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04-28-2009, 05:15 PM #1
TR: Peak Bagging in the North Cascades
Before you read this let it be known this TR is way too long with way to many pictures
Enjoy
The North Cascades are some of the most rugged terrain in the lower 48.
Everything seemed to line up perfectly with the highway opening Friday at 8:00 am to a forecast of blue skies. Well it wasn’t 8:00 am it was 8:00pm and even worse the forecast for Saturday was calling for rain but Sunday and Monday were looking to promising. With the hopes of sunny skies plans changed to head into the North Cascades Saturday night and bag Black Peak on Sunday and Silverstar on Monday.
Friday April 24th
To take advantage of the forecast on Friday I met up with Amar, Christy and Jason to tackle some lower elevated peaks in the Snoqualmie area. Our agenda was Red mountains west face.
Jason doing a teleturn off the summit of Red with Snoqualmie Mountain in the background
Amar skiing down into the Commonwealth Basin
Christy skiing with The Tooth and Cave ridge in the background
It was still early in the day so we climbed over to Lundin Peak
Jason skinning with our lines off red in the background
It turned out to be a great day to take advantage of Blue sky and Corn skiing
Last edited by Kyle Miller; 04-28-2009 at 05:18 PM.
Shameless spam: Trip reports and Gear reviews and if you want to support what I do follow me on Instagram @KyleMiller411
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04-28-2009, 05:16 PM #2
Sunday April 26th
Saturday night I met up with Joe in Seattle and took the long drive out to the North Cascades. The first objective was Black Peaks southern face which had a skiable line from near the Summit (8970).
Black Peaks South Face
http://www.pbase.com/nolock/image/41761986
photo by John Scurlock
Our starting point was at the Rainy pass parking lot were we skinned up to Heather Pass.
Joe skinning up to Lake Ann
Looking at our Objective in the middle from Heather Pass
It’s going to be a long traverse
Sick lines to be had on the Lewis Glacier
Looking North deeper into the Range
After a long traverse finally skinning up the base of Black Peak
We had to skin up to the Col to gain access to the South side
Traversing the ridge to gain the south side
Damn rotten snow (notice the landing spot for North Cascades Heli in the background)
Switching over to Crampons and Ice axe to climb up the South Side
Joe hiking up with Last Chance peak in the Background
The last stretch before the summit.
Joe standing on top of Black Peak minus 30 ft of Rock scramble
Looking down the NW face
Looking back at the ascent with Heather Pass in the distance and Corneo to the right
Mt Goode to the SW
Looking down our ski line
I dropped in first
Then Joe
After dropping the chute we hiked back to the Col and dropped back into the east facing basin
Instead of traversing all the way back we decided to drop all the way down to the road
Last edited by Kyle Miller; 04-28-2009 at 07:49 PM.
Shameless spam: Trip reports and Gear reviews and if you want to support what I do follow me on Instagram @KyleMiller411
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04-28-2009, 05:17 PM #3
After speaking with a local about the crappy conditions at Silverstar we decided to tackle another peak within the Rainy Pass area the next day.
Monday April 27th
Looking towards Frisco Mountain and the Lyall Glacier
Looking south at our objective a peak of Frisco Mountains south Ridge from Maple pass
Joe skinning the ridge with Corteo to the left and Black Peak to the right
Frisco Mountain
Dropping the first run to access the Lyall Glacier
Back to skinning to access Friscos Col with Whistler Mountain and Cutthroat peak in the background
Nearing the top with a massive headwall in the background
We skinned to the Col on the left and decided we would ski the peak on our decent back to the car
Looking back at the headwall from the Col
Looking down into Maple creek with Mt Benzarino in the foreground and Goode in the distance
Our objective was the peak to the left and ski the fall line in the middle of the ridge
We got a quick 1000 vert run to access the next col
Then switched over to Crampons and Ice axes to access the peak
Looking East towards Mcgregor Mountain on the Right and Bowen to the Left
Boot packing with Stilleto Peak in the distance
Gaining the summit with Corteo in the background
Looking south Deep into Glacier Peak wilderness from the summit
From the summit we rode the ridge north back into the Maple creek basin
Getting ready to drop off the ridge
After a sick 1000 vert line we had to skin back up to the East col
Joe skinning with our ski line in the background
Once we got up to the col we decided to hike up to the sub peak we had seen earlier (back to crampons and Ice axe)
One last look before our 3,000 vert lines back to the road with Frisco proper in the background
Our line down to Rainy Lake
Right before Rainy Lake there is a cliffed out cirque so we had to do a nasty traverse
Looking back from Rainy Lake at the Cirque and Frisco Peak
Frisco Mountain
I love the North CascadesShameless spam: Trip reports and Gear reviews and if you want to support what I do follow me on Instagram @KyleMiller411
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04-28-2009, 05:31 PM #4
you sir, are a fucking stoke machine.
