Whitehorse Mountain in the North Cascades of Washington is one of the wildest easy access ski tours around. With direct access from Darrington the North face is some of the steeper and more open lines out there. If you are willing to deal with a nasty approach it is a great ski tour.

With large amounts of accumulation over the past few days and a forecast of partly sunny skies and lower freezing levels Hannah and myself were ready to tackle something big. The question was where to go and what area would deliver quality snow. Whatever it was it had to be north facing and top out at a relatively high elevation. After combing topos and passing ideas back and forth there was one peak that kept on coming up, Whitehorse right outside of Darrington had all the right components, a long North facing run, relatively easy access and A summit just under 7’000 feet.

The Approach to Whitehorse Mountain

We knew it was going to be a long day so we arrived at our starting point. Under the cover of darkness at we packed our gear at 5:00 AM. As the sun started to rise we made our way toward Ashton Creek. Hiking at 800 feet it was amazing to see a moss covered forest.

 

Before long we arrived at the creek and were happy to find a log across. Knowing it would be a long day the last thing we wanted was wet shoes. Throwing our poles across soon we were crawling on the slippery log. Fortunately the tree was wide so it made crossing relatively easy.

 

Before long we were walking through a massive avalanche debris pile. It was wild because we were at around 1000 feet. Normally you would touch snow until much higher but with the rugged geography this area had consistent slides. It would be a dangerous place to climb during an unstable event but we were climbing days after the last storm.

 

Our first view of Whitehorse Mountain was discouraging. A huge cliff cirque with no obvious ramps up to the mellower terrain above. Not only that but we were dealing with one of the largest avalanche debris piles I had ever seen. Immediately I knew that the day was going to be a challenge.

 

A Battle for Every Foot Gained

Having to go around the creek we found ourselves in the dense forests to the side. We had to work for every foot as we clawed through the slide alder. The first thousand vertical feet was slow moving as we bush whacked for hours.

 

Before long we had made our way through the first waterfall and were back at the creek. By now we had solid bootpack so crossing it wouldn’t be an issue. The problem was that above us was once again another cliff.

 

At the base of the cliff band we spent a little bit of time looking for a route. Fortunately we had spotted one to the west side of the creek. It would allow us to get into the upper alpine and hopefully travel would be much smoother.

 

Finally we had a view of the upper slopes of Whitehorse Mountain. We worked hard to get where we were and spent numerous hours just getting to the base. Being at a safe spot we put our shoes in plastic bags and put the skis on our feet. It was already starting to get warm and we still had thousands of feet to go.

 

Finally Climbing the North Face of Whitehorse Mountain

Though it had been a cloudy morning by now the clouds were burning off. High above we could see where we were aiming for. It was finally time to traverse towards the main basin. Being surrounded by jagged faces it was stunning scenery in all directions.

 

The snow conditions changed rapidly as we gained elevation. What was wet and nasty snow was starting to turn to powder above 4’000 feet. We started our trips in hopes to find some good turns and as we broke trail we were happy to find it.

 

Clouds would push in occasionally as we climbed and cast shadows on the slopes above. Looking at the rolling terrain of the So Bahli Alhi Glacier we felt like we were on an alien planet. Finally we were out of the trees and the valley bellow.

 

As we climbed there would occasionally be a stress crack in the snow. What looked like a 5 foot drop from far away was in all actuality 20 feet. What we were looking at was the depth of the seasonal snowpack on smooth snow below. Seeing this it reminded us off the massive avalanche debris we saw in the valley.

 

Heading up the slopes we tried to stay in the shade as long as possible. It was a warm day and we knew that anything in the sun could glop on our skins. It was already tiring as it was but with snow on our skis it would slow down our speed dramatically.

 

Climbing up the Steep Upper Slopes

Before long we were putting switchbacks up into the sun of the upper face. As we climbed the snow quickly got deeper and soon we were in over a foot of accumulation. Taking turns on trail breaking we slowly climbed up the north facing slopes.

 

Looking back we had already gained 4,000 feet from the valley below. We could see the Darrington Valley and random farm pastures as we made our way up. To the north the clouds were engulfing the mountains but we were still in the sun.

