Seven Fingered Jack is one of the biggest peaks in Washington State. It stands proud at the head of the Entiat Range rising just above 9,000 feet. With 3 peaks within the area rising above 9,000 feet it provides one of the most scenic views in the Cascade Mountains. For these reasons we decided it was time to head up Leroy Basin and ride something out there.

With the melting out of the Entiat River road we were able to drive the 20 mile stretch of road to an old mining settlement called Trinity. Trinity was a huge exporter of Copper only to fall apart in 1938, when all the miners left for the mines in Holden. Both Scott and myself decided to head that direction as see if we could ride on one of the 9000 footers.

Ski touring to Leroy Basin

We left the car in the early morning as the sun started cresting to the east, before long heading high into Leroy Basin still caked in over 5 feet of snowpack. We were stuck with two separate options with Mt. Maude or Seven Fingered Jack. With Maude covered in a cloud deck we decided to head for the SW face of Seven Fingered Jack which in contrast was in the sun.

 

Climbing up the South Chute

Making our way up the lower basin the travel was easy but skinning wasn’t. After slipping around for a while we decided to switch over to boot packing. Soon enough we were in the south chute plodding up one step at a time. It seemed the higher we climbed the steeper the terrain got. Finally we made it up to the ridge and were heading on a mellow route all the way to the summit.

 

Standing on the Summit of Seven Fingered Jack

Finally on the summit we looked around as the clouds came and left. We were going to be riding the line in corn conditions and wondered if it would soften up. The line below was exposed on the upper ridge but relatively mellow. But the lower chute was quite steep so we decided to hang out in hopes the snow would soften.

 

Finding a nice rock I decided to take a quick rest. We had time to wait as the clouds were above the peak. Hopefully after a while the clouds would burn off. But while we waited there was a scenic view in all direction and a backdrop of the North Cascades.

 

Standing at 9200 feet we were on one of the highest Peaks in the Cascades. In fact this was one of the 10 Highest Peaks in the Cascades. While taking in the view to the East we were taken aback by all the touring at the head of the Entiat River. Compared to the Entiats the Chelan Mountains looked far distance. Soon I focused on Cardinal Mountain on the right side and knew I wanted to ride it.

 

Directly to the south of use stood the intimidating North Face of Maude. This is one of the biggest lines in the Cascades, keeping a steep consistence throughout. I was fortunate to be able to ride the line while doing the Big Copper Circuit which started and ended in Holden Village.

 

Snowboarding down Seven Fingered Jack

After an hour of waiting we decided it was time to head down. Riding the upper West ridge the snow was much better then we had feared. It was a scenic run particularly with the Chocolate Glacier Headwall of Glacier Peak lingering in the distance.

 

After riding the upper ridge we made it to the top of the South Couloir. Before riding the line I took a quick turn to test the snow it had softened to perfect. We were able to ride fluidly down the chute knowing there was no exposure. It was a super nice and steep line to finish the upper face.

 

From the top of the chute we were able to ride almost 3000 vert of fall line. Once at the base of Leroy basin we were able to keep riding in the dense trees down towards Trinity. The area still had a healthy snowpack and with a 30 minute hike we arrived back at the car.

 

In Conclusion

While Seven Fingered Jack was a second thought it was a super fun line. With just enough steepness and exposure it kept you focused with every turn. Once the snow melts out to Trinity the sooner you make it to the area the better. Furthermore the summit alone is well worth going to and it’s a tour I highly recommend.

Thank you for reading and If you enjoyed reading this and want to see more ski tours within the Stevens Pass Backcountry check out this link