Ski Traverses

Mount Maude and Seven Fingered Jack via Holden

Looking at the North Face of Maude outside of Holden Village
The northern chute of Maude in the north cascades of Washington

Both Mount Maude and Seven Fingered Jack are two of the highest peaks in Washington State. Being over 9,000 they are the source of both the Entiat and Chiwawa Rivers. Most times people access the area via Trinity but since it was early spring we decided to do something different. We would start from Holden Village and turn the trip into a ski traverse. The route we decided on was Heading up and over Copper Basin before following exiting via Big Creek Basin. This would allow us to ride both Mount Maude via the North face and Seven Fingered Jack.




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Fryingpan Creek to Banshee, Cowlitz and Tamanos

Fryingpan Creek and Rainier with the Banshee couloir on the left
Tamanos south ridge, Rainier and Little Tahoma
Hanging out between Banshee, Cowlitz and Tamanos in Mount Rainier National Park

The Frying Pan Creek Loop was an idea I came up with linking some of my favorite lines on the East side of Mount Rainier. I had spent numerous years touring each spot and I wanted to link them all up in one single tour. We would leave our sled at Fryingpan Creek and after 11 miles and 7300 feet we would be back at our original point. In total it would be 3 Couloirs, 1 avalanche path and 1 tree run.

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Paradise to Carbon River Ski Traverse

Beautiful sunset over Mount Rainier
Beautiful sunset over Mount Rainier

The Paradise to Carbon River ski Traverse in Mount Rainer National Park was something that just fell together. Being quite familiar with the terrain that surrounded the area I had always wanted to link these areas together. Once again I wasn’t interested in a traditional ski traverse and wanted to put together a more up and down route. With 3 weeks of high pressure I found myself doing this tour right after a solo week on Glacier Peak and again was going solo. In all it would be 5 days, 45 miles and 23,000 vertical feet of some of the nicest lines in the park.

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Tenpeak Mountain in the Dakobed Range

Ten Peak and the Dakobed Range Washington
Ten Peak and the Dakobed Range Washington

Tenpeak Mountain had always caught my eyes while on trips out to Glacier Peak. Standing on the summit I would always look toward both the Dakobed Range and Tenpeak near the head of the Suiattle River in amazement. With the mixture of both massiveness and remoteness it was always a place that I had wanted to spend some time on. Scott, Ben and I crafted a plan to get out there with a two day weather window. The plan was to go up and over Boulder Pass before descent to the Napeequa river. Once in the river valley we would head west to Tenpeak Mountain before an exit via Thunder Basin.

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Sourdough Traverse


If you have even been on the summit of Crystal Mountain on a sunny day there is a good chance the Sourdoughs have caught your eyes. Across the valley from 410 lies a small range of ski worthy peaks that I had wanted and planned on riding for years but for one reason or another plans never seemed to pan out. But finally the stars alligned to pull off the Sourdough Traverse.

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Paradise to Crystal Mountain Ski Resort

Snowboarding down the Whitman Glacier while doing a mid winter ski traverse from Paradise on Mount Rainier to Crystal Mountain

Paradise to Crystal Mountain ski resort was a trip I had dreamed of for years. After riding the slopes of the east side of Mount Rainier National Park for numerous seasons I thought it would be great to link them together. It was one of those trips that you put in the back of you mind. Waiting for the perfect weather window it finally came in early February with 3 days of clear weather. Finally it was time for Jason Hummel and I to do a trip of a life time.

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Bailey Range Traverse and Olympus

A John Scurlock photo of the Bailey Range and Mount Olympus
A John Scurlock photo of the Bailey Range and Mount Olympus

When I started the 09/10 Season I decided I would have a unified theme of exploring all the sub ranges of the Pacific Northwest and more specifically Washington State, with the Bailey Range Traverse being my big project. These mountains are quite literally the heart of the Olympic Mountains with well over 20 miles of unscathed alpine, rainforest, and enough terrain to stoke any climber. Once at the end of the Baileys and dead center in the Olympics our plan was to exit via Mt. Olympus an area we became familiar with over a year earlier, pulling off a 7 day expedition to the Valhallas (Click Here for the trip report). To pull off the traverse we expected it would take 7 days so we patiently waited for the perfect weather window throughout the season. By the end of June we had all but given up with questionable forecasts, but our window finally came in July with the promise of weeks of uninterrupted sunshine.

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Alpine Lakes Ski Traverse: Hyas to Snoqualmie

The Alpine Lake Ski Traverse was a 70 mile high route through Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Starting at Hyas Lake trailhead we would slowly make our way Southwest until arriving at Interstate 90 through Gold Creek. This trip would connect some of the bigger peaks starting off with Mount Daniel and Hinman. Then after crossing the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie we would make our way past Overcoat Peak and Chikamin Peak. This route would take a week of climbing and descending but in the end it was one of my favorite in the Cascades. Heading North From Mount Rainier this is After the Patrol Race and Before the 14 Lakes Traverse




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