It was a beautiful day on Sunday, and we had clear skies and could see all the way to the Three Sisters in Oregon. I was very grateful that my coworker and her husband were able to give me a ride. Although she and her friends were all ski-mountaineering, they had to boot up to the top so we were together for the climb up. Our timing was great and the snow was in perfect condition for skiing and glissading on the way down (~11am). They headed down the southwest chutes and I headed back down the way we came up (more or less).
I have heard that the chute from Pikers Peak (the false summit) to Lunch Counter (where those climbing over two days tend to camp) is the longest glissade chute in North America, and I could believe it that day. My previous summits of Adams were in August, when rocks had started protruding out of the chutes which were sometimes sunk as much as three feet below the snow level, and reminiscent of bobsled chutes. Due to these factors I was pretty cautious in my glissades on my previous attempts (it didn't help that my first time up Adams was also my first ever glissade down a mountain).
I downclimbed the first 20 feet or so before slipping in the soft snow and having to self-arrest. The ease with which I could self-arrest made me realize that the snow conditions were perfect for braking, even on the steeper parts of the existing glissade chute. I glissaded down the mountain about 30 more feet on my own track before climbing into the established chute. It was the best glissade of my life. Very long, very fun, and no safety concerns as I had complete control when braking. Thanks to that glissade it only took me three hours to get down the mountain from the summit. A wonderful day.
