Snowboarding the Washington Volcanoes
In 2008 I had gained almost a decade of experience ski touring outside of the resorts and decided to test my skills. I came up with a plan to snowboard the five different volcanoes in the Washington Cascades. This was my first time ski touring on Glaciers and was testing my skills at overnight camping. I came up with a plan to climb them from least to most technical over the season. It was time to go out and buy some crampons and prepare for a long Spring ski touring until late July.Below you will find the list of the Washington Volcanoes as well as a button that links to the Trip Reports for each of them.
In early May my friends Dan, Scott and I went for a ski descent of Mount Saint Helens via the Worm Flow Route. Being over 6,000 feet on non technical terrain it was the perfect place to warm up for the spring touring system. With the permit season starting just a few weeks later we made our way in for a small weather window. With the promise of no wind and a warm day we planned to be riding down in the afternoon to perfect corn.
After a botched attempt the season before we made our way in for a second attempt. Climbing via the Southern Route up the Lunch Counter and Pickers Peak we wanted to ride the now famous Southwest Chutes. Starting in Early June we would make our way in before the road melted out. Though it would be a longer approach we would have Mount Adams to ourselves.
Being late in June it was time to do some Glacier Climbing. The Coleman Glacier on Mount Baker was the perfect place to prepare for Mount Rainier. With the mellow but glaciated slopes we would be able to get a fill of what was in store. Not to mention the stunning scenery off the North Cascades it was nice to finally see what all the fuss was about.
Being early July it was time to snowboard off the highest peak in Washington State. With 3 days of no wind and a freezing level above 14,000 feet it was time to ride corn off the summit of Mount Rainier. Though it was intimidating it was a great goal for the season as I had looked at it my entire life.Our route would be up the Emmons Glacier via the White River Campground.
Not being the hardest but easily the most isolated volcano in Washington State we saved Glacier Peak for last. On normal occasions it is over 30 miles but with the road washed out it was 10 more roundtrip. Being Mid July Dan and made our way up the North Fork of the Sauk River. The plan was to climb Glacier Peak via the Cool Glacier Route. While we would be walking on Glaciers it was an easy and straightforeword climb not to mention the perfect peak to finish off my project.
Each one of the Volcanoes is unique and offers all ranges of skiing opportunities. During usual seasons you can find the best turns on the volcanoes from late April until Mid July. With open alpine slopes they get swept by winds so powder days are few and far between. I highly recommend doing the volcanoes in a similar style as it is a great progression from Mount Saint Helens to Glacier Peak.
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