Leaving for Stevens Pass

After a 5:30 departure from Seattle Ben and I met up with Scott Mcalister and Daniel Frothmen. Hanging out at Scott’s house in Goldbar we chatted about ideas and tried to come up with a plan. Before Long we made our way up to Stevens Pass Ski Resorts upper lot. After getting our gear together we were off skinning before 8.

We followed the road up Heather Ridge across the valley from the ski resort. Following a road most the way we would feel the wind transported snow. It ranged from 4 inches to over a foot. If we chose the right aspect it would be a great day but if wrong it would be crust.

After 30 minutes of following the road we broke off towards Skyline Lake. Our focus was to obtain the col a few hundred feet above the Lake. Conditions steadily improved as we gained elevation as the snow was deeper and colder. Although the winds were strong in the valleys it was a relatively calm day in the mountains.

Once at Skyline Lake the sun broke in the distance. We wondered if we would be so lucky as to score a blue bird pow day.

Our First Lap off the North Side of Heather Ridge

After a 30 minute skin above the lake we were on the ridge and at our high point. We chose the to ride the north side. It was a relatively mellow run to access the terrain with numerous different descent options. The plan was to put a skin track up through the valley in case we wanted to take another lap.

The snow was deep enough that you couldn’t feel the bottom. It rode amazing as we made our way down through the trees. Being around 700 feet to the valley below it wasn’t long but much better then expected.

We transitioned and got to breaking in a trail knowing it was worth riding again. While it was a wet day we hadn’t expected the snow to be bottomless. We would traverse back to the low col than we could choose which line next from there.

After an hour of breaking trail we were back onto the ridge. Looking back at the terrain we had just climbed we came up with a plan for the next run.

The Second Lap off of Heather Ridge

The terrain we were wanting to ride was surrounded by a massive cliff band. We were able to spot a safe drop in point about 2/3 the way up the ridge. From there we transitioned and decided to ride back to our skin track.

The second run was a bit more open in terms of terrain. It rode awesome with minimal sluffs and no slabs that we experienced. There were pillows and other terrain features that weren’t buried under the 5 feet of snowpack.

At the end of our second run we transitioned and ate a few snacks. Soon we were climbing 200 feet back onto our skin track. It was still before 2 so if we kept a decent pace we could get in two more runs.

By the 3rd lap we had become familiar with the landscape that we passed by taking in the beauty of Old Growth trees with branches bigger than surrounding trees. The skin track held well as we put in kick turn after kick turn.

Enough Time For Another Northerly Run

For our 3rd run we decided to ride off the summit of Heather Ridge. We would make our next line line between our previous two runs. Skirting in just below the cliffs we focused our attention on the aprons.

After riding over a steep knoll we came down to a cliff section. With a quick traverse we found a gully that ran through. It turned out to be the only brake in the cliff that could get covered later in the year. Scott and Kololo went first before we all rode down one at a time.

After our third run it was about 3p.m. and just enough time for one final run back to the car. We were an hour from sunset and the weather was deteriorating so it was time to get going.

One Final Run Down the South Side Towards Stevens Pass

When we made it to Heather Ridge we skinned a bit over to the west. Heading towards an area referred to as the Diving board it was time to transition. We would ride a ridge on the edge of a 1,500 foot avi swath. Staying out of the path but getting awesome turns along the way. Our plan was to ride down to the summer road and skin back to the parking lot and our cars.

As we made our way down we were surprised to have such good quality snow. Riding through the trees for 80% of the route before ride the gully at the bottom. The lower section had much heavier snow but it was still soft. We rode from one open section in the trees to the next. Finally we were at the road as the skies started to darken.

We transitioned to skinning and followed the road back up to the Highway. Before long the lights at Stevens created an erie glow in the distance. Back at Scott’s and Ben’s vans where we celebrated a much better than expected day. In the end it turned out to be a nine and a half hour mission.

In Conclusion

Thanks to Ben for being such a great partner and getting us up to his home turf, thanks to Scott for so many amazing missions over the years, and to Daniel and Kololo who may just be the worlds biggest powder hound. Thank you for reading and hopefully there is still good snow out there.

Thank you for reading this trip on Heather Ridge. If you want to see more ski tours within the Stevens Pass Backcountry check out this link.