March 20, 2010, Chair Peak Circumnavigation

Nice tour around chair peak today.  The route is well filled in, although the snow conditions were variable: hard and frozen in the morning, shallow proto-corn on sunny aspects, wind-packed powder, lots of chunks due to recent pin-wheeling and sluffing.  I went around counter-clockwise and started up the slope to Bryant Col around 1:00, just as it was starting to soften which helped  with skinning.  I ran into 3 skiers going around the opposite direction and they said the slope down Bryant Col was still frozen solid when they went down it (probably about 11).  The best skiing was between Melakwa Pass and Melakwa Lake since the snow was well corned up by 12:00.

I skied down the couloir below Bryant Col (east side).  Although it was well filled in, the snow conditions were strenuous: thick heavy powder with embedded and occasional hidden frozen chunks.  I suspect the Traverse over to Pinapple basin is the preferred route.


No evidence of instability, not even much sluffing.  Sorry, no photos.