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Isolation Traverse

Elevation gain

14000 ft

Distance

28.00

Effort

Difficult

Exposure

Medium

Description

The Isolation Traverse has it all - high glacial plateaus, lofty peaks, quality descents, and a burly approach and exit. It crosses the biggest icecap (yes, we have icecaps in the States) in the lower 48, passing man-eating crevasses and traversing at times 5,000 ft above the rugged green valleys below. It is likely the best ski traverse in the Cascades and definitely one of the best in the country. It makes for a beautiful multi-day traverse with marvelous campsites or an unforgettable single-day push for those truly looking for a long day out. 

It is hard to explain in more detail what makes something like the Isolation Traverse so great. If you live here, you just understand it. All I needed was a few pictures to know I wanted to do it.

Begin with the usual ascent of the Eldorado climber's trail, hopefully switching to ski boots by the infamous boulder field. For more detail on this section, see the Eldorado East Ridge ski tour. Once on the Inspiration Icecap, skin across the glacier, rounding the east ridge and continuing towards the col between Tepeh Towers and Tyee Crag. Enjoy an easy descent down the upper McAlister Glacier before climbing up to the obvious col just north of Dorado Needle. A rappel (single 30m rope fine) will get you down the other side.

Now, begin the long scenic descending traverse across Backbone Ridge. You will cover a lot of ground here and this section is very beautiful. Cross into the Newhalem Creek Drainage at 6100 ft and climb up to a 6500 ft saddle. The low angle, north-facing, enjoyable "Ice-Elation Couloir" leads you down to a low point beneath the Newhalem Peaks.

Climb a hot south face to a saddle, then continue onwards towards the south ridge of Isolation Peak. Climb up this ridge, trending right before the summit to the shoulder. Ski down to a frozen lake.

From here, began the final long climb up to the Neve Glacier and the shoulder of Snowfield Peak. Skiing down the Neve Glacier is as close to Alaska as it gets in the lower 48, with incredible views of the North Cascades. Another short climb leads to the Colonial-Neve col, and another descent down the Colonial Glacier. From here, cross big terrain beneath Pyramid Peak and generally follow the summer climber's trail down to Pyramid Lake and out to Highway 20.

Approach

Drop one car at the Pyramid Lake Trailhead and then return to the Cascade River Road, which is usually gated at mile 18, 2 miles before Eldorado. If you can drive to Eldorado, it can be helpful to scout the river crossing in the light the day before.

Crux

The crux of this traverse is simply the incredible size and varied skills needed. There is a lot of gain (14,000 ft) and every aspect is traveled on. There are ski mountaineering skills like glacial travel and rappelling. The traverse is doable in a long day for a fit party, but they will need to be dialed to move quickly through all the transitions and need a solid spring snowpack. Over three days, the tour brings about its own challenges, maneuvering steep terrain and forests with a heavy pack.

Free Beta

This tour is accessible sometimes year round, and definitely as early as April most years, but May is the optimal time. With all the different aspects covered, you want a full corn cycle and isothermal snowpack. The North Cascades, like this region, take very long to transfer to a spring snowpack and often are still getting major snow dumps through the beginning of June. The traverse can be done in powder in March, but it takes on a different character then.

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