June 5, Frisco, North Cascades

Got out for a late season lap on Frisco on June 5th with Richard. We left Rainy Pass at 7am with the plan of skiing the west side down toward Ann Lake via the Maple Creek drainage.

The approach involves a boot section to gain the bench overlooking Rainy Lake — the snow angle and surface made skinning impractical for that stretch. From the bench it opened up and we were skiing by shortly after 10am, about three hours after leaving the car.

Conditions up high were better than expected for early June. The snow had a firmness to it we hadn't fully anticipated — you half-expect mashed potatoes at this time of year — but it was completely edgeable and corning up nicely on the shadier aspects. June corn at Washington Pass can be excellent when the timing works out, and the upper terrain delivered.

The descent toward Ann Lake told a different story. As we dropped in elevation and the sun caught the lower slopes, the surface transitioned quickly into slush. We started triggering small wet loose slides — nothing large, but enough to demand attention. About a foot of slush in the chutes made each pitch feel sloppy and required real thought about where to initiate turns and where to pause. One of the photos from the day showed a visible fracture line that joedabaker flagged in the comments — he theorized water percolation had reached a subsurface layer. Looking at the crown size, I thought it hadn't penetrated that deep, but it was a useful reminder that wet loose on a June day can still move meaningfully.

We managed our way down to Ann Lake with careful route selection and slough management, then retraced back to Rainy Pass. Full day car-to-car.

Frisco is a great late-season objective when the timing is right — stable corn on the upper aspects, a long descent, and a quieter trailhead than some of the more trafficked Washington Pass routes. I've been putting together notes on the touring terrain in this part of the North Cascades over at the Winthrop and Washington Pass backcountry skiing guide, including the Maple Pass area and other Rainy Pass objectives.

Check the NWAC East Slopes North forecast before going — the window between too firm and too soft is short in June, and wet slide cycles can move fast.