Kendall Stumps

An option when avalanche conditions aren't good and you want to play it safe

Ski Touring Easy

Distance: 3.7 km
Ascent: 524 m
Descent: 524 m
Duration: 2-3 hrs

Low Point: 914 m
High Point: 1.4 km
Gradient: 35˚

Kendal Stumps is one of those tours you put into your pocket in case the weekend falls on a high avalanche day. This is not one of those ski tours that’s all about bagging a big summit but more of some open tree skiing on semi mellow slopes. While this trip is well below tree line it has seen some clear cutting giving it an almost alpine feel. If you are just wanting to spend a few hours out and stretch the legs this is also a great tour.

Making the most out of deep snow in the Kendal Stumps Photo: Kyle Miller

Breaking trail in deep snow conditions Photo: Kyle Miller

Snowboarding on a snowy day Photo: Kyle Miller

Description

This tour can start at multiple places but one of the better places is just past the I-90 bridge by Summit West.Starting making your way East while slowly gaining elevation and soon enough you will arrived in semi spaced trees. From here start climbing up spotting the options for lines that you want to descend. Before long you will reach a forest service road but keep climbing as much as you feel comfortable.

Once again as you gain elevation you will hit the summer road which you can use to wrap around to the true summit of the small knob. From here you have nice and well anchored slopes from the West to the Southeast and can keep doing laps until your legs get tired.

Once it is time to head back to the you can either follow your skin track to the road or ride down to where I-90 is and start doing a hard traverse west to reconnect with the Alpental Road. From my experience this place is quite popular if there is a question about snow stability but fortunately there is more than enough space to easily find fresh tracks.

To see my trip in the area and more photos check out this link https://www.whereiskylemiller.com/snoqualmie-pass/kendall-stumps/