N. Cascades Highway closed

[Uncle_Tricky]

The north Cascades highway closed for the season this week. I ended up trekking around over stevens, but got shut down by a big rockslide on 97 right at the Chelan/Okanogan county line. Late Sunday night/Monday am, a couple of big boulders (maybe 5 feet thick, 20 feet long and 10 feet wide) came down onto the road, and a semi truck crashed into them. The rocks were big enough they closed the road for 10 hours and had to dynamite the chunks so they could move them off the road.

[Bill_Simpkins]

BTW: North Cascades highway is a good ski in the winter, if you can dodge the snomobiles. I ususally ski from where the road is closed on the West side, then down to the East Bank/Ross Lake Trail(3-4 miles to the trailhead I think). You can sometimes ski the trail and camp by the lake about 2.5 miles down the trail.

[Uncle_Tricky]

Have you ever just continued and carried over in the winter? Seem's like that'd make for a fun trip with many possible detours along the way. Just the logistics of getting back to the side you started on make you appreciate the nature of loops where somehow you end where you started without ever retracing your steps.

 

I guess that raises another question, roughly how many self-propelled people cross the washington cascades east to west or west to east in the wintertime via the many various backcountry routes; and what crossings are most easy, or most popular, or most aesthetic, or most Donner-party-esque?

 

"Could you please pass the steak sauce? And while you're at it, I'll have another helping of Grampa."

[Fatal_Exposure]

Lowell Skoog posted some information about a W-E traverse from Snoqualmie Pass to Cle Elum Reservoir some time ago. Stud.

 

M. Volken claims a *first* traverse similar to this involving several peak descents. He calls it the Snoqualmie Haute Route or some other Euro trash name. Some old school mountaineer probably did it in 1937 and called it *Fun*.

[fleblebleb]

Ah, yes, better crap all over Martin Volken then, since he's putting names on things we could just as well refer to as being "fun" - you know, as in, "oh, yeah, we skied the fun route last weekend". Screw him for publishing a cool guidebook to skiing around Snoqualmie Pass too, that's totally Euro-trash.

[Pencil_Pusher]

Would you happen to know how far it would be to ski from the closure to Washington Pass, coming from the west (heading east)?

[Alex]

maybe 40 miles?

[robertm]

According to WADOT the road is closed at MP 148 from the West and MP 178 from the East.

[philfort]

From the standard winter closure (MP 134) to Rainy Pass is about 22 miles I think? Then maybe anotehr 5 miles to washington pass.

 

but Robertm said it's closed at MP 148 now. I didn't know they had a "gate" there. In any case, there might be some dry pavement beyond the gate, before you'll be able to ski.

[Bill_Simpkins]

If I was going for Washington Pass, I'd drive to the East side and head up. Still faster than skiing from the West I think. Unless you have turbo boost.

If I was going up to Liberty Bell, I'd just hitch a ride on a snowmobile or get a hold of one. It's a popular snomobile route over on the highway. Probably use less gas than driving.