If the weather held, plan was to do the complete Birthday Ski Tour around Early Winters Spires. Too cloudy and misty for our take (spoiled by Colorado?), so we let the wet and scrappy PNW chase us back down the hill. We did top Cornice Col, however, which was quite aesthetic. If you’re in this area looking for a snow report, we found the higher altitude snow to not be as consolidated as we expected, and with a freeze crust on top it was difficult to ski. The best turns of our day were lower down where the snowpack has transitioned to a dense summer configuration. Fun charging through the forest on summer snow over a carpet of pine needles.
Looking north from near Cornice Col, North Cascades appear rather adventurous for ski mountaineering.
Early Winters Spire south (locals please correct me if I'm wrong about the name) near Cornice Col.
Heading down, anywhere you look the challenge of the North Cascades is evident.
Cornice Col as it looked yesterday. We booted up the line to the left and skied back down that same way. The cornice looked dangerous.
You know you've been in the PNW when moss is hanging from your backcountry skiing bindings.
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