‹^› ‹(•¿•)› ‹^›
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04-28-2009, 05:33 PM #5
Way to take advatage of 20's opening weekend! How was the snow?
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04-28-2009, 05:39 PM #6
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04-28-2009, 05:46 PM #7
That's some sweet touring. Thanks for the pics!
"The skis just popped me up out of the snow and I went screaming down the hill on a high better than any heroin junkie." She Ra
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04-28-2009, 05:50 PM #8
you fucking rule
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04-28-2009, 05:50 PM #9
Good work. Nice pics. Skiing from the snow-patch-formerly-known-as-the-Lyall Glacier down to Rainy Lake is ballsy! Yeah, baby.
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04-28-2009, 05:54 PM #10
Awesome, that looks like a lot of terrain covered
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04-28-2009, 05:54 PM #11
You are putting up some awesome TRs lately. This one does not disappoint. Great looking weekend, awesome terrain.
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04-28-2009, 05:55 PM #12
unreal terrain you have there. Well done!
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04-28-2009, 07:01 PM #13Registered User
- Join Date
- Jul 2007
- Location
- Washington
- Posts
- 223
Kyle, good fun hanging with you...on red...looks like the remainder of your week went well, too. Nice stuff.
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04-28-2009, 07:38 PM #14
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04-28-2009, 09:19 PM #15Registered User
- Join Date
- Oct 2006
- Location
- denver
- Posts
- 1,863
damn fine effort
I can't believe you are a rando racer because I look so much better in Lycra than you.
People who don't think the Earth is flat haven't skied Vail.
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04-28-2009, 10:32 PM #16
Kyle Miller, you hard mu'fucka. Keep up the good work.
another Handsome Boy graduate
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04-28-2009, 11:53 PM #17
Aa I sit here with my bowl of chips and salted cashews wondering why I cant get out there and do cool shilt like that, do you know how many guys want to be like you? I'm in Wenatchee and need somebody to show me the ropes and how its done.
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04-29-2009, 06:42 AM #18
Saweet! Thanks, I am now convinced I suck.....
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04-29-2009, 09:02 AM #19_______________________________________________
"Strapping myself to a sitski built with 30lb of metal and fibreglass then trying to water ski in it sounds like a stupid idea to me.
I'll be there." ... Andy Campbell
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04-29-2009, 02:03 PM #20
Dude what are you doing? Most people in Washington don't seem to have the North Cascades Highway on their radar. Let's keep it that way
It was practically empty around the hairpin this last weekend and the snow...
Nice stoke!!!!!
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04-30-2009, 08:23 AM #21
Kyle Miller = killing it.
So do tell: how do you have so much time to get out and post these awesome TR's? No job? No school? No wife and kids? Unlimited cash? Oh yeah, that's right; those are all the reasons I can't do it
Strong work, that's a lot of climbing in 3 days!"No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible" -Stanislaw Jerzy Lec
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04-30-2009, 09:26 AM #22
great stuff
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04-30-2009, 10:01 AM #23
"You've done a mans job sir"
Bonus points for google route maps, nicely doneprohibition is the opposite of liberty
"...the ski patrol brought our poles down to us, & were buyin' us beers. If we did that in the states they'd take our gear & put us in jail.
It's so much nicer to be in the real land of the free." Shane McConkey
may you bask in the cacophony of onehanded applause
like the sound of crystal falling gently to the trees
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04-30-2009, 10:43 AM #24
I love the cascades because they are so extreme. Any place good enough for Ed Viesturs is good enough for me.
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04-30-2009, 11:30 AM #25
Nice work. Conditions look sweet compared to the iceball that is Whistler backcountry. Dammit.
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