Trip Date: April 15, 2007
Red Mountain Ski Tour
Cooper River Valley
Red Mountain False Summit
Trip Report Summary
Region: Central Washington Cascades
Sub-Region: Kachess Mountains
Area: Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest
Starting & Ending Point: Cooper River Roadhead on Salmon la Sac Road (Elev. 2350 feet)
Way Points: Cle Elum River Vehicle Bridge & Red Mountain Trailhead & Red Mountain false summit (ski tour & snow climb)
Approximate Stats: 9 miles traveled; 3800 feet gained & lost; 6.0 hours up; 2.9 hours down.
Related Post
Red Mountain Snowshoe Ascent via Northeast Ridge – April 17, 2016
Full Trip Report
I did a Sunday ski trip up Red Mtn in the Kachess Mountains with Eileen. We parked at the Cle Elum River bridge and skied up the Cooper River Road for 1.5 miles, then headed straight up moderate forest slopes. When the trees got too tight and the gradient too steep for efficient skinning, we resorted to booting to reach the 4800-foot NE shoulder. The weather was unexpectedly warm.
- Booting Up To Shoulder
.
Pleasant skinning up wide-open slopes got us to the false summit for excellent views into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
- Snoqualmie Mountains From False Summit
.
Unfortunately, we were about an hour too late for a good ski descent; those wide-open slopes had hardened to a death crust that made for a lousy downhill run to the shoulder. We booted the remaining distance back to the road.
Photo Gallery
Click to enlarge…
