May 24, 2003, Chinook Pass

Got talked into a trip to Chinook, an area I've never really toured before. At least with current snowpack I was disappointed with how short the slopes were; there's not a lot of vertical relief above the level of the road on the Naches Pk. side. Maybe the way towards Crystal is better?
Snow was heavy heavy heavy, telemetry for Chinook is out but Paradise had recorded well over 60 for that same time period. Slid some E facing slopes, basically everything past 30 degrees wanted to move. The slides were so water laden that they moved at probably 2mph, and when they compacted at the bottom made shock waves in the snow that reminded me of the patterns in lava flows I'd seen in Hawaii and the St. Helens area caves. Fortunately the snow under the slide was still quite good.
Touronous Maximus at the pass. Always funny to finish a tour by ending up in the middle of a three ring circus, yet, since you are the ones carrying skis in late May, being considered by most to be one of the performers.