Ptarmigan Traverse in May?

Do a search. I know that lowell has done it. Maybe he'll post. It is in the olympic national park. Also what would be good is the Nooksack traverse. This goes up the white salmon, down the nooksack glacier, over icy and ruth mountains and out. With 3 days and good weather, it would be fun. The isolation is good too.

The Ptarmigan has fine skiing. if you take a little time to exploit the opportunities. Typical of a traverse, there is a fair amount of traversing, which in that spectacular part of the North Cascades means skiing on the bench between steeper lower and higher slopes. Instead of going out the Suiattle, do the longer version which exits to Lyman Lake and Lake Chelan. Ski Dome Peak along the way. The trouble in May is finding a week of good weather, but it's no worse a problem than in June. It is not easy to exit the Ptarmigan (or most N. Cascade traverses, nor the Bailey Range) mid way. I would suggest as a troubled weather alternative, not the Bailey range (which has as bad weather as the Ptarmigan) but a loop trip in the Pasayten Wilderness of the eastern Cascades. There are many possibilities. The terrain is excellent for ski trips. Look at trips centered on Cathedral Lakes and Remmel Peak, or centered on the high ridge of Mts Lago, Carru, and Osceola. The latter can be combined with ascents of Robinson Mtn and Monument Pk, two high and seldom visited skiable summits. This year there should be plenty of snow in the Pasayten in May.

..... .but a loop trip in the Pasayten Wilderness of the eastern Cascades.   There are many possibilities.  The terrain is excellent for ski trips.  Look at trips centered on Cathedral Lakes and Remmel Peak, or centered on the high ridge of Mts Lago, Carru, and Osceola.  The latter can be combined with ascents of Robinson Mtn and Monument Pk, two high and seldom visited skiable summits.  This year there should be plenty of snow in the Pasayten in May.

I'll second the Cathedral Lakes area idea.  I've been in in mid April and it a great tour although not as some much a ski mountaineering trip as a long backcountry ski tour.

I would think the Lago, Carru, and Osceola area would be a more commited trip with steeper skiing than Cathedral.

ronco

I should add that there's barely a inch of avalanche safe terrain on the Ptarmigan so if there's substantial new snow, or a sharp warming with unsettled snow about, you can't travel.

You guys are a great resource, thanks!

I had pieced together (on paper) a route from Cascade to Rainy Pass last year. Turns our Lowell and Carl did it (almost exactly as I traced it) in reverse back in '96. The Mt Logan High Route. It looks like longer, more continuous ski runs than the PT, and there are a few more bailout trails along the way (Park Creek Pass, Bridge Creek, etc). Of course, that depends on the NC highway being open by the end of May. If we get a Memorial Day like last season, that looks like a rockin tour.

Hi Jeremy,

Sorry for my slow response. I've been out of town on a hut skiing trip. Your e-mail asked whether I prefer the skiing on the Logan High Route or the Ptarmigan Traverse. I hope you won't mind a long-winded answer. I'm responding in both e-mail and turns-all-year.

If you're interested in high-level glaciated traverses in the North Cascades, like the classic routes of the Alps, the Cascade Pass-Eldorado Peak area is the center of the universe. There are several shorter routes in the area like the Forbidden Tour, Inspiration Icecap (Eldorado to Primus), Triad High Route (Eldorado to Sibley Pass), and Backbone Ridge Traverse (Eldorado to Monogram Lake).

These shorter routes can be considered warm-ups for the three longer traverses that emanate from the region like a three-armed starfish. They are the Ptarmigan Traverse (south to Dome), Isolation Traverse (north to Snowfield), and Logan High Route (east to Rainy Pass).

Each of these trips has equally good skiing and scenery. Choosing my favorite is really difficult. My suggestion is to pick one of them based on conditions or personal preference, and if you enjoy yourself, put them all on your list.

Because of the Suiattle Road washout, the basic Ptarmigan Traverse is not practical this year. The Extended Ptarmigan Traverse would be better. However, it is the longest of the three routes. The Isolation Traverse is shortest, followed by the Logan High Route, with the Extended Ptarmigan the longest. Historical notes about these routes can be found here:

www.alpenglow.org/ski-history/subjects/C...tml#cascade-eldorado
www.alpenglow.org/ski-history/subjects/P...l#ptarmigan-traverse
www.alpenglow.org/ski-history/subjects/R-info.html#rainy-logan

Although I haven't done any high routes in the Alps, I think these North Cascades traverses are more strenuous than many of the European routes because there are no huts. Historically, the best time to do any of these trips is between mid-May and mid-June. The best weather is usually later, but the snowpack is melting continuously, so optimal timing can be challenging. In some years we never get a good spring weather/snowpack window for these trips.

As a backup plan, the advice Steve Barnett gave on turns-all-year is excellent. I haven't done much in the Pasayten Wilderness, but there is huge potential there and a lot of grand trips have been done. I have some bare-bones information about the region here.

www.alpenglow.org/ski-history/subjects/P...#pasayten-wilderness

Matt Firth of Twisp is probably the most knowledgeable and active skier of long Pasayten routes. I can put you in touch with him if you like.