Chinook Pass - August patches?

Hey,
Somehow I've waited and backed myself into a corner for skiing this month. I will be driving over to Yakima though, so if I leave very early it would give me a 3 hour window at Chinook pass to find some patches to ski.

Has anyone driven over in the past week and seen signs of snow in the area? I guess I'll shoulder the skis and hike around to the north side of Naches, but if there isn't any there I guess I could try the north side of Yakima Peak? Any other ideas?

Don't judge on the vert... I just need some Kam-type patches to link a few turns before August ends.

Thanks,
Nick

Wow - pretty slim pickins up there. I drove over from Yakima - and it was mostly brown. I have to admit I was driving a carload of precious cargo, so I was concentrating on the road more than the hills. That coupled with my ski trip in early August made it so I wasn't really looking for ski-able snow.

If you have a 3 hour window - a trip up to Sunrise and the Burroughs usually provides pretty easy fruit - I skied there late last August, but haven't seen it this year.

Good luck!

Rusty

This late in the year, not worth the search IMO. You might find a thin strip in a gully but will be tough.

Wow - pretty slim pickins up there.  I drove over from Yakima - and it was mostly brown.  I have to admit I was driving a carload of precious cargo, so I was concentrating on the road more than the hills.  That coupled with my ski trip in early August made it so I wasn't really looking for ski-able snow.

If you have a 3 hour window - a trip up to Sunrise and the Burroughs usually provides pretty easy fruit - I skied there late last August, but haven't seen it this year.

Good luck!

Rusty

Anyone know if they'res anything left at sunrise?

If you want to err on the side of making sure you get your patch/Aug turns in on your trip to Yakima, you could always drive around the south side of Rainier through Paradise and then shoot east from there via Stevens Canyon/123/12 to Yakima.

It might add say an hour to your total drive but you'll have good long known patches to ski within an hour's hike from the car. If you aren't sure where they are, email me and I'll email you back some tour maps to a couple of them.

If you want to err on the side of making sure you get your patch/Aug turns in on your trip to Yakima....It might add say an hour to your total drive but you'll have good long known patches to ski within an hour's hike from the car.

Yeah Nick, way to paint yourself into a TAY corner I'll bet you have to work this week too.
I second what ron j says. You can get turns in fo' sho' at the P-Patch, same place we went in Nov. '11 or '10. We went hiking there
just Tuesday and it will still be fine.