Stevens Pass in Washington

Kyes Peak and the Pride Glacier Headwall

Looking at Kyes Peak in the Monte Cristo Washington
Looking at Kyes Peak in the Monte Cristo Washington

Kyes Peak is a prominent and picturesque mountain near the abandoned mining town of Monte Cristo. In the late 1800s, the Rockafeller family helped to develop the area by funding the exploration of the area’s mining deposits. Situated in the Mountain Loop Highway Area of the North Cascades, the town of Monte Cristo was at the turn of the century the terminus for an Everett railroad built to ferry ores from the surrounding mountains to the then-bustling town.

Along with Monte Cristo and Columbia Peaks, Kyes and its surrounding ridges contain the Columbia Glacier basin. Kyes Peak is geologically significant in that it is the highest summit in the Monte Cristo group of peaks. Knowing that Scott McAlister and I decided to check out the area with a snowboard descent of the Pride Glacier Headwall.

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The Big Chiwaukum Couloir

Snowboarding the Big Chiwaukum couloir in the North Cascades

The Big Chiwaukum Couloir is one of those lines you can see on a clear day at Stevens Pass Ski resort. Being the high point of the Chiwaukum range the line can’t help but grab your attention. Scott McAlister and I put together a plan to in which we would make it out there via a traverse. We would go fast and light with an early morning approach so we could make the most out of the day before exiting around sunset. While the tour was going to be long it would be worth it for the views alone. Snowboarding down the Big Chiwaukum Couloir was going to be a nice bonus.

A view of the Big Chiwaukum Couloir from Stevens Pass ski resort
A view of the Big Chiwaukum Couloir from Stevens Pass ski resort

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Chiwaukum Mountains Camping Trip

Looking at the Chiwaukums from Howard Mountain
Climbing up Little Chiwaukum near Stevens Pass

With a full moon and clear skies it was time to head out into the mountains and try something big. Jason and I kept throwing ideas back and forth until reaching a agreement that we should visit the remote Chiwaukum Mountains. It was our hope that we could find a scenic camping spot and get some turns. Since it was early January we knew it was going to be cold with short days.

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