Distance: 5.3 mi.
Elevation Gain: 2640 ft.
Craig and I decided that avalanche stability would allow for a two-person ski tour, so we headed out toward Snoqualmie Pass to return to Kendall Ridge. We got a late start and began climbing at 9:40 AM. We randomly chose one of many skin tracks to follow up the steep southwest slope of the ridge, which (per usual) had some tricky spots along the way. I’ve never tried skinning up the Pacific Crest Trail but I assume it’s an easier and slower ascent. We reached Kendall Ridge at 11:30. The previous times we’ve skied at Kendall we have skied down almost immediately after reaching the ridge, but this time we continued to the northeast along the ridge so that we could try skiing down toward Kendall Peak Lakes. When we were directly above the lakes we switched to ski mode and began our eastward descent. The snow had some chunky spots and thin crusts but for the most part it was pretty fun skiing, and a much longer run than we have experienced from Kendall Knob. Would definitely go back here again. Although we saw quite a few other backcountry skiers that day, there was no problem finding untouched snow to ski.
We climbed back to the ridge and decided to head back out rather than doing another lap. We climbed a bit farther north toward Kendall Peak and then skied down through some sparse trees beside the avalanche-prone southwestern slope below Kendall Peak.
This run was a lot of fun, including the flatter slopes down below. We had to use a snow bridge to cross the small stream below but that wasn’t too hard if we just followed other tracks. The snow got a lot heavier and choppier below the creek. We skied approximately due west until we reached the Pacific Crest Trail, where we turned left (south). The trail back out was challenging to ski per usual with folks coming uphill, tight trees, and a few inclines, but we made it back out at 2:15 PM.
(Download the free Gaia GPS app on your phone to view tracks and then get a Gaia GPS membership if you want offline access. Discount below!)
Recommended brew: Dru Bru Schwartzbier
Gear Used:
- Avalanche beacon/shovel/probe
- Backcountry boots/skis/skins
- Day pack
- GPS
- Helmet
- Trekking poles
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