Turns All Year | Best of... Waxless Touring Galleries

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Turns All Year CD-ROM || Backcountry Skiing and Snowboarding Photos
Best of...
Waxless Ski Touring Galleries

Turns are great, but sometimes ski touring with turns is even better. Free-heel skis excel at covering a lot of distance (it's what cross-country skis were invented for), especially with lightweight gear, and there's lots of territory to explore in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. Metal-edged waxless (fishscale) skis work great for ski touring in the Cascades and Olympics. Having fishscales, and not having to use climbing skins, means that there is no skis-off interruption during the transiton from descending to ascending, nor vice versa. Up, down, across is all part of one continuum: skiing. Modern waxless skis, wider than in the past, perform acceptably for turning in various conditions. The volcanoes have the most extensive ski touring terrain, especially Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams, but with the right conditions even forest tours can be enjoyable and challenging.

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April 18, 2007: Hatchery Creek to Point 7053, toward Big Jim Mountain, eastern Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area, Washington
An April backcountry skiing trip via Hatchery Creek trail toward Big Jim Mountain in the eastern Alpine Lakes Wilderness: a long climb to skiing on a bluebird day with good traveling and turning snow.
May 13-14, 2006: Mount Hinman via Middle Fork Snoqualmie, Dutch Miller Gap trail, Alpine Lakes Wilderness
An overnight trip to Mount Hinman via the Dutch Miller Gap trail up the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River valley. We had beautiful weather and generally good snow conditions on this spectacular route under Summit Chief Mountain and Bears Breast Mountain, across Chain Lakes basin, and up the west ridge of Mt. Hinman.
May 3, 2006: Backcountry ski touring, Miller River, Lake Dorothy to Big Snow Mountain, Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area, Washington
Using lightweight telemark ski equipment we skied across Lake Dorothy, up to Gold Lake and then to Big Snow Mountain, in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area of Washington State. The weather, snow, and skiing conditions were perfect and made it possible to do this long ski trip in one day.
April 19, 2006: Backcountry skiing, Martin Creek-Kelley Creek to Captain Point, future Wild Sky Wilderness, Washington
Photos from a backcountry skiing trip into part of the future Wild Sky Wilderness, starting at Martin Creek, up Kelley Creek, and to the top of Captain Point. Kelley Creek contains beautiful old growth forest, and the 360 degree view from the top of Captain Point was spectacular.
March 29 and April 7, 2006: Rampart Ridge skiing: Lake Lillian-Rampart Lakes-Alta Mountain, Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area, Washington
Murky overcast made for generally poor photography but good skiing on a route up Rocky Run to Lake Lillian, then over a saddle to Rampart Lakes, along a ridge, and up to another saddle near the top of Alta Mountain. Photos from a fogged-out attempt and from a fall hiking trip are included.
March 3, 2006: Henry M. Jackson Wilderness Area ski touring loop, Stevens Pass, Washington
A ski touring trip to the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness Area, in the Washington Cascades north of Stevens Pass. We did a loop through four river valleys, Nason Creek, Martin Creek, Rapid River, and Smith Brook, using waxless skis on this beautiful late winter day and skied through a lot of snowy forest.
February 15, 2006: Twin Lakes-Silver Peak bowl-Nordic Pass loop, Snoqualmie Pass, Washington
Photos from a backcountry skiing trip near Snoqualmie Pass, via Twin Lakes, Windy Pass, Silver Peak bowl, and Nordic Pass. A layer of sparkly, cold, and fast snow provided some great cruising turns and cross-country skiing on this bluebird day.
July 12-13, 2005: Part 1 of 2: summer skiing, Flett Glacier, Mount Rainier, Washington
Photos of summer skiing on the Flett Glacier and Russell Glacier on the northwest side of Mount Rainier National Park, Washington. We camped at 7000 feet at the top of the marine layer clouds, and found nice sunset skiing on the Flett Glacier.
June 19, 2005: Ski touring, Ptarmigan Ridge, Coleman Pinnacle, Mount Baker, Washington
36 photos from a ski touring trip out Ptarmigan Ridge past Coleman Pinnacle, on the northeast side of Mount Baker. There was still good snow coverage after this poor winter, and lots of good skiing.
May 28-30, 2005, days 1+2: Flett and Russell Glaciers, Mount Rainier National Park
