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The Slot or the Couloir?
#58784 06/01/21 10:06 AM
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Dale E Offline OP
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What is the common location understanding of the slot versus the couloir? The reason I ask is that someone asked what the conditions were in the slot. A reply was given with out asking if the questioner was referring to the Whitney Trail or the Mountaineer Route.
I think of the Slot as being on the Whitney Trail and Couloir as on the MR. Clarity in terminology is important as conditions on these features can be very different.
What does the forum think?

Re: The Slot or the Couloir?
Dale E #58785 06/01/21 01:51 PM
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tif Offline
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Do you mean chute vs. couloir? I don't know that I've heard 'slot' being used before in relation to Whitney in the dozen or so years that I've been following/hiking it/paying attention.

Re: The Slot or the Couloir?
tif #58786 06/01/21 05:24 PM
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Dale E Offline OP
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Yes. But that makes my point. Various terms for landmarks can cause confusion. What do you call the gully near trail crest and the gully near the notch?

Re: The Slot or the Couloir?
Dale E #58787 06/01/21 06:02 PM
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I, too, have never seen the term "slot" used. It immediately brought to my mind the slot-like narrow feature in the lower section of the Mountaineer's Route chute (couloir) below the notch. Most people stay out of that, mostly staying to climber's left. But they could also avoid it by staying on the snow of the main chute.

The steep snow slope west of the 99 switchbacks is often called the chute, but it's to wide for a chute or couloir. I think of a gully as being a V-shaped stream-worn ravine.

> A reply was given with out asking if the questioner was referring to the Whitney Trail or the Mountaineer Route.
Nobody should offer an answer without first asking what "slot" they are talking about.


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