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.

Heading Up the Sahale Arm from Cascade Pass

Since I was traveling solo travel was fast. Arriving at the base of Cascade Pass I put on my crampons and pushed towards Sahale Arm. It was the perfect day for climbing as it was both sunny and there was no winds. Within two hours as I had a clear view of my line and the chutes that drop down to Doubtful Lake.

Stunning Views From the Top of Sahale Mountain

Putting my head down I quickly climbed the Sahale Glacier before arriving as the final section. It was too steep to skin so I switched over to crampons for the final 500 feet. Withing 30 minutes I was standing on the summit and soaking in the views in all directions. To the Southeast I had a clear view of Glacier Peak Wilderness. Making out all the different peaks in contrast to the top of Bonanza Peak.

To the south I could see all the terrain of the Extended Ptarmagin Traverse. In front of me was the final slopes of the Magic S Loop. It was a wall of mountains sprawling south without much traffic. From Holden village to Glacier Peak there were over 100 mountains you could point out.

To the west I was looking towards Cascade Pass. From Johannesburg all the way to the Monte Cristo Mountains. Rising off barely in the distance I could make out Whitehorse Mountain and the Three Fingers.

Zooming in the camera I had a stunning view of Glacier Peak and the North facing glaciers.

Looking to the northeast I could see the Boston Glacier which we traversed to Mount Buckner. Off in the distance I could see Mount Shuksan to the left and the Picket Range to the right.

And to the Northeast was Mount Baker with the Squak and Easton Glaciers. In the foreground was Eldorado Peak. I could almost look into Canada as I switched my board over. Below me was almost 6,000 feet of turns to be had.

Snowboarding Back Down the Sahale Arm

Before long it was time to ride down. Since I was solo I strapped in and rode all the way to the Sahale Arm before looking back/ It was great seeing one track running off the summit of Sahale Mountain. While it wasn’t the most aggressive of routes I was happy with my solo run.

Before long I was riding down to Cascade Pass and following my uptrack. The only crux of the day was the cliffs at the head of the valley. Since i had climbed the area it was easy to spot where I needed to go. Soon I was following the Cascade River Road to the end of the snowpack. Knowing I was less then a mile from the car I carried my board down the final stretch. Soon enough I was packing my gear into the car and heading towards the Puget Sound. It had been a great and scenic weekend and Sahale Mountain was the perfect way to end it.

Thank you for reading this trip on Sahale Mountain. If you want to see more ski tours within the the Highway 20 corridor check out this link.