home of the Pure Awesomeness Factor Better Data, Better Skiing

Shaffers Chute

Double black Kirkwood, CA

Steepest pitch39°
Vertical850 ft
Length2,334 ft
Average pitch22°
FacesNE
Top9,100 ft

Shaffers Chute drops 850 vertical feet over 2,334 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 39° about 490 feet below the top. That's steeper than 66% of the 2,251 double black runs we've measured in North America, and the 10th steepest of 58 named runs at Kirkwood. It faces northeast.

How well Shaffers Chute holds snow

Snow preservationExcellent

Facing northeast at an average 22°, Shaffers Chute gets about 64% of the winter sun that flat ground at Kirkwood does, December through March. That's shadier than 80% of the runs we've measured, and the 16th shadiest named run at Kirkwood. Its top sits at 9,100 feet.

Shaded snow stays colder and drier, so it holds powder longer after a storm and is slower to crust over or turn to slush in spring. Shading from ridges and trees isn't counted yet.

Shaffers Chute profile

under 25°25–35°35–45°45°+ Hover to follow the line on the map.

Where it is on the mountain

Runs like Shaffers Chute elsewhere

Nearby at Kirkwood

Measured by ZRankings from 1-meter USGS lidar. Steepest pitch is the steepest stretch of about 50 vertical feet along the skiable line. Run lines come from OpenStreetMap and can sit a little off the skied path.