Favourite ski traverses in WA/Cascades

Could you list your favourite short/long ski traverses in WA or Cascades?<br>I am intermediate skier and I am planing to ski in Cascades this late winter/spring.<br>Thanks in advance.<br>Zoka

I'm also an intermediate looking to explore more Wa BC this year. I don't have the beta you want, but I know who does, Martin Volken, and he wrote a book about it: Backcountry Skiing Snoqualmie Pass. This book is specific to Snoqualmie area, but it has some serious tours in it. If you haven't heard, he also runs a guide service out of his shop, Pro Ski Service. This isn't an add for the operation, but I've looked into it, and have only heard positive things about them. I'm planning on taking 2 courses and a guided trip w/ them in '05. Check it out www.proguiding.com

Zoka, I am not sure what you mean by the word "traverse." To my mind, the word suggests a ski tour which begins in one place and ends in another (as opposed to leaving the car, skiing here and there, and returning to the car). Is this what you mean? I'm also not sure what you mean when you call yourself an "intermediate" skier. The traverses in Martin's book are not really suited for intermediates, at least as I understand the word. <br><br>If you clarified a bit, maybe including an example or two of the sort of thing you're looking for, you might get more answers. Are you from BC? Something like the Garibaldi Neve Traverse? The Spearhead Traverse? The Wapta Traverse? If you ski lift-served, what sorts of runs do you like (blues, blacks, double blacks...)? Etc.<br><br><br><br>

I am surprised you are not generating more interest in this thread. I'll suggest the Teanaway if you are interested in intermediate runs, staying high on the traversing, opportunity for summit descents, and potential for runs in excess of 2000 vertical feet. Also, in mid winter, start and finish is the same TH: 29 Pines sno park. By going up Stafford Creek and heading west, your distance can vary with a variety of exits depending on time and speed. We did a Stafford entrance a couple years back: Day 1: camp in upper Stafford Creek, 9 miles<br> Day 2: ski 3 Brothers, Little Navaho<br> Day 3: Traverse Hardscrabble Basin, <br> Fourth Creek Basin, to Beverly Creek.<br> Day 4: Enter Turnpike Basin towards Longs <br> Pass. Broken binding forces retreat.<br> Day 5: ski Iron peak and out Beverly Creek.<br>Hardscrabble Basin does have 2-35 degree entrances and exits, we boot packed through the slide potential. Our trip was in late March. I still would like to continue through Longs to Ingalls Pass area or beyond to the Cle Elum drainage. At least 10 to 15 skiable peak descents are passed on this traverse. Proir to road melt out take a bit of kick wax for the N. Fk. Teanaway road exit. It is Flat. Other slide areas include just below Iron Peak saddle (short), Longs Pass from the east(also short) with a rib boot pack option, and below Lake Ann divide with Esmeralda Basin. Sonwmobile avalanche incitents and/or fatalities ahve occured at the last two. <br>I am personally curious about traverses in the Chiwaukums, Alpine Lakes Crest across Daniel and Hinman, Nason Ridge, White Pass to Chinook Pass, the Dakobed Range, east Chelan Sawtooths, Excelsior ridge to Twin Lakes on the Mt. Baker Hwy etc. Enjoy the map research and Happy trails.<br>