South Sister: Skiing the South Ridge (June 99)
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The volcanic peaks of the Three Sisters Wilderness dominate the landscape of Central Oregon. They are the tallest and most prominent of the dozens of volcanoes which dot the Cascade Range between Mount Jefferson in northern Oregon and Mount Shasta in California, with each of the Sisters reaching the lofty 10000 ft mark. The range is quite compact, as the summits of North, Middle, and South Sisters span a total distance less than 5 miles (8 km), yet the peaks host over 15 glaciers including the largest in Oregon (by area), the Collier Glacier. The youngest, tallest, least eroded, and most climbed of the three peaks is South Sister, which has a simple non-technical walkup route along the South Ridge. This route makes a superb ski ascent and descent in winter, spring, and early summer, offering nearly 5000 ft of vertical which can easily be skied right from the trailhead, up to the summit and back down to the car again.

This was the final peak on our week-long South Cascades ski odyssey during June 1999: ...
June 18: Lassen Peak June 19-20: Mount Shasta June 21: Mount McLoughlin
June 21-22: Crater Lake June 22: Mount Thielsen June 23: South Sister

Click on any photo to go there, or start your tour with the first photo...





Trip Summary: Wednesday, June 23, 1999

Starting Elevation: 5450 ft (1660 m) Weather Conditions: Clear, some high clouds; moderate winds
Summit Elevation: 10358 ft (3157 m) Temperature: 40-70 F (5-20 C)
Roundtrip Distance: 12 miles (20 km) Visibility: Over 100 miles (160 km)
Total Skiable Vertical: 4900 ft (1500 m) Ski Conditions: Crust, corn snow, soft snow
This was a private trip, with a party of two (myself and Alex Cronin).
I skied on randonnee (alpine touring) gear, Alex skied on heavy-duty telemark gear.

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Amar Andalkar <andalkar@u.washington.edu>