North Cascades of Washington

Seven Fingered Jack: Deep in the Entiats

Snowboarding down while looking west towards Glacier Peak from the summit of Seven Fingered Jack
A nice break as we wait for the sun to come out on top of Seven Fingered Jack
Snowboarding down Seven Fingered Jack in Glacier Peak Wilderness

Seven Fingered Jack is one of the biggest peaks in Washington State. It stands proud at the head of the Entiat Range rising just above 9,000 feet. With 3 peaks within the area rising above 9,000 feet it provides one of the most scenic views in the Cascade Mountains. For these reasons we decided it was time to head up Leroy Basin and ride something out there.

With the melting out of the Entiat River road we were able to drive the 20 mile stretch of road to an old mining settlement called Trinity. Trinity was a huge exporter of Copper only to fall apart in 1938, when all the miners left for the mines in Holden. Both Scott and myself decided to head that direction as see if we could ride on one of the 9000 footers.




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Spire Col in Glacier Peak Wilderness

Spire Col in Glacier Peak Wilderness Washington
Spire Col in Glacier Peak Wilderness Washington
Looking up at Spire Col in Glacier Peak Wilderness Washington

The Spire Col area has a reputation for being one of the most isolated areas within the Cascades and as we found out, it lives up to the reputation. I was fortunate to be invited on a Hummel family outing with not only the Hummel twins but also there younger brother Jessy to explore this rarely ventured area.

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White Salmon Glacier: Mount Shuksan

Looking at Mount Shuksan and the White Salmon Glacier
Looking at Mount Shuksan and the White Salmon Glacier
Ski touring up the White Salmon Glacier

Barely two weeks after failing a potential summit of Shuksan via the Sulphite glacier I was back to give Shuksan another go.

There are endless routes on Shuksan all of which are worthy but the focus of my attention was the White Salmon Glacier located on the north side and is viewable from Mt Baker ski resort. It wasn’t hard to find partners for this worth objective and within a few phone calls both Scott McAlister and Drew Tabke were both on board for a one day ascent of the 9000 foot giant.

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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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Sherpa Glacier Snowboard trip on Mount Stuart

Looking at Sherpa Peak in Alpine Lakes Wilderness
Looking at Sherpa Peak in Alpine Lakes Wilderness

The Sherpa Glacier Couloir on Mount Stuart is an awesome ski tour. Located on the eastern side of the North Cascades it is both big and in a cold area. With the long approach it is far from the masses but well worth the effort. The steep north facing slope holds powder longer then most of the surrounding mountains . If there is good snow anywhere in the Cascades it is almost always going to be on the Sherpa Glacier.

While most of the winter in the Cascades had been a drought spring seemed to have make up for it. Rain was ravaging the lowlands but it was coming down as snow in the mountains. With stable weather and the possibility of over 2 ft of fresh on the E side of the Crest we had a plan. Scott and I decided to check out the Sherpa Glacier and its north facing slopes of Mount Stuart.




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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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North Twin Sister in the Twin Sisters Range

Looking at the North Sister in the Twin Sisters Range
Looking at the North Sister in the Twin Sisters Range

The North Twin Sister is the northern most peak in the Twin Sister Range located just southwest of Mount Baker. With a summit elevation of 6,644 feet it is commonly seen from Highway 542. Being the first alpine peak on the Western North Cascades it sees little traffic. Being accessed from the Mosquito Lake Road you can access the Middle Fork of the Nooksack River. The final approach is via a logging road which is usually gated but offers direct access. Our interest was on the north facing slopes which is a wide open chute. With clear weather and a fresh dusting of snow finally it was time to check out the North Twin Sister.




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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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