Ever since I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail through Snoqualmie Pass and seeing the Kendall Chutes I knew I wanted to ski them one day. Throughout the seasons my attention had always been focused on Crystal Mountain or Mount Rainier with little focus on Snoqualmie Pass. As my 2017 Washington Season was winding done Ben Starkey and I decided it was time to go exploring Kendall Peak and Chutes.

Exploring the Snoqualmie Pass Backcountry

The day was cloudy as we went ski touring up Kendall Peak. We had no idea what to expect skinning up a logging road. Would the day improve or was the day just a wash. In typical Snoqualmie fashion it was raining but we knew the snow would be soft. I had be interested in this area for years but especially after seeing them from Red Mountain

Making it up to the ridge we were standing on top of the Kendall Chutes. Visibility wasn’t the greatest but it was obvious the only way to go was down. If warranted we were thinking of taking a few laps in the area before heading out.

Snowboarding the Kendall Peak Chutes

We dropped into the Kendall Chutes and while steep the lines were sloppy wet snow. It wasn’t the avalanche concern type of snow but more of a “Is this really worth it” type of snow.

Though the terrain would be amazing in powder this just wasn’t the day for it. We decided to retreat and call it a day as we started skinning back up the line. We decided to go back up the way we came as everything seemed to be stable but wanted to climb the safest route.

Soon things got steeper and we were punching up to our thighs bootpacking the upper slope. It was tiring and the weather just wasn’t cooperating as we made our way up.

Once on the ridge we decided to go for plan B. What is plan B you ask? Well we could tell from the maps that there were some big couloirs that went all the way down to Gold Creek. We decided instead of riding the forest road back down we would go explore some more.

Time for Plan B Down to the Gold Creek Valley

We rode back down to the upper Kendall Lake before transitioning to skinning. In the photo below you can see the area we skinned up on the right hand side.

We made our way ski touring through old growth forest until reaching the ridge. From there we did a low angle traverse heading west on the ridge for an additional kilometer before transitioning. We kept joking that we were hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

An Added Bonus and the Best Line of the Day

Once we were in the area where we felt we could make it to the line we switched to snowboarding. We kept following the high ridge until the gully came into view. Soon enough it opened into a beautiful chute and we were surrounded by cliffs.

The line turned out to be much better than expected and we rode down the heavy but fun snow. We had thought the day would be a total bust but this line saved the day. It was a hidden gem that we found exploring the Kendall Chutes. Although this wasn’t what we planned it was much better than expected.

The line went directly down to Gold Creek and we were able to walk across the creek. Within a few miles we were back at the main road and walking to the car. I would love to go back to the Kendall Peak Chutes and as long as avalanche conditions are okay I would take this exit. It’s like we sometimes say that “The best plan is no plan”

Thank you for reading this trip out to the Kendall Peak Chutes. If you want to see more ski tours within the Snoqualmie Pass Backcountry check out this link.