10 Highest Peaks in Washington

Mount Fernow Outside of Holden Village

Looking at the North Face of Mount Fernow outside of Holden Village
Looking at the North Face of Mount Fernow outside of Holden Village
Looking at the North face of Mount Fernow which we snowboarded down

Mount Fernow is a stunning and massive mountain on the Eastern Side of the North Cascades. Situated right above Holden Village it is one of the ten highest peaks in Washington State. Bordering both the Entiat River to the south and Railroad Creek to the north it offers numerous potential ski runs. With a summit elevation of 9,249 and with Holden being at 3,228 that means there is over 6,000 vertical feet to potentially ride. Knowing all of this Jason Hummel and I made plans to spend a week in the area to ride some of the bigger peaks around. This was the first mission of two that went down that week.




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Emmons Glacier in August Rainier Ski Descent

Looking at the Emmons Glacier on Mount Rainier
Looking at the Emmons Glacier on Mount Rainier
Climbing the Emmons Glacier on Mount Rainier

While doing the 10 Highest Peaks in Washington State I still had to do Mount Rainier as it is the tallest peak. I had spent June and July down in South America so once I came back I still had to climb both Mount Adams and Mount Rainier. Amar Andalkar and I decided to ride the Emmons Glacier in August to get my final peak of the list.

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Avalanche Glacier Headwall Mt. Adams

A scenic flight over the Cascades with a view of the South Side of Mount Adams
A scenic flight over the Cascades with a view of the South Side of Mount Adams
Looking at Mount Adams via the south side from an airplane

Twenty-four hours after arriving at Sea-Tac international airport I was in a car with Jessie Rowe driving 200 miles south. The plan was to ride Mt. Adams via the Avalanche Glacier Headwall. Being Washington’s second-tallest peak and one of the last places to find steep, smooth corn its a great early Summer descent. With a favorable forecast of two days of back-to-back sunshine we arrived at the Cold Springs campground at the early hour of 11:00 p.m. The parking lot was filled to the brim with climbers, hikers and skiers.

Heading Up Mount Adams to Ski the Avalanche Glacier Headwall

The silence of night was broken by the alarm going off at 6:00 a.m. we resorted to the snooze button for a few extra minutes of sleep. By 6:45, we were slowly moving and packing our bags for a long day. Our plan was to climb Mount Adams southern route before descending the Avalanche Glacier Headwall. From the moment I stepped on the trail, I was blown away by how much snow still lingered in the Cascades. It was the end of July, but felt like early June as we followed a solid path of boot prints. Before long we ditched the trail for a more direct path. The snow was firm as we skinned up, forcing me to use ski crampons. Once on the steeper slopes I switched to cramponing for the final 3,000-foot climb.

Climbing up the South Route of Mount Adams

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Chocolate Glacier Headwall on Glacier Peak

Looking at the Chocolate Glacier on Glacier Peak in Washington State
Looking at the Chocolate Glacier on Glacier Peak in Washington State
Snowboarding down the upper section of the Chocolate Glacier Headwall on Glacier Peak in Washington State

It all started with a forecast. If predicted correctly we would finally get three days of sunshine and a shot at getting in the alpine. The plan came together quickly to ride Glacier Peak via the Chocolate Glacier Headwall. Unlike other Cascade volcanoes Glacier Peak is surrounded by some of the most rugged and remote peaks in the lower 48. It has become by far my favorite peak. I had been to this area two times before. Once three years ago on a quest to climb the five Washington volcanoes. The next time it would be via the Dakobeds which was a 60-mile seven day traverse. This time, we would go in via Thunder Basin, a route pioneered by Ryan and Monica years earlier.




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Goode Mountain: The King on the North Cascades

Looking at Goode Mountain and the Northeast Butress that we snowboarded
Looking at Goode Mountain and the Northeast Butress that we snowboarded
Making our way up to the Northeast col of Goode Mountain in the North Cascades

Any mountaineer who has intimate knowledge of the Cascades knows of at least one mountain that invokes fear. A mountain full of near-vertical faces, glaciers covered in seracs, crevasses and schrunds and an abundance of cliffs everywhere. For every dream of majestic open slopes, there is a nightmare hiding in the shadows. To me Goode Mountain was that nightmare.




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Ulrich’s Couloir Snowboard on Mount Stuart

Snowboarding off the summit of Mount Stuart down Ulrich's Couloir
Snowboarding off the summit of Mount Stuart down Ulrich's Couloir

The Ulrich’s Couloir on Mount Stuart is one of those Cascade Classic backcountry lines. Being a continuous 4’200 foot south facing run it is both aesthetic and fun. Being the second tallest non volcanic peak in the Cascades and isolated to the eastern side its view alone rivals most other peaks. With a forecast that called for a bit of snow before clearing up in late April there was a chance to get powder on the line. Knowing this Jason Hummel and I were off on a drive to the Eastern Side to attempt to ride the Ulrich’s Couloir.




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Bonanza Peak the Crown of the North Cascades

Our route snowboarding the Mary Green Glacier on Bonanza Peak
Our route snowboarding the Mary Green Glacier on Bonanza Peak

Bonanza Peak is the biggest non volcanic mountain within the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. Located near the head of Railroad Creek it’s main access is via Holden Village. It has two main drainage’s which are both to the East and to the North and is located in Glacier Peak Wilderness. Although it is a massive and complex mountain with potential on every aspect the area is relatively quiet. We had arrived in Holden Village in Mid April with the plans to ride both Bonanza Peak and Mount Fernow. Being that we had rode Fernow two days previously or attention had switched to the highest peak around.




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Buckner Mountain Descent of North Face

Looking at the North face of Buckner Mountain in the North Cascades of Washington State
Looking at the North face of Buckner Mountain in the North Cascades of Washington State
Looking at the North Face of Buckner Mountain

Buckner Mountain and its North face is one of those areas in Washington that has reached legendary status. Being both steep and a bit isolated it is known but rarely seen by many people. With a summit of 9112 feet it is the 10th highest peak in Washington state. On the North side the slopes run down to the Boston Glacier before draining to Thunder Creek. The South side of Buckner Mountain drops almost over 4,000 feet to Park and Basin Creek. The main approach is via Cascade River Road before climbing over Sharkfin Col. With a solid weather window this was our plan on a 2 day trip into North Cascades National Park.




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