[TR] Mt Adams - South Spur Ski 7/11/2008

[rob]

Trip: Mt Adams - South Spur Ski

 

Date: 7/11/2008

 

Trip Report:

This was my first volcano ski, so I kind of made a big deal about it.

 

Thursday night, I had a serious ski jones going on. So, at about 11 PM I decided to head out to Mt. Adams by myself and try to ski down. Carpe diem, right?

 

I went to sleep for about an hour, woke up around midnight, packed my bags, got gas, snacks and (lots) of coffee, and drove through the night, arriving at Mt. Adams around 6 AM or so. I was out of the car and moving by 7.

 

 

 

Great views the whole day! Perfect weather; blue-bird skies and not a breath of wind. Here’s Mt. St. Helens in the distance.

 

 

And Mt. Hood

 

I was able to start skinning pretty soon, probably around 6200' or so.

 

Finally! I reached the summit around noon. I was feeling a bit altitude sick, so I didn't hang around long.

 

Self-portrait on the summit with Rainier behind me. Finally, time to ski!

 

Rainier from the summit

 

I found the skiing down from the summit to be extremely challenging. As a recovering snowboarder, I'm not the world's best skier. The snow was very suncupped and iced, and my tips kept getting eaten by the cups. Making it down this was quite an acheivement for me.

 

The photo doesn't do it justice. It was like skiing down a forest of rime daggers. But maybe I'm making a bigger deal out of it because I suck.

 

There was a short carryover above Pikers. Coming down from the false summit, the snow was choppy and cupped, but at least it was soft so my skis could plow through.

 

The snow below pikers was fucking rad! I lapped a couple of sections that were too perfect to not get seconds.

 

Snow coverage on Pikers

 

Ski tracks. What?? You mean I wasn't the first?

 

Coverage on the lower part of the mountain

 

On the way out, I ituned the deproach and ended up following some idiots boot pack deep into the forest. I realized he was wrong when his tracks led into a bummer of a schwack down some shitty drainage. Even worse, it was on the (east?) side of the trail, so if you didn't cut west eventually, you'd just keep wandering around in the woods without hitting the road or trail. I wonder how he ended up? From the looks of it, a lot of people followed him into the dark, so at least he has company.

 

I wasn't interested, so I retraced my steps back up and got on the trail.

 

I pulled over on the freeway to sleep for a few hours before heading home.

 

Approach Notes:

Snow is pretty continous around 6000, give or take a few hundred feet or so.

[Peakpimp]

Nice! Sounds like you scored a few nice turns. I scrambled the south ridge of Adams in August a few years back and remember thinking those sun cups wouldn't make for a very good time heh.

[scheissami]

Dude, nice work. Shitty skiers, unite!

 

BTW, sport climbing in Utah is rad, dude--can't believe you were hating on me....

[kevino]

looks like a good time. i wonder if those tracks were from the "two overdue hikers" from the other week.

[rob]

Dude, nice work. Shitty skiers, unite!

 

BTW, sport climbing in Utah is rad, dude--can't believe you were hating on me....

 

Nothin but love, man. Have you picked up any hot mormon girls yet?

[carolyn]

Looks like a great day from the photos!

Way to just pick up and go.

[denalidave]

I guess you had no sign of the big fire that is burning up there now?

[rob]

Nope, no sign of it. Crazy!

[pc313]

All that climbing for crap snow,should have rode the chair at Hood!

[pc313]

But still a nice climb!

[rob]

All that climbing for crap snow,should have rode the chair at Hood!

 

riding the lifts is for pussies and snowboarders

[pc313]

37 year's of down hill sking,And hiking up steep snow feilds

and ridges in out of bound aera's some time's for 2 hour's

in high back boots just for 5 min. of deep vigin snow,but Sukdorf Ridge is fuck up in july. As for snow boarders,thay

should stay on side walk's and shopping mail parking lots with

4 little wheels,and get the fuck out of my way when I'm doing

50+ mph down the upper slopes!!! P.S. Back in the 70's and 80,s

we use to call Crosscountry skiers PUSSIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Frikadeller]

As for snow boarders,thay

should stay on side walk's and shopping mail parking lots with

4 little wheels,and get the fuck out of my way when I'm doing

50+ mph down the upper slopes!!! P.S. Back in the 70's and 80,s

we use to call Crosscountry skiers PUSSIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Liar. Must be one of those stuffed shirt tele skiers....

 

5 minutes of down? 2 hours of hiking? You're not much of the badass backcountry skier you puff up to be, are ya?

