but fun. I intended to go to the top of the basin, but stopped below the chimneys, due to concern about wet slides on the steeper portion.

On the way back I passed one guy on the trail, packing full mountaineering gear, who said he was headed up to Chair. I didn't ask what route, etc. Was this anybody I know by avatar, if not by face?

This is all the TR I will be able to manage until late June, unless I can fit in a hike in the Tetons on the family dinosaur trip next week.

[Friedrich]

Thanks for the info folks. We went up on Sunday-- left the parking lot at 6:30 am, early enough to be able to enjoy rain and fog on the entire ascent/descent. It cleared after the climb. Brilliant timing!

 

Nevertheless it was good to get out there. Of course with 50-100ft visibility all day, it was sometimes unclear exactly where we were! We managed to locate some snow in the SE gully route and scampered up. (better snow than slippery rock in the rain) The last 30M or so was low 5th class rock, solid enough with occasional pro. Above the notch it was windy, scrambly, and very dramatic as the clouds raced by. The gully was the last of the interesting climbing so we called it a day.

 

Visibility remained 50 to 100 ft all day, until about 2pm when it opened up while we were hanging out at Snow lake eating lunch. Summit of chair stayed fog-bound the whole time.

 

Good times!