Skiing the Cascade Volcanoes         Amar Andalkar's Ski Mountaineering and Climbing Site

Ski Mountaineering	Photos & Trip Reports	Equipment & Info	Cascade Volcanoes	Ring of Fire	Site Map
Table of Contents | Introduction | Ratings | WebCams | Bibliography | Highest Volcanoes | Snowfall & Snowdepth | Monthly Chart | Conifers

Monthly Reference Chart     This chart gives a general guide as to which time of year might be best for skiing various routes on the Cascade volcanoes. The strongest influence affecting these dates is the depth of the snowpack, which can vary year to year from as little as a half to as much as double the "normal" values. This can shorten or extend the skiable season by several months, so be sure to check my Cascade Snowfall and Snowdepth page for current snowdepth info throughout the Cascade Range from northern California to southwestern British Columbia. In addition, it is often the case during spring that the ski conditions might be fine on a route, but the roads accessing the trailhead may still be snowed in or blocked by fallen trees or washouts. This can turn otherwise simple trips into brutal struggles and memorable (mis)adventures, so it is best to get current road closure info from the nearest ranger station or from the website of the relevant National Park or Forest if available (these links are listed near the end of the page for each peak, and also on my Web Links page).     Most importantly, one should check the avalanche bulletins and track recent weather trends. Many of these routes may have severe avalanche danger at various times, especially during the winter and early spring. Even though spring is the prime season for ski mountaineering, despite generally reduced avalanche risk it is statistically the most dangerous time of year for avalanche fatalities, due to increased carelessness. In late spring and summer, the avalanche hazard is generally greatest during the hot afternoons, so it is best to make an early ski descent (and corn snow is much better to ski than glop). Various useful avalanche links can be found on my Web Links page. Key to this chart: Optimal months, assuming normal snowpack Marginal months, could be good or even great with above normal snowpack Skiable months, but roads to the trailhead are likely to be snow-covered for a long distance Unlikely to be continuously skiable in an average year; however, on most of these routes   snow patches do linger well into or even throughout the summer, so short runs may still be possible This chart is still UNDER CONSTRUCTION...   Not all routes are listed here yet, but I am gradually updating it. If any of the months listed for the routes below seem incorrect, please contact me with suggestions or corrections. California . Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Lassen Peak South / Southeast Face Northeast Face (from Emigrant Pass) North Ridge West Face (via Manzanita Creek) Summit Traverse Brokeoff Mountain Mount Diller / Southwest Ridge Mount Shasta Avalanche Gulch (via Thumb Rock) Avalanche Gulch (Left of Heart) Cascade Gulch to Whitney Glacier West Face Gully Whitney Glacier Whitney-Bolam Ridge Bolam Glacier from Bolam Creek Bolam Glacier from North Gate Hotlum-Bolam Ridge Hotlum Glacier Hotlum-Wintun Ridge Wintun Glacier Wintun Ridge Clear Creek Lower Avalanche Gulch Old Ski Bowl Sun Bowl / Powder Bowl Cascade Gulch to Shastina Summit Diller Canyon Medicine Lake Volcano Mount Hoffman   ??? Little Mount Hoffman   ??? Glass Mountain   ??? Oregon . Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Mount McLoughlin East Ridge Northeast Bowls Southeast Face Southwest Face Northwest Ridge / North Bowls Pelican Butte NE Ridge / Bowls (from Westside Road) Northeast Bowls (from Summit Road) Crater Lake Circumnavigation Mount Scott Garfield & Applegate Peaks Dutton Ridge The Watchman & Hillman Peak Mount Thielsen Southwest Bowl Northwest Bowl North Bowl Mount Bailey East Face Diamond Peak West Face Newberry Volcano Paulina Peak Mount Bachelor Ski Area Broken Top Crook Glacier Three Sisters Three Sisters Traverse     North Sister Southeast Ridge / Face     Middle Sister Southeast Ridge     South Sister South Ridge Prouty Glacier Mount Washington Northwest Bowl Three Fingered Jack Northeast Cirque Mount Jefferson Jefferson Park Glacier Mount Hood Palmer Snowfield South Side Summit Cooper Spur Washington . Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Mount St Helens Worm Flows Monitor Ridge Butte Camp Mount Adams South Rib Southwest Chutes Goat Rocks Old Snowy Mtn Mt Curtis Gilbert Mount Rainier Emmons Glacier DC / Ingraham Glacier Fuhrer Finger Tahoma Glacier Muir Snowfield Paradise Glacier Lower Nisqually Glacier Flett / Russell Glaciers Interglacier Glacier Peak Sitkum Glacier Gerdine Ridge White Chuck - Suiattle Traverse Mount Baker Easton Glacier Coleman-Deming Glacier Boulder Glacier British Columbia . Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Mount Garibaldi Northeast Face Névé Traverse Mount Cayley Northeast Face Mount Meager Northwest Ridge

Table of Contents | Introduction | Ratings | WebCams | Bibliography | Highest Volcanoes | Snowfall & Snowdepth | Monthly Chart | Conifers
Ski Mountaineering	Photos & Trip Reports	Equipment & Info	Cascade Volcanoes	Ring of Fire	Site Map

Amar Andalkar   Seattle, WA, USA   <About the Author / Contact Me> All material on this website is ©1997-2004 by Amar Andalkar unless otherwise noted. Last modified Thursday, January 8, 2004