April 29, 2017, The Swauth

I've been eyeing this guy for a few years, every time I drive by it on US 2. We weren't expecting much in terms of conditions, but found great skiing with skinnable snow starting at the car (parking at Cascade Meadows Camp -2000'). The logging road required only a few short carrys and we departed the road at around 3700', where the slopes below the Swauth really open up.  We stayed climbers left of the Swauth proper and opted for booting in the trees from about 5,000' to the ridge at around 6000'. We then ascended the ridge up to point 6602'. The Chiwaukum Range looked like it was still immersed in full-on winter with a fat snowpack. It began to lightly snow as we transitioned on the summit. After a short discussion about stability, we chose to drop directly into the gut of the Swauth for a nice steep descent. We found stable compacted powder on the north-facing headwall down to around 5000' where it transitioned to softer corn-like conditions.  Overall, a really fun and straightforward tour!












A look across the valley at Rock, Howard, Mastiff: