Highway 20 and the North Cascades Ski Tours

Burly terrain and more isolation around every turn makes the North Cascades off Highway 20 hold some of the most remote mountains in the lower 48 and gave me gives both Splitboarders and Skiers endless options. Here is a through list of my explorations in the relatively unknown.

Goode and Mount Logan via Highway 20

Looking at Goode Mountain in the North Cascades of Washington
Looking at Goode Mountain in the North Cascades of Washington
Climbing up the Northeast Col of Goode Mountain

The North Fork of Bridge Creek is one of those valleys in the North Cascades rarely visited. With both Goode Mountain and Mount Logan in close proximity the area offers great terrain. Both Scott and I had been in the area via a previous trip and had wanted to go back. With 5 days of good weather our plan was to camp. With the opening of Highway 20 we decided on heading there via Black Peak Col. We weren’t sure how the route would go but we knew it was going be a wild journey non the less. It was time to get some redemption in the North Fork of Bridge Creek.




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Crater Mountain in the North Cascades

Crater Mountain off Highway 20
Crater Mountain off Highway 20
Sunrise over Crater Mountain in Washington

Crater Mountain is situated just east of Ross Lake and dead center in the North Cascades. This area which is found in the Hozameen Range. The top of Crater Mountain holds two separate summits which until recently housed a fire look. From the high point this area has some best views of the North Cascades. With names like the Picket Range, Jack Mountain and Goode Mountain surrounding its landscape one can see why little attention is paid to this peak from a skiing perspective.

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The Squak Glacier on Mount Baker

The Squak Glacier is located on the southeast slopes of Mount Baker. Being connected to the Easton Glacier it is popular for summer skiing. Being a high glacier it is possible to have good skiing late into August. Starting at 6,000 feet it runs all the way to the summit of Sherman Peak 4,000 feet. There is a lot of snowmobile activity Mid winter. Once the Park Butte trailhead melts out it is primarily used by skiers and climbers. Being connected to the high point of the North Cascades it offers great views and turns.

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Robinson Mountain in the North Cascades

Mount Robinson in the North Cascades of Washington

Robinson Mountain in the Okanogan Range is rugged but beautiful backcountry ski. While only five hours away from Seattle this area provides massive rugged mountain. The area is sitting in some of the most isolated wilderness within Washington. With a topographical map and an old climbers trail I was nervous. I was running solo into … Read more

Sahale Arm Scenic Ski Tour off Cascade Pass

Looking at Sahale Peak in the North Cascades
Looking at Sahale Peak in the North Cascades

After a long day of touring up Mount Shuksan via Sulphide Glacier, I was looking to do a mellow tour in the nearby area. Sahale Arm lies on the eastern edge of Cascade Pass and has safe slopes almost to the summit. At the moment I was looking for a long, senic and safe tour since I was going solo. With limited options between Mount Baker and the Puget Sound soon I settled on driving up Cascade River Road. Before long I arrived at the gate and it was time to get ready for a long day.

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Sulphide Glacier on Mount Shuksan

Looking at the Sulphide Glacier on Mount Shuksan
Looking at the Sulphide Glacier on Mount Shuksan
Ski touring up the Sulphide Glacier

The Sulphide Glacier route on Mount Shuksan is one of the most scenic backcountry ski tours in the North Cascades. With a forecast of partly sunny skies and well over 5 feet of recent fresh snow falling throughout the North Cascades, I went touring with Scott McAllister, Scott Stugelmeyer, and Brad Kwasnowski for a attempt at riding Mt. Shuksan. With all the new snowfall and not enough time to stabilize, the potential for big avalanches was, well, big. So, we decided to take the route least likely to slide at the time, which happened to be the low-angled Sulphide Glacier.




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Buckner Mountain Descent of North Face

Looking at the North face of Buckner Mountain in the North Cascades of Washington State
Looking at the North face of Buckner Mountain in the North Cascades of Washington State
Looking at the North Face of Buckner Mountain

Buckner Mountain and its North face is one of those areas in Washington that has reached legendary status. Being both steep and a bit isolated it is known but rarely seen by many people. With a summit of 9112 feet it is the 10th highest peak in Washington state. On the North side the slopes run down to the Boston Glacier before draining to Thunder Creek. The South side of Buckner Mountain drops almost over 4,000 feet to Park and Basin Creek. The main approach is via Cascade River Road before climbing over Sharkfin Col. With a solid weather window this was our plan on a 2 day trip into North Cascades National Park.




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CJ Couloir on Johannesburg Mountain

Looking at Johannesburg Mountain and the CJ Couloir
Looking at Johannesburg Mountain and the CJ Couloir

There is something really special about the North Cascades abundant steep, glaciated slopes. After spending too much time in the resort, I had to get out and take advantage of our endemic topography. To further tip the scales of persuasion, sunshine and stable avy conditions were predicted. Scott and I were off to North Cascades National Park and found ourselves at the base of the CJ Couloir!

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Partial Picket Range Ski Traverse and Mount Ruth

The idea to do a Picket Range Ski Traverse was the brain child of both Jason Hummel and Forrest Mcbrian. Basically I was a passenger and this is how a trip that would change my life came together.

February 17th 2010 presented a rare weather window indigenous to spring in the Cascades—6 days of clear skies and, most likely, stable, predictable maritime snowpack. The infrequent opportunity called for something long and arduous in the backcountry. Like most other mountaineers in the area, this was what I had waited for—a big weather window, and the opportunity to do something big with it.

As a splitboard mountaineer, finding touring partners often means looking beyond snowboarders toward the truly elite in sliding tool mountaineering (yeah, that often means skiers). Jason Hummel, though a skier, was a frequent traveling partner, good friend, and talented photographer. Traveling with him was a given for the upcoming window, but where we would go was yet to be determined. Jason had considered the Picket Range Ski Traverse many times before, and was knowledgeable about the area. He and I had talked for a while about doing a trip in the area.




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