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Cannon Mountain

Just a taste of the beauty of Cannon Mountain

Ski Touring Difficult

Distance
11 km
Ascent
1.6 km
Descent
1.6 km
Duration
6-7 hrs
Low Point
891 m
High Point
2.4 km
Gradient
57˚
Cannon Mountain Map

Cannon Mountain is one of those places which is stacked with lines on all aspects. Just looking at the maps you can dream up numerous great ski lines and this was one of those trips. Our hopes were to ride one of the stunning North facing chutes thinking it would be powder conditions only to find avalanche scoured ice. When going to climb this route it is important that the avalanche forecast is low as it is a dangerous face.

Description

Starting at the Stuart Lake Trailhead (another approach down bottom) if you look close enough you will find an abandoned road on the Northern Slopes heading East. While it is a nasty route to follow it is possible but expect to be thrashing through slide alders with numerous wash outs along the way. Keep following the road until it does a switchback and from there you are directly below the north face of a sub summit of Cannon Mountain. From here on out ditch the road and start skinning directly up the gully before reaching the base of the couloir. From there you can head lookers right and climb up the tree covered ridge all the way to the top of the sub summit. Yet if the snow is soft and stable then you can just directly climb up the chute itself.

When we were there the snow was terrible so we opted out of riding the main chute and decided to ride back down through the trees in hope of finding good snow. Sticking up on the ridge we made our way all the way down to the valley where we had to find a fallen log to safely cross over Icicle Creek and walk back up to the car.

There is another more direct approach via Bridge Creek Campground as long as it is easy to cross the creek.

To see my trip in the area and more photos check out this link https://www.whereiskylemiller.com/stevens-pass/cannon-mountain/

Difficulty

Difficult

Serious gradient of 30-38 degrees where a real risk of slipping exists.

Medium Exposure (E2)

2 out of 4

As well as the slope itself, there are some obstacles (such as rock outcrops) which could aggravate injury.

Remoteness

3 out of 4

Little chance of being seen or helped in case of an accident.

Best time to visit

between February and May

Features

  • Bowl
  • Alpine
  • Couloir
  • Single Descent
  • Ski Mountaineering

Equipment required

  • Skins
  • Ice axe
  • Crampons

Similar routes nearby

Guidebooks in this area