Mountain Loop Trifecta, June 15-17

With gas prices what they are I count myself even luckier than usual to live as close to the Mountain Loop Highway as I do (which also lets me come home for a shower and dinner every night!).

Mt. Pilchuck from Lake Stevens

With an appointment Sunday evening I only had time for a morning jaunt up Mt. Pilchuck. The predicted clearing didn't happen until later in the day so I climbed up through cool fog but it broke up enough that visibility for skiing was fine. Snow was just about perfect, with a bit of slush, but no sluffs. About 2 miles of road remains to be walked, but it is melting fast.


Monday morning Eric and Jeff met at my house at 7:30 and we drove up the Mountain Loop with a couple of ideas, but not really knowing where we'd end up. There wasn't enough snow at Barlow Pass to justify an exploration up to Silvertip, so we drove back to the Sunrise Mine road, which was blocked by snow at the highway. We met Colin there who was heading in to solo Vesper.

Eric & Jeff on the Sunrise Mine rd., Morning Star behind them, Wirtz basin on the right.

The forest service says the road is only 2.2 miles long, but it sure feels more like 3. The first hill down is mostly snow free, but hardly worth wearing tennies. The first river crossing is easy, but keeping on the trail past that is tough. We ended up traversing on good snow and coming out at the next crossing very low. A bit of up and down bushwacking got us to a thin snowbridge that I wouldn't have crossed later in the day.

The slick ski videos don't show this part

A tongue of snow allowed us to climb directly up (and ski down at the end of the day) the switch-backs on the alder/devil's club slope above the valley. As the north face of Morning Star came into view as we skinned up Wirtz Basin Jeff and I were psyched to see smooth continuous snow to a high shoulder.

Ski route, North Face Morning Star

Jeff and I skinned up to the first cliffs below the gully and left our skins, while Eric decided to ski the bowl to the west of the gully. We both felt foolish having left our helmets at home when we saw rocks littering the slope below a side gully that emptied into our line. We stayed clear of the debris until a quick crossing got us out of one danger zone and into the next. Neither of us had anticipated the constant steepness of the next 1,500 ft. - 45 degrees rearing to 50+ in places, without a break. Jeff had an axe (otherwise we never would have keep going) so he went first kicking perfect steps while I followed with a near useless whip-it. If I went back I'd bring two tools so I could drive alternate shafts in giving myself a self-belay. Looking down that slope near the top gave me a thrill of vertigo realizing that I'd never be able to arrest a slip. I just looked back at the steps in front of me and kicked hard on each, concentrating on smooth movement and balance. Luckily the snow was perfect for step kicking - soft enough to penetrate well, but firm enough to make a solid platform.


We both felt an incredible release of tension pulling over the top onto the shoulder. We wanted to scramble to the top, but the steep rock above was too tricky for plastic ski boots, and our nerves were frayed as it was. I haven't done a descent like this for many years, and didn't relish the thought of down climbing the whole thing if I psyched out on skiing. We rested, ate a snack and drank some water while watching Colin ski Vesper.

Jeff at the top of the ski run on Morning Star looking NW, Vesper on the left, Vega Tower on right.

Colin skis Vesper

Jeff was pumped to ski so he tested the top slope while I stood on a cornice to the side to photograph him. The snow was just about perfect - soft enough to carve, with no sluffing. It was sobering to see how slow and carefully he skied it though.


I was nervous dropping into the first turn, but got my ski legs back as I cut into the buttery snow. It was just as steep as it had felt on the climb, but we both felt better on our skis with a set of edges under foot.


We were relieved to get off the top slope where the fall line dropped into cliffs and back into the gully.


A quick cut across the rock fall zone and we were home free on the lower open slopes where we could finally let the skis run in sweeping high speed GS turns whooping with joy. We met up with Eric and skied down into the basin on great snow.

Jim & Eric ski the lower slopes, with the North Face gully above

Colin caught up to us in the lower basin and accompanied us back to the car.


We wandered up and down the hillside between the stream crossings a bit on the way out. Just before we hit the road I started thinking about if we'd want to use our skins at all, but realized that wouldn't be possible since we'd left them up on the mountain! We'd been so psyched to cut it up on the easy slope below the route we'd both completely forgotten the skins. Jeff stated the obvious that it would be my job to retrieve them since I wasn't working the next day.

When I got home I was glad to find a message from John saying he had Tuesday off and wanted to get out. 9:00 found us tromping back down the Sunrise Mine road in the fog. We hoped that the predicted clearing would part the clouds just as we summited Vesper but it wasn't to be. I went up and retrieved the skins while John kicked good steps up to Headlee Pass and waited for me. He also made a nice skin track all the way to the top as I slowly followed in a whiteout of windy mist. The previous days were starting to catch up to me and a whole body weariness slowed me down. After a brief rest out of the wind in the summit rocks we skied down cutting many funny slow-mo sluffs in 5 inches of slurpy snow. I even skied on top of one and rode it down 50 ft. past John. I was glad we hadn't found such conditions on Morning Star where it would have been too dangerous.

John skis down from Headlee Pass

We finally had the route dialed in so the trip back to the car was a breeze other than my feet which were getting sore after 3 days of sweating in plastic boots.

Red = approach, Blue = Morning Star rt., Green = Vesper rt.

I'm quite happy to spend a rainy day at home today, letting my feet recover, and looking at the pictures. Conditions in the North Cascades seem to be prime right now, especially on north faces, but be aware that other aspects can have very different snow. We may even get some more this week!