Home > Trip Reports > April 26, 2009, Skyline Divide- 6600'

April 26, 2009, Skyline Divide- 6600'

4/26/09
WA Stevens Pass
4855
8
Posted by ema on 4/27/09 2:14am
Skyline (Deadhorse FSR 37) Road is drivable 9 miles. Took sleds to the summer TH (another 5.4 miles) and then a descending glide on skis (-200' and 1+ mile) to intersection of 37 and Thompson Cr. Ascended near Thompson Cr. to open slopes above. This access point puts you near the Southern end of Skyline Divide near Chowder Ridge. Nice terrain out there. Skinning was challenging due to glopping and slipping on the under-crust, but the skiing was better than the skinning.
That looks great! The second picture shows an AMAZING cornice.

WOW. Great terrain.

author=Scotsman link=topic=13145.msg54773#msg54773 date=1240853775]
WOW. Great terrain.


Ditto.  That cornice is WAY gnar!

sorry, where is this?

Interesting approach!

Any guess on how long before sled's are not necessary to get within a couple miles of the TH?

author=brownc9 link=topic=13145.msg54771#msg54771 date=1240852936]
That looks great! The second picture shows an AMAZING cornice.


Yow! Saw something similar but smaller on Granite yesterday. Guess blowing snow and warm temperatures, properly combined, will do it...

I think many people may be seeing an impressive optical illusion. I can see it now too!! But, in reality, that cornice is the smallest on the ridge. Here is another pic to show the slope underneath. There is, however, another eye trick in this same picture. My 3 year old niece looks up from the town of Glacier and says "look, the Bakery man!" He is just to the left of the ski pole grips and is looking slightly up with a big white nose, a black sliver for an eye and bushy eyebrows...Can you see him??? He returns every year...
Tim, we punched through a few snow patches to get to almost continuous snow @ mile 9. There we a few dirt patches. None over 150' long. After that, the snow got deep. I would say typical Skyline road melt out, and a month to get substantially closer.

Mark, here is the access we took. http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=p&source=embed&ll=48.854042,-121.844473&spn=0.031231,0.078793&z=14



Good thinking on the approach, Toby.  I was just wondering how the Deadhorse road meltout might be coming along--Skyline is a favorite half day (i.e., late afternooon) tour once I can drive within a couple of miles of the summer trailhead.  It's nice to have some beta (and inspiration).

I've thought about trying your route early in the season, but by the time I can get reasonably close to the trailhead on foot it's been all melted out.  Nice to end up at that end of the ridge once you climb out of the trees. 

Mark

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2009-04-27 09:14:34