Baldy Chutes, 03-Apr-2010
Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2010 10:23 pm
One of my goals is to climb and photo document all of the chutes in Baldy Bowl. I ended up climbing The Dare and The Hourglass.
I woke up late and leisurely arrived at Manker Flats at 10:30am. It was already quite warm so I didn't think I'd even climb any chutes because of the rockfall danger. I left my helmet and my second semi-technical axe in the car. I figured I'd just get some photos from the base of the Bowl or climb the easy route up the West Ridge. When I got to the Bowl, I couldn't help it. I had to climb it.
So up I went. But I stopped at the base for a long time to plan my route. I wanted to survey how much rock was coming down, where they were coming from and at what frequency. At one point three bogeys headed right at a climber halfway up the Bowl from 1 O'clock high and it looked like he was just frozen there. But he was actually watching their trajectories to make a move at the last second. The three rocks whizzed by on either side of him. Then another time a huge rock let loose, started tumbling and smashed into a stationary boulder, causing it to explode into 4 or 5 large fragments with a huge kaboom! Wow!
Luckily my side of the Bowl was relatively calm. I made it up The Dare without incident, met a nice young couple from Santa Monica and then continued up the ridge, taking pictures.
This is an illustration I made based on a photo in the Ski Hut. The picture is from March.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/chute2-mk.jpg)
You can see a skier near the bottom. For some reason he skinned across and then climbed the left side of the rocks to gain the ridge.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/001.jpg)
The Dare and Once is Enough.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/002.jpg)
This is looking towards climber's left in The Dare chute. It measures out to be about 45°. The center of the chute is not as steep. My guess is 40°.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/003.jpg)
This is the top of The Dare.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/004.jpg)
This is that famous tree that marks The Hourglass Chute.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/005.jpg)
Top of Hourglass
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/006.jpg)
I went down The Hourglass and then back up. Here's the view from the bottom. At its narrowest, the chute is maybe about 6' wide, I think.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/007.jpg)
This is top of Girlyman Chute. The chute itself is pretty bare but the top is sort of corniced over with this very steep slap of snow. It's probably 60°+ in spots?
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/008.jpg)
Looking down Girlyman Chute.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/008a.jpg)
Here's Hershey Highway
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/008b.jpg)
This is looking north. The snag on the left marks Figure 11 and beyond it is Employee Entrance/Zen Chute (I think).
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/009.jpg)
This is looking south. From near to far is Figure 11, Hershey Highway and Girlyman Chute. You can see that snag again.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/008c.jpg)
The purple paint bandit strikes again! I first saw purple graffiti on Iron a few years ago and now this rock at the top of Zeke's Chute. Idiots!
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/010.jpg)
This is that tree that greets everyone at the top of Zeke's Chute (the center chute that everyone goes up)
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/011.jpg)
Another view, from a different day of Zeke's Chute and that big rock outcropping. The climbers are taking the leftside variation.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/012.jpg)
Had a nice ride down too:
I woke up late and leisurely arrived at Manker Flats at 10:30am. It was already quite warm so I didn't think I'd even climb any chutes because of the rockfall danger. I left my helmet and my second semi-technical axe in the car. I figured I'd just get some photos from the base of the Bowl or climb the easy route up the West Ridge. When I got to the Bowl, I couldn't help it. I had to climb it.
So up I went. But I stopped at the base for a long time to plan my route. I wanted to survey how much rock was coming down, where they were coming from and at what frequency. At one point three bogeys headed right at a climber halfway up the Bowl from 1 O'clock high and it looked like he was just frozen there. But he was actually watching their trajectories to make a move at the last second. The three rocks whizzed by on either side of him. Then another time a huge rock let loose, started tumbling and smashed into a stationary boulder, causing it to explode into 4 or 5 large fragments with a huge kaboom! Wow!
Luckily my side of the Bowl was relatively calm. I made it up The Dare without incident, met a nice young couple from Santa Monica and then continued up the ridge, taking pictures.
This is an illustration I made based on a photo in the Ski Hut. The picture is from March.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/chute2-mk.jpg)
You can see a skier near the bottom. For some reason he skinned across and then climbed the left side of the rocks to gain the ridge.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/001.jpg)
The Dare and Once is Enough.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/002.jpg)
This is looking towards climber's left in The Dare chute. It measures out to be about 45°. The center of the chute is not as steep. My guess is 40°.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/003.jpg)
This is the top of The Dare.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/004.jpg)
This is that famous tree that marks The Hourglass Chute.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/005.jpg)
Top of Hourglass
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/006.jpg)
I went down The Hourglass and then back up. Here's the view from the bottom. At its narrowest, the chute is maybe about 6' wide, I think.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/007.jpg)
This is top of Girlyman Chute. The chute itself is pretty bare but the top is sort of corniced over with this very steep slap of snow. It's probably 60°+ in spots?
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/008.jpg)
Looking down Girlyman Chute.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/008a.jpg)
Here's Hershey Highway
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/008b.jpg)
This is looking north. The snag on the left marks Figure 11 and beyond it is Employee Entrance/Zen Chute (I think).
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/009.jpg)
This is looking south. From near to far is Figure 11, Hershey Highway and Girlyman Chute. You can see that snag again.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/008c.jpg)
The purple paint bandit strikes again! I first saw purple graffiti on Iron a few years ago and now this rock at the top of Zeke's Chute. Idiots!
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/010.jpg)
This is that tree that greets everyone at the top of Zeke's Chute (the center chute that everyone goes up)
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/011.jpg)
Another view, from a different day of Zeke's Chute and that big rock outcropping. The climbers are taking the leftside variation.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/photobucket/i305/albums/nn201/steadicam22/hiking/baldy_chutes_03apr2010/012.jpg)
Had a nice ride down too: