Mount Adams is the second highest peak in Washington State and the third highest in the Cascade Range. It is a broad volcanic massif which towers above the surrounding hills about 30 miles (50 km) north of the Columbia River. Although the summit is covered by a large icecap and over a dozen glaciers pour down its flanks, the South Rib (Suksdorf Ridge) route is one of the easiest routes on any of the northern Cascade volcanoes. It is crevasse-free and provides over 7000 ft (2100 m) of skiable vertical in the spring, including a near-perfect pitch for almost 3000 ft (900 m) below the false summit. I've done this trip each of the past two seasons, it's one of the finest ski runs in the Cascades (photos and reports for both trips are below). In 1998 we had planned to ski down the neighboring Southwest Chute (an even nicer line), but low snowpack prevented us. Maybe this year...

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Trip Summary: Saturday-Sunday, June 7-8, 1997

This was a Mountaineers Backcountry Skiing trip, with a party of eight led by Brent Hostetler.

Trip Summary: Sunday, July 19, 1998

This was a Mountaineers Backcountry Skiing trip, with a party of four led by Paul Kulhanek.