Description

The CJ Couloir is possibly the most burly line in the Cascades you can get to within 5 minutes of leaving the main road.

Driving up the Cascade River Road you pass by numerous big lines but nothing is more in your face than Johannesberg Mountain.

While riding off the summit is another game entirely it is the low East Col that can really get your blood pumping.

Starting at 3,100 feet and topping out at 6,700 this offers 3,600 vert of steep and sustained pitch all the way to the valley floor.

Just be cautious as it is an avalanche nightmare and slipping in icy conditions can be fatal.

Helmets are a must as it is almost guaranteed things will be falling while you climb. Heading up the Cascade River Road go as far as it will allow.

If you can make it just below the Cascade Pass Trailhead this is where you need to drop into the Cascade River Valley.

Now head southwest over to the debris covered apron of the CJ Couloir and put on your crampons and helmet while preparing for a long push all the way to the top.

From the moment you step into this area you are exposed to massive avalanches so do what you can to stay out of the gut.

Down in the lower section you will get to the hardest part of the climb as the aspect gets even steeper for a few minutes before it eases back a little bit before reaching the upper slopes. Heading up the terrain will change from more of a couloir to open slopes where you can get a bit more out of the gut for a little bit.

If you ever need to take a rest make sure it is not in the gut as we did this and as we rested a massive block of snow came down.

After a few hours and just below the col it will steepen again but before long you will finally make it to the top. Looking back down is both exhilarating and terrifying as you transition to descent mode.

Having climbed up the route you have a good idea of what you will experience.

When we climbed it seemed the snow would be a bit better on the more northern chute so we decided to go for that.

Dropping into the main gut we did a hard skiers left traverse around 5,900 feet making are way over to the northern side of the Glacier.

Carefully making turns we spotted the chute we planned on descending and cautiously made turns until arriving at the open lower apron.

This chute was both tight and steep so it was of vital importance not to loose an edge.

Before long the hard part was over and it was mellow cruising back into the valley.

With a sigh of relief we made our way back up onto the road and headed back to the car. To see my trip in the area and more photos check out this link https://www.whereiskylemiller.com/highway-20/cj-couloir/