February 12, 2004, Mt. Outram, B.C.

There aren't many places in the Cascades where you can do a day trip in winter to an 8,000 foot summit on a nonvolcanic peak from a plowed road.  Mt. Outram, in BC, might be the only one this year (Hwy 20 being closed at Early Winters).  To be exact, though, Mike Lee and I failed to go fast enough or start early enough to make the summit. We were out 10 hours and still came up 1,000 feet short.  We really didn't want to ski the lower forest in the dark. It's a 6,000 foot climb. From 2,000 feet to 4,700 feet the route is on a forest trail that only sometimes will have enough snow to ski comfortably all the way.  At 4,700 feet you can get out of the woods.  Above 6,000 feet the route opens into a beautiful lake basin with the peak above.  The way to the summit is completely reasonable, moderate in slope, and not exposed. Exposures are mostly south, but when Mike and I were there we had good shallow powder skiing down to our reentry into the forest.  
    The trailhead is near the giant marmot at the western entrance to Manning Park, about 2 hours from Bellingham.