Distance: 3.3 mi.
Elevation Gain: 1600 ft.
Hi friends! After spending three months worth of weekends renovating our new fixer-upper, we were desperate to get out in the mountains but also desperately out of shape. We decided to choose a trip that would be low commitment and also avoid any terrain that could put us in the cross hairs of that pesky 10 foot deep persistent weak layer from January. Our friend Laura was in for a short and sweet trip as well, so we decided on Yodelin.
We arrived at the parking lot at 10 AM and there were still plenty of spots. However, Laura had been there the weekend before around the same time and got one of the last spots since it’s an overflow lot for Stevens Pass Ski Resort, so I guess it’s pretty hit or miss. We began skinning up the road to our right (south) and followed well-tread skin tracks all the way up. There were a couple short spots through trees but overall it was an easy skin. This would be a great trip for someone who’s comfortable with inbounds tree skiing but new to skinning. We reached the ridge around 11:30 AM and settled in for a quick lunch.
Craig had remembered finding a fun run down the east side of the ridge many years ago so we decided to try it out. However, the snow was pretty chunky due to recent tree bombs and the trees were getting increasingly thick, so we decided to stop after only a handful of turns.
After our short run we skinned back up to the ridge and headed back down northwest toward the car, staying slightly skier’s right (north) of our up track. There were a few turns of nice powder on a firm crust up high, but most of the run was closer to spring corn conditions. We found ourselves in a couple steeper sections through thick trees, but for the most part the route down was straightforward.
At about 4200 ft we had to cut hard left (south) to meet back up with the road. Toward the bottom the snow was like cement and it was almost impossible to turn. We reached the parking lot at around 1:30 PM and were able to ski right to the car. Overall the day satisfied all our hopes and dreams, and mostly it was awesome just to get back outside!
(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: Cloudburst Seems Plausible IPA
Gear Used:
- Avalanche beacon/shovel/probe
- Backcountry boots/skis/skins
- Day pack
- Glacier glasses
- GPS
- Helmet
- Trekking poles
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