Photos from the first part of a 3 day backcountry skiing trip to the Russell Glacier and Flett Glacier above Spray Park, on the northwest side of Mount Rainier National Park, Washington. Beautiful weather and even more beautiful snow made for some great skiing.
March 13, 2005: Grand Park Headwall, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
Ski touring photos from a trip to Grand Park, in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, using waxless skis. Beautiful weather, fast snow, awesome views of the north side of Mount Rainier, and an epic descent of the Grand Park Headwall.
June 4, 2004: Sunrise to 3rd Burroughs Mountain, Mt. Rainier, Washington
30 photos from a backcountry ski touring trip to Sunrise and Burroughs Mountain, on the northeast side of Mt. Rainier in the Washington Cascades Mountains. The trip included great weather and snow conditions, and a steep run down the north side of 2nd Burroughs Mountain to Berkeley Park.
May 12, 2004: Grand Park to Mt. Fremont via Berkeley Park, Mt. Rainier
A backcountry ski touring trip to Grand Park and Mt. Fremeont, via Lodi Creek and Berkeley Park on the north side of Mt. Rainier National Park. The clouds parted in the afternoon and Mt. Rainier emerged in all of its glory.
April 30, 2004: Mowich Lake, Spray Park, Flett Glacier, Mt. Rainier
Our ski touring route led us past Mowich Lake, over Knapsack Pass and Mt. Pleasant, across Spray Park, and up the Flett Glacier to the base of Observation Rock. The snow was mostly firm and fast on this sunny day, and good turns were found descending the Flett Glacier back to Spray Park.
March 10, 2004: Silver Creek, Wenatchee National Forest, Washington
The previous weekend's reports of snow whoomphing and slab avalanches led us to do this long forest tour with minimal avalanche exposure. On slopes at the end of the valley, we abandoned our quest for a few turns when we experienced whoomphing of the snow under our skis.
June 17, 2003: Sunrise to 3rd Burroughs Mountain, Mt. Rainier, Washington
Photos from a backcountry skiing trip from Sunrise to 3rd Burroughs Mountain on the northeast side of Mt. Rainier National Park, with great views of Mt. Rainier, the Emmons Glacier, Interglacier, Steamboat Prow, and the Cowlitz Chimneys.
June 5-8, 2003, days 1+2: North side of Mt. Adams, Washington
We used waxless skis to travel up and across the Adams Glacier, accessing skiing runs below the north ridge, Adams Glacier icefall, and the north face of the northwest ridge (NFNWR).
April 25, 2003: Silver Creek, Wenatchee National Forest, Washington
Photos from a backcountry cross-country skiing trip to Silver Creek, in the Wenatchee National Forest, Washington. The trail was melted out, but solid snowpack started at the lip of the hanging valley of Silver Creek and continued to the meadows at the head of the valley.
July 17, 2002: Ptarmigan Ridge, Mt. Baker backcountry, Washington
Lots of snow and a long ridge combined for a long tour. Firm, suncupped and runneled snow in most places discouraged run making, but good turns were found at the far end of the tour, near Mt. Baker's Rainbow Glacier, and the scenery was everywhere sublime.
June 21-25, 2002, Days 1 and 2: Goat Rocks Wilderness, Washington
Access was perfect, the weather was perfect, and the snow was near perfect, too. Day one culminated in an exploratory tour on the west slopes of the Goat Rocks crest. Day two led us over the crest and to the top of Old Snowy Mountain, then down the NE facing bowl of McCall Basin. Of course, we had to get back to camp, which meant back over the Crest and more waxless skiing touring.
June 12, 2002: Grand Park - 3rd Burroughs Mountain, Mt. Rainier National Park
Sunny skies, fast snow, and waxless skis enabled me to ski from the northern boundary of Mt. Rainier National Park to the top of 3rd Burroughs Mountain, and back, in one day, the longest day trip I have ever done. Six scenery snow images and three new panoramas, including the widest one created so far.
June 7, 2002: Sunrise - 3rd Burroughs Mountain, Mt. Rainier National Park
"Low freezing level and chance of afternoon snow." We found abundant sunshine on our ski from Sunrise to 3rd Burroughs Mountain, over the intervening 1st and 2nd Burroughs, and got great views of Mt. Rainier all along the way. On our return, however, a vigorous snowstorm arrived, and by the time we were back to Sunrise 4" of 25 degree powder had fallen, providing winter-like skiing in June.
April 25, 2002: Silver Creek, Wenatchee National Forest, Washington
Warm sunshine, waxless skis, no skins, no gaiters - spring had arrived (at least for one day). A trail climb up to a pristine hanging valley filled with old-growth, then touring on perfect forest snow up to alpine meadows and short runs. The gallery includes a panorama of the head of the Silver Creek valley.

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