Stevens Pass and Highway 2 Ski Tours

Out of all the roads in Washington this one access the most terrain and the best options for ski touring in Washington yet most people don’t know about it. If it’s warm head to Leavenworth and the Eastern Side of the Cascades but if it’s colder head for the lower slopes on the West side of the Pass. When in Washington it is nice to have options.

Mount Fernow Outside of Holden Village

Looking at the North Face of Mount Fernow outside of Holden Village
Looking at the North Face of Mount Fernow outside of Holden Village
Looking at the North face of Mount Fernow which we snowboarded down

Mount Fernow is a stunning and massive mountain on the Eastern Side of the North Cascades. Situated right above Holden Village it is one of the ten highest peaks in Washington State. Bordering both the Entiat River to the south and Railroad Creek to the north it offers numerous potential ski runs. With a summit elevation of 9,249 and with Holden being at 3,228 that means there is over 6,000 vertical feet to potentially ride. Knowing all of this Jason Hummel and I made plans to spend a week in the area to ride some of the bigger peaks around. This was the first mission of two that went down that week.




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Eightmile Lake Camp and Ski Tour by Icicle Creek

After scrolling through Google Earth for days on end I stumbled across Eightmile Lake. With North facing slopes almost 3000 vert off the directly from shores it would be great skiing. Being near Leavenworth and on the Eastern Side of the Cascades it would be a much colder climate. After a warm up during the week we hoped this side would still hold powder. With one final weekend in the Cascades my friends Ben, Scott, Seth and I went on an overnight camping mission.

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Sauk River to Highway 2 in Glacier Peak Wilderness

Snowboarding off the summit of Indian Head Peak
Ski Traversing from Work Fork Suiattle to Stevens Pass Washington

Sauk River to Highway 2 was connecting the lines in the Washington Cascades between the 14 Lakes Traverse to the Suiattle Traverse. Starting on the Mountain Loop Highway we would loosely follow the Pacific Crest Trail for 6 days and over 50 miles. After starting on the North Fork of the Sauk River we would head southeast through the Poet Range. Then halfway through the trip we would descend west to the Little Wenatchee River before following the Pacific Crest Trail to Stevens Pass. With the traverses being almost a week long it was all about the right weather window. Fortunately that came in early May and it was time to attempt it.


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Rock Howard Mastiff Traverse

Looking at Rock Peak near Stevens Pass
Looking at Rock Peak near Stevens Pass
Looking at the Rock, Howard and Massif traverse near Stevens Pass

The Rock, Howard and Mastiff Traverse is a tour near Stevens Pass that links together some of the highest peaks. Starting from the Rock Mountain trailhead and ends at the Merritt Lake Trailhead. It’s a west to east ski traverse riding the southeast facing slopes of 3 of the biggest peaks on Nason Ridge. This was a tour both Scott and I had been thinking of doing for years. Finally the time came along when it was a early spring day with good snow. It was finally time to put together the topographical lines and see what the area had to offer.




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Monte Cristo Range Winter Ski Tour

Looking at Columbia Peak in the Monte Cristo Washington
Looking at Columbia Peak in the Monte Cristo Washington
Ski touring across Twin Lakes in the Monte Cristo

The Monte Cristo Range is a secluded area within the North Cascades of Washington state. While driving by the place going to Stevens Pass of to Highway 20 the area was of little attention. Though a few years earlier Scott McAlister and I had made our way out to Kyes Peak I never returned. Being earlier March we were looking through maps and trying to come up with a unique ski tour. Chatting with Scott he had checked out a route that he wanted to explore further. Soon enough we had come up with a plan to head to the area for a 3 day trip.


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Mount Maude and Seven Fingered Jack via Holden

Looking at the North Face of Maude outside of Holden Village
The northern chute of Maude in the north cascades of Washington

Both Mount Maude and Seven Fingered Jack are two of the highest peaks in Washington State. Being over 9,000 they are the source of both the Entiat and Chiwawa Rivers. Most times people access the area via Trinity but since it was early spring we decided to do something different. We would start from Holden Village and turn the trip into a ski traverse. The route we decided on was Heading up and over Copper Basin before following exiting via Big Creek Basin. This would allow us to ride both Mount Maude via the North face and Seven Fingered Jack.




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Tenpeak Mountain in the Dakobed Range

Ten Peak and the Dakobed Range Washington
Ten Peak and the Dakobed Range Washington

Tenpeak Mountain had always caught my eyes while on trips out to Glacier Peak. Standing on the summit I would always look toward both the Dakobed Range and Tenpeak near the head of the Suiattle River in amazement. With the mixture of both massiveness and remoteness it was always a place that I had wanted to spend some time on. Scott, Ben and I crafted a plan to get out there with a two day weather window. The plan was to go up and over Boulder Pass before descent to the Napeequa river. Once in the river valley we would head west to Tenpeak Mountain before an exit via Thunder Basin.

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