Eldorado Glacier is one of the 50 classic ski lines of North America for its position and aesthetic. Skiing down the east ridge, you get magnificent views of Moraine Lake and the North Cascades, set behind peaks like Forbidden, Torment, Sahale...the list goes on. The summit ridge isn’t that steep or exposed, but a fun walk in the clouds. From here the skiing is on friendly moderate terrain off the summit and into the flats before another long run down the Eldorado Glacier. From here bump over the ridge to the east and enjoy a very long rolling descent until you run out of snow and regain the trail. The route is a classic Cascadian adventure: you will start hiking at the trailhead with skis on your back, transition to a steep climber's trail, then slap on skis and climb up through post-glacial terrain to mountain tops. Be ready for a long day with amazing scenery and an early start.
Unless you are planning on overnighting on the route, you will be starting in the dark at Cascade River Road. Early in the season, the road is often closed at milepost 18, so you will either be walking or riding your bike in the pre-dawn hours. The crux of your route is the river crossing to start out the day. Honestly, its beneficial to scout this the night before, if possible. Many years there are large downed logs that allow for easy passage across the river, but these can sometimes vary from year to year. There is a path that takes you from the parking lot down to the river, but you will have to look up and downstream a bit to find the best passage, depending on the conditions.
Once across the river, you will find a well-defined climbers trail that will take you all the way up to a clearing around 4,600', where you will enter a large boulder field. Early in the season, you will likely put on your skis here, as the boulders will be sufficiently covered in snow to allow for skinning. Later in the season, though, you may need to posthole your way through the boulder field up to around 5,200'.
Continue climbing up towards the ridgeline on climbers left. You are looking to cross over around 6,200' in a prominent notch that will take you across E to the Roush Creek drainage. Once across, you will climb the gradual slopes of the Eldorado Glacier up towards the peak itself. Stay to climber's left of the Eggplant, a prominent knob around 7,700'. There is often a large wind lip here that is easy to spot. Gain the east ridge from the base where the upper Eldorado Glacier converges with the Inspiration Glacier. In the early season, the ridge is fairly wide, maybe wide enough to skin at points; later in the season, however, it becomes more of a knife-edge.
As mentioned, the crux of the route is the river crossing at the beginning of the day. It is easy to lose time here early in the morning when it is dark. Do your best to either scout ahead of time or download a GPX track from a recent party. The crossover to Roush Creek can also be tricky, and is infamously prone to wet avalanches. Be especially careful when climbing up and skiing down on the E slopes of this ridgeline. The slopes are known to slide later in the day once the snowpack has started to warm.
If there is sufficient snow coverage, you can actually ski some steep lines on the S face of Eldorado as well! The E ridge is the classic line, of course, and has amazing views and position looking down towards Moraine Lake. Stop by Mondo's in Marblemount for a good meal afterward! You've earned it. Or do yourself a favor and pack a light overnight kit and turn this into a two-day outing instead of a really long single day.
