Spider Mountain North Face + Magic S Loop

On Thursday, April 9th, Chris Kahn and I left our cars at the gate two miles below the Casacade Pass trailhead and strolled up the road. The time was 3 am, and we had dreams of skiing the NE ramp on Spider Mtn that day. Our time to Arts Knoll wasn't the quickest, with many transitions and a foggy state in the early day. Ice and side hilling in crampons in the dark brought us all the from 300 feet below cascade pass to the depression below Cache Col. The light came out just before the traverse along the Ptarmigan and made it slightly more pleasant. We each brought out an ice axe for the traverse. We then skinned  up Cache Col and snowboarded down to Kool aid lake, staring up at Arts Knoll and the pass below it. We cramponed up frozen debris, moving slow. Cresting the pass, we rode down perfect corn to a flat spot at 6400 feet, with a good view of Spider and nice rocks to lounge on. We had a quick lunch, and decided to press on, at least give it a go. The second half of the Magic S loop and Spider for tomorrow was a daunting prospect. It was 1130 am at this point. We traversed high below the cliff south of Arts Knoll, landing on steep slopes just below the north edge of the Spider Glacier. Immediately upon trying to skin, we became aware of the isothermic garbage we were playing around on. We slipped once, twice, and decided tomorrow morning might be safer. After a short ski down, we melted our way back up to camp in the sun. Dinner, sunset, lights out. Six am brought us from our bivy, and sent us down icy slopes to a more direct couloir to the glacier. We booted this, and skinned up the glacier to the access ramp, on thankfully colder snow than yesterday. We began booting up the central ridge, or leg of the spider, if you would. It was steep and firm on the ridge, with a bit of old sugary powder covering the ice. Many steps required keeping tension and weight through the front points, and plunging both axes hard through the ice. Immediately off the ridge in the sun, was lovely corn. In the shadow skiers right in the corn, was styrofoam powder, deeper than on the ridge. Decent booting in the styrofoam intermingled with icy gripping spots, the bootpack took us to the ridge by 11:15. We were glad to have two axes. Fittingly, we saw a lone spider immediately after cresting the top of the ridge. No break was taken, and skis and boards were strapped up posthaste. My first turns sent a suprising sluff down and I nearly botched it over a small ice lip. I slowed down and made controlled, soft turns down the face, watching sluff roll down with the quickness. I reached the ridge and watched Chris ski, and let him take the lead as we made our way down the steep, firm ridge. Exposed on both sides, I slipped on my toe edge for a bit, using both axes. We made more turns in softer snow before exiting the face via our icy access ramp. The turns down the glacier were quite the reward, soft and rippable. We made our way back to camp by 1:45, watching clouds swirl in. Lunch was scarfed and we were moving up the plan b couloir, doing a bit of postholing in the days heat. After finding the old bootpack, travel eased and we dropped in down the S glacier, sending off huge rollerballs. The climb up to alliteration pass was very hot, and we were thankful for the old skin track to keep us from sliding off each step. We dropped into Pelton basin at 6:45, feeling pretty loopy. We traversed left and skinned up, and were at Cascade Pass by 7:45. The snow we dropped into then was fine, slightly refrozen corn that put a fine ribbon on a real gift of a trip. As we walked the road back to car we were treated to a show of wet slides falling off Johannesburg's west side. Not much more could be asked of for a first ski trip to the North Cascades. The size and pitch of those peaks and valleys is awe inspiring and exhaustion inducing. Thanks to Chris for a truly wonderful weekend!