Ruth Mountain 

Crew: Isiah, Lucien, Maddox
Date: January 26, 2025
Total time on trail: 11:45:47
Summit time: 7:03:00 from trailhead
Start time: 6:04 am
Finish time: 5:47 pm

We left Seattle at 3:00 am and started skinning at 6:04 am, parking about three-quarters of a mile from the actual trailhead due to snow-covered road. After a short road skin, we hopped on the singletrack and started the long-ish, tree-filled approach. The snow was icy from the start, and right around first light, we threw on ski crampons.

At 10:30 am, about 4:20 in, we finally broke out of the trees and were met with some of the most breathtaking views. That’s where the real climbing began. Snow conditions were all over the place. It hadn’t snowed in three weeks, and with weeks of cold, dry, sunny weather, things were weird. Some slopes were bulletproof ice, others were deep surface facets that felt like skiing through six inches of powder. 

We made it to the summit at 1:07 pm, about seven hours from the start, and were met with some of the best views we’ve ever had: a full North Cascades panorama, clear skies, and not a single person around. We hung out on top for a while, soaking it all in.

The ski down was a mix. Some turns were amazing, others not so much. About halfway down, we had to pause for a bit to sort out Lucien’s binding, which had iced over. After some floundering and percussive maintenance, we got moving again and made it to the bottom of the main face.

From there, we started skiing out the approach. Surprisingly, we were able to ski the entire way out, with a good amount of side-stepping and skate-skiing, but it wasn’t too bad. We got back to the trailhead just after dark, perfect timing for Isiah to ski straight over a patch of gravel without realizing it.

Amazing views, strange snow, and a perfect bluebird day!