Skyscraper Mountain and Mount Fremont are two stunning peaks near Sunrise Visitor Center in Mount Rainier National Park. I had always wanted to snowboard the peaks in winter conditions but anyway you look at it it’s a long approach. The dream finally came together in the in early March 2018 as there was a solid weather forecast. It had just snowed a few days earlier so we start before day light and ride both the lines in a single day.

Heading out to Link Skyscraper Mountain and Mount Fremont

After a 6 AM meetup we were sledding up Highway 410 with snow in one lane. The other lane had a 2 foot drop to concrete as WSDOT had been clearing the road in preparations for spring. Once off the Mather Y there was no more plowing and we were off to the White River Campground. Once there we started skinning up to Sunrise Visitor Center through 2 miles of old growth forest before reached the upper plateau. We used the North swaths of Goat Island Mountain as a reference point as the top in near a similar elevation.

 

Heading Towards Mount Fremont

At the upper plateau we started skinning west on the bench just below the visitor center towards Frozen lake a miles to the west. The weather was a bit gray but we still had good views of the terrain and there was little wind. It was another beautiful spring day in the Cascades

 

Soon enough we were at Frozen Lake which was buried. It was so deep under the snow that you would have never known there was a lake there. From the lake we would start climbing up Mt. Fremont’s South Peak and traverse along the high ridge to the summit.

 

The clouds were covering the summit as we climbed up the South Ridge of Mount Fremont. Lower on the mountain we had a clean view of the Burroughs and the terrain we covered during the Osceola Traverse.

To the east we could see the Sourdough Range in the distance with the Crystal Mountain area in the far distance.

Once on the ridge we worked with the contours and took in the views and memories. We were making good time as we climbed. If we kept at the same pace we would have time for both Skyscraper Mountain and Mount Fremont.

Arriving at the Summit of Mount Fremont

When we made it up to the summit we finally got a look at the line that had always interested us. It was a beautiful sub peak just down the ridge that had a 2000 foot north facing line. Though the days before had been warm it still looked to be in powder conditions. In this photo you can see our line up front, Skyscraper Mountain behind and its Northeast bowl and the Moraine Park area in the distance.

The views of Rainier and the Burroughs were stunning under a winter snowpack. It would be early July before there were any visitors to this side of the park. It felt so foreign breaking trail in such an isolated place. From here we would be riding our first descent and a hopeful link up of Skyscraper Mountain and Mount Fremont.

 

After a few minutes it was time to drop into the first run. While Boot and Jason stood on the summit I made my way down the ridge. Wrapping around rocks I tried to keep as much speed as possible making my way over to the smaller summit of Mount Fremont.

Snowboarding Down Mount Fremont

From the summit I rode along the ridge making sure to watch out for rocks or shallow snowpack. After a 5 minute walk I was on the top and strapped in,preparing to ride a line I had wanted to do for more than a decade. Before long it was time to drop and and put some tracks on the blank canvas.

 

I rode down the entire face top to bottom before stopping in the lower basin. From there I waited for Both Jason and Boot to head down. The snow was amazing for every turn and although most areas were affected by the wind this area was loaded.

 

Before long the group was back together and chatting about what gully to ride on the lower slopes. Our attention focused on the main gully as it had the best snow. We were about to drop to Berkley Creek where the North faces of Skyscraper Mountain and Mount Fremont join together.

 

Linking Together Skyscraper Mountain and Mount Fremont via a Skin Track

Once in the valley we switched back to skinning. Taking advantage of the creek we filled our water bottles and took in some food before putting in the long skin track. Before long we were making our way through the old growth forest. We made sure to put in a good skin track as we would be using it for our next lap.

Instead of skinning directly up Skyscrapers steep east slopes we wrapped around via the upper basin. Since we would have to use the skin track again it made sense to push it near the Burroughs. This would also be a much safer route against potential avalanche conditions. We had made good time and the weather was still looking good enough as we started making our way towards Skyscraper Mountain.

 

Finally we made it up to the low col just south of the summit of Skyscraper Mountain. This was the spot where the summer tail was but it was buried under the snow. We would be climbing to the summit and head over to the Northeast face on the opposite side.

 

Heading Down the Northeast Bowl of Skyscraper Mountain

Once on the summit block we had to climb down 20 feet and wrap around. The clouds were coming in and our but we still had visibility below us. Soon enough we were strapped in and preparing for our Second run of the day.

 

Looking down the Northeast face we could tell it would be great snow. One at a time we dropped in finding a wide open bowl running 2000 feet down to the valley below and on to our skin track.

Exiting our Trip to Skyscraper Mountain and Mount Fremont

Once back on our skin track we made our way towards the 2nd Burroughs as the weather seemed to be deteriorating. This would be our final skin but we were super happy as we had rode both Skyscraper Mountain and Mount Fremont.

When we finally made it to the top of the col on the Burroughs we were in a cloud bank and couldn’t see a foot in front of us. This was a spot I had been to so many times but I quickly got lost in the clouds. The line down the South side had some cliffs you had to ride between and we had no references.

Not knowing the exact spot to drop in we navigated with a compass until we found the right spot. We dropped into the clouds and after a hundred feed we were below the clouds. It was a sigh of relief as we made our way to the Glacier Basin trail. The next hour we fought our way down the trail beaten and exhausted before finally getting to the sleds. After the 16 mile snowmobile ride we were back at Crystal Springs snowpark in the dark. Each one of us was worked but we had rode two amazing lines in amazing conditions. It was a trip that will be burned into our memories forever riding both Skyscraper Mountain and Mount Fremont.

Thank you for reading this trip linking Skyscraper Mountain and Mount Fremont. If you want to see more ski tours within Mount Rainier Backcountry check out this link