shuksan fisher chimneys - don't get excited

[mtmikey]

since i'm quite thankful to this board for the various enjoyment and useful beta it provides, i thought i, as an outside interloper, might attempt to return the favor, if in very small part.

 

flew in from virginia (right coast) and headed up to fisher chimneys on may 30. the road to the trailhead was not plowed and we skinned directly from the parking lot at mt. baker ski lodge. snow to the lot. long way in.

 

we were able to skin the cat track up panorama dome to where (past, actually; we're not from around here) we eventually figured a walkdown to be to the valley leading to lake ann. the area was under many, many multiple feet of snow. near the boundary marker (i'm assuming that's what it was) at the cat track where you would head into austin pass we found a bellingham mtnrs picket melting out. we left it. if you want it, skin on up.

 

we found very deep snow heading into the valley. nothing resembling a trail was to be found. the creek was just melting out in spots but crossing was not an issue as snowbridges were available. we saw some evidence of slides in the valley on the initial mile or two after dropping in (on the way out we noted that many had cut loose). heading up and right around the dome that forces you up into the bowl below lake ann we found very, very large cornices heading up to the "bench" above the lake. we couldn't find a "ridge" on the topo, but that's what it looked like. immense. we skinned up steeply but easily, admiring ski tracks off left nearer to shuksan arm.

 

we finally crested the ridgelet and made a camp high and west, above lake ann, which was completely covered in snow (excellent skiing above, it looked like, but then, i'm a crappy skier). from our vantage the chimneys were not visible; we were a bit too far left. since we had taken a while getting in and we had never gotten a good look at the route through heavy cloud, we elected to sleep in and scope the route in the morning, and hopefully climb the following night. or so was the plan... we had a bit of snain overnight and heard several slides come down into the bowl below the various gullies near shuksan arm and below the lower curtis, the latter of which settled and calved variously.

 

we woke up may 31 and contoured down and right to a vantage above lake ann. there had been several slides issuing from above into the bowl below. we saw what i estimate to be 200' point release avy runouts (two or three at least) into the bowl. the chimneys were pretty well choked, cornices blocked several of the other gullies to the right and left of the chimneys. we could see very heavy snow on the upper curtis. combined with warm temps and general distress, we decided to bag it. unfortunately, we had timed our trip about two weeks too early, i'm guessing.

 

for anyone interested in attempting hourglass or labor day, they looked to be in pretty good shape, if you could wallow your way up there. even the slope where the climbers' trail passes to the entrance of the chimneys looked heavily loaded, and the biggest slides were happening to its left.

 

we feel like we made the right choice. not living there or having seen the route before, i don't know if others would have gone up. we knew we'd be slow with the amount of snow and the temps, and i didn't think our chances were worth risking kicking something off on the way up or down. we didn't see any evidence of folks having been on the climbing route, though we did see ski tracks on the way in, like i said. if given another chance and the same conditions i might have slogged in and at least given the white salmon a shot. emphasis on "slogged in," as i hear it. but at least we'd have been climbing, instead of looking...

 

we skied out around noon on friday and saw much minor avy in the bowls and valley. must have come down from late in the day thurs., overnight and into friday. i'd say f.c. should be in (very?) early season shape in the next couple of weeks, though the walk in will be a slog...

 

we got out sunday and did a long, easy day in the stuart range. dogged it up colchuk. it was fun. good times, all in all.

 

good stuff you have out there.

 

best,

mkg

 

[ 06-03-2002, 10:52 PM: Message edited by: mtmikey ]

[Alex]

hey nice to see you tried to get out anyway!

 

this route is usually easiest a little later in the summer, July-ish in a normal year

 

currently the snow levels would dictate bids on Sulphide, NF Shuksan or White Salmon Glacier for this peak

[mtmikey]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Alex:

hey nice to see you tried to get out anyway!

 

this route is usually easiest a little later in the summer, July-ish in a normal year

 

currently the snow levels would dictate bids on Sulphide, NF Shuksan or White Salmon Glacier for this peak

---

thanks. i wouldn't feel like a complete gumby if someone went up there and ticked it right now, but it didn't feel right to us, so we bailed. such a beautiful mountain. i've wanted it, like many, since i first came out four years ago. i return every year... and we'll be back, maybe soon.

 

i guess i had it in my head to try to do it in more or less winter-ish conditions. that was kind of dumb, i see in retrospect. we thought seriously of wsg just before leaving, but decided to just go in and have a look. nice hike. lotta snow.

 

thanks again.

 

best,

mkg