 

BTW, some of us snowboarders are tearing up the shit in the Backcountry these days too, ever heard of a split board? Probably not, because you are still riding the lifts.

 

[pc313]

SOME OF YOU BOARDERS DO ALRIGHT,MOST SUCK!! AND WHEN YOUR BOARDING AT HOOD ,YOU PROBABLE FILL LIKE I DO,WHY DON'T THAY

GET OUT OF MY FUCKING WAY,AS FAR AS 5 MIN DOWN, RACE YOU FOR

A BEER ANY TIME,AND YOU WILL BUY!!!!!!!!!!

[pc313]

P.S. WHAT'S WITH THE PIC. OF CRAPPIE SNOW,I SAID CLEAN DEEP,VIGIN

SNOW, THAT SHIT LOOK'S LIKE MT. HOOD PARKING LOT TO ME!!!!

BUT WHO AM I TO JUDGE YOU,HELL I SKI LEVI'S AND GAITOR'S

YOU PROBABLE HAVE THE HOLE BURTON OUTFIT. MT. HOOD SUCK'S

GO CHECK OUT SUN VALLEY , JACKSON HOLE, SNOW BIRD,OR BACHELOR.

HOOD SUCK'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[denalidave]

P.S. WHAT'S WITH THE PIC. OF CRAPPIE SNOW,I SAID CLEAN DEEP,VIGIN

SNOW, THAT SHIT LOOK'S LIKE MT. HOOD PARKING LOT TO ME!!!!

BUT WHO AM I TO JUDGE YOU,HELL I SKI LEVI'S AND GAITOR'S

YOU PROBABLE HAVE THE HOLE BURTON OUTFIT. MT. HOOD SUCK'S

GO CHECK OUT SUN VALLEY , JACKSON HOLE, SNOW BIRD,OR BACHELOR.

HOOD SUCK'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You forgot Alta, Solitude & Snow Basin with the greatest snow on earth. Course ya aint bringin no snow board to the alters at Alta. Edited August 16, 2008 by denalidave

[pc313]

SNOW BIRD AND ALTA ARE ONE, SKI BOTH FOR ONE TICKET,AND SOLITUDE

IS NICE,BUT BRITETEN IS STEEP AND DEEP!!MAMMOTH MT. WAS BAD TO

THE BONE!!!! YOU GOT TO DO JACKSON HOLE,GET OFF THE TRAM ,SKI

FOR 45MIN. TO GET BACK TO THE LODGE. I STARTED SKING AT CRISTAL

MT. BEFOR THAY HAD KINGS RUN,HIKE UP IT A LOT. BROKE 3 PAIRS OF SKI ON K2 RUN,AND ONE PAIR ON NO NAME BOWL AT SUN VALLEY,BROKE

MY LEFT CLVICLE BONE AT MAMMOTH MT. ON DAVES RUN 10,000 FT. UP

AND SKIED 4 MORE DAYS IN PAIN,AND I HAVE NOT NAMED ALOT OF

RESORTS, BUT SOME OF MAY FAV'S.

[rob]

where's that chest-beat pic when you need it?

[Frikadeller]

[Frikadeller]

P.S. WHAT'S WITH THE PIC. OF CRAPPIE SNOW,I SAID CLEAN DEEP,VIGIN

SNOW, THAT SHIT LOOK'S LIKE MT. HOOD PARKING LOT TO ME!!!!

BUT WHO AM I TO JUDGE YOU,HELL I SKI LEVI'S AND GAITOR'S

YOU PROBABLE HAVE THE HOLE BURTON OUTFIT. MT. HOOD SUCK'S

GO CHECK OUT SUN VALLEY , JACKSON HOLE, SNOW BIRD,OR BACHELOR.

HOOD SUCK'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Well, you got the right mountain, wrong side though. If you had said the cloud cap parking lot, I would have little to argue with.

 

I dunno about the Burton outfit. The only thing I own that is Burton is my Splitboard, but hey, you did give a shot.

 

I like Mt. Hood because it is close. That also means I can go every weekend.

[pc313]

Sorry,Rob!

Edited August 19, 2008 by pc313

[rob]

OMG can you please continue this stupid shit somewhere NOT on my TR? Holy fuck, and add some punctuation to your shit while you're at it; you're making me stoopider.

[pc313]

My bad!!

[dbconlin]

I skied the SW chutes on 7/12 (saturday) - the snow was ok there - no suncups but not great. Some friends skied the next day (sunday) and had stellar views of the fire burning below (which put a lot of concern into their heads while they were headed straight toward it to return to their car).