 

The higher we went the steeper the terrain got. Fortunately the snow made for easy skinning as we placed in the switchbacks. By now we were getting near the high ridge to the west. It had been time consuming but we were covering quite a bit of ground.

 

Switching to Bootpacking on the upper face

Finally the terrain got to steep to skin so we put our gear on our packs. Each step was a battle as we kicked into the deep snow. We were aiming for a small ridge to the east which seemed like an easy route.

 

Soon we made our way up to our first goal being at the split between us and the Sill Basin. Now we had views of to the northwest as well and the mountains of the North Cascades. The summit was still over a thousand feet above and with the trail breaking we were going slow.

 

Finally we were placing steps onto the last steep pitch below the upper mellow slopes. By now we were dealing with knee to thigh deep snow with every step. Though the riding would be amazing we had to work for every inch.

 

Realizing it is not Going to be a Summit Day on Whitehorse Mountain

Finally making it to the upper slopes we knew we were short on time. It had taken a lot of work to get where we were and still the summit was a ways away. There just wasn’t enough time to make it to the top of Whitehorse Mountain. Instead we decided to rest for a little bit before our long descent down.

 

Looking down the Darrington Valley just dropped off. We had climbed more then 5,000 feet and still we weren’t at the summit. I had heard the reputation that Whitehorse Mountain was a challenge. Know I fully knew why that rumor existed.

 

Snowboarding Down Whitehorse Mountain and a Race Against the Darkness

After resting for an hour it was time to start our descent. The sun was already starting to drop to the west and we were loosing light fast. By the time we took our first turns it had already been ten hours. It was time to get out and we needed to do it fast.

 

The snow was just as good as we thought it was going to be up high. Every turn was kicking up snow and occasionally we found ourselves in the white room. What took us hours to climb was going by in minutes.

 

Following the rolling terrain of the basin we loosely followed our skin track. While we were able to open up we needed to think about the cracks we saw before. By now the alpenglow was lighting up the peaks behind us. While it was beautiful it was a reminded that the light was fading.

 

Around 4’000 feet it was a completely different story the Wet heavy mank had developed a nasty Ice crust and changed the riding to survival skiing.We slowly made our way down trying to stay in the untouched as it was smooth compared to the now hardened avy debris. We finally made it back to the cliff cirque as the sunlight had depleted and dusk had started to take over. By now all I was thinking was “Where is the ramp and where are our shoes?”

 

A Dark Night Crawling down White Horse Mountain

It was important to find the right ramp as it was the only one to get off the cliff band. As soon as we arrived we couldn’t find our shoes. It seemed an Avalanche had run down the area leaving a smooth slope and taking our shoes with it. After checking out a few different ramps we went down the one that seemed the most familiar. Finally we were in the basin and getting ready to thrash through the forests below.

By the time we made it into the drainage filled with avy debris darkness had settled into the valley leaving dark sky and stars as far as the eyes could see. That morning I had made a stupid decision that I would come to regret for hours upon hours, I decided to leave my headlamp in the car and now the only light was the headlamp that Hannah had brought and worst of all we still hadn’t made it to the most technical terrain.

Travel was slow as we carefully made steps on the now icy slopes with Hannah following behind me as her headlamp illuminated our path. I felt frustrated with my decision as we slowly bushwhacked back down the dense steep forest using trees as hand holds trying to stay on our old trail. After what seemed like hours we made it to the massive avy deposit zone which was even more impressive in the dark. It felt like an alien landscape with the glowing white mounds going for what seemed like forever.

Back to the Valley but Not Out of the Woods Yet

After countless ups and downs we finally made it to our last main obstacle the fast moving creek. We slowly crawled across the bridge making sure we didn’t slip in the dark. By now we had been hiking for well over 18 hours and we were both exhausted as we made the slog down the 2 mile stretch of road back to the car. We made it back to the car around 1:30 in the morning worked and without shoes.

Thank you for reading our trip out to Whitehorse Mountain. If you want to see more ski tours within Mount Rainier Backcountry check out this link