Heart of the Commonwealth
This is a great tour when the days get a little longer, spring conditions exist, and there is still some lingering cold snow on the higher elevation shady slopes. Options exist to add in some bonus laps depending on what the conditions are favoring for the day.
Strategy: Time it early enough to be dropping into the SW Face of Red Mountain just after the first direct sun-hit (around 9:00 in March/April). Carry your ski mountaineering kit as the you may encounter a need for rappels traversing off of the Lundin shoulder or in the couloirs off of Snoqualmie. Boot crampons, ski crampons, and ice axe recommended. 30m rope and escaper should have you covered.
Stats: 6,500’ - 7,000’, ~12 miles
Begin by touring up the Commonwealth valley toward Red Mountain. I prefer to skin up the lower south facing ridge, following the summer trail, though it involves lots of kick turns and good track setting and could be icy. Alternatively, work the lower angled slope that leads into the gully/slide path at around 4,400’. This feature is often full of avalanche debris and puts you into a terrain trap with limited options to reduce exposure, but if you are early enough the hazard should be low.
Eventually you will reach the bench below the SW Face at around 4,800’. Continue to skin up the face until the angle steepens (~5,000’) or as far as conditions allow. Put the skis on your pack and boot up the remainder of the SW face, generally staying climber’s right. As you top out the face, be aware of the large cornice which can be hard to see until you are standing on top of it. Traverse southeast to the summit and transition. Enjoy the classic fall-line descent until returning to the flat bench below the face.
If the snow is remaining cold at this point, skin up the broad south facing ridge of Lundin. If the snow is warming, an alternative is to travel up to Red Pass and then traverse east onto the broad lower ridge. Continue up to a prominent high point along the Lundin shoulder at 5,700’ and transition back to downhill. Return down the shoulder and around 5,600’, look for a hidden ramp off the ridge down onto the slopes below the east face of the Lundin ridge. If the ramp is not in, it is possible to rappel off the ridge though you will need to construct and anchor off of trees or rock horns. Traverse to the north below the cliffy terrain and find a mini couloir down to around 5,300’. Be aware of overhead hazard from the cliffs above.
Traverse off of Lundin
Here you will find yourself in some lower angle terrain below the Lundin and Lundin East summits. Work the low angle terrain up toward the ridge between Snoqualmie and Lundin, aiming for a point just below the ridgeline and just past the rocky West Ridge of Lundin. Travel west on or just below the ridgeline, past the entrance to the Snoqualmie North Slopes descent, until you reach the large bowl that is the entrance to the Crooked Couloir. You will be approximately 200 meters east of the standard entrance to the Crooked. There are a few options to ski the Crooked. Either drop in here and follow the fall line for a more direct (but less classic) line into the Crooked, or continue up the ridge to the standard entrance. Depending on snow depth and coverage, there may be a few cruxes in the Crooked all below 5,300’. Occasionally a rappel is needed over the waterfall feature when the snow depth is lower.
After skiing the Crooked, return via the notch putting you back onto the top of the Phantom / West slopes of Snoqualmie Mountain. Traverse to the southeast, generally staying above 5,200’, or return to the top of Snoqualmie Mountain. Either way, descend the South shoulder of Snoqualmie Mountain to lower angle bench around 5,000’. Find an exit off of the shoulder down to the flat terrain between Snoqualmie Mountain and Cave Ridge. Transition back to uphill for a short skin up to the saddle just north of Guye Peak. Transition back to downhill and ski down through the trees, generally staying skier’s left of the creek, until you return to the Commonwealth basin and exit.
