Suicide Chute on Mount Superior
I have a love/hate relationship with the springtime. On the one hand, it’s awesome because you can go skiing in the morning and rock climbing or swimming or hiking or biking or even golfing (if you are into that sort of thing) in the afternoon. But on the other hand, it is the time of rapidly disappearing snow packs, and lines and couloirs that shrivel up before our eyes. It’s the time when a ski line will be good to go one day and undoable the next.
A rapidly shrinking hypodermic needle. I’ll have to wait until next year to bag that one.
One line that stays filled in for awhile, though, is Suicide Chute on Mount Superior. I usually like the rally up this chute late in the spring at least once to get my jollies.
Forrest Shearer hiking up
We did it to celebrate the beginning of June and climbed it on Monday, June 1st. After May 1st, you can park right at the base of Superior and hike straight up from there. You don’t need your skins or anything for this one, it’s just a long, steep stairmaster. Since I’ve skied this line a few times before and since June 1st was a warmer day, I decided to hike and ski the thing in my bikini and board shorts.
New Shred Alert hat (love the color) and Smith Nolte sunglasses. The Nolte is perfect for protecting a large portion of your face from the sun and elements and is my new favorite pair of sunglasses.
The summit shot, right before it started to rain.
Getting tubed in the cornice.
Dropping into my line–the first half of the chute was relatively nice corn but once it opened up at the bottom, it was a mix of rock fall, sun cups and branches.
About half way down
The bottom of the chute.
Hiking suicide chute in the springtime is fun for the workout and great views alone. Next, I will probably be heading up to the Baldy chutes from Alta and maybe Devil’s Castle Couloir, or I might head all the way to Mt. Shasta, California to get more spring/early summer skiing in.
