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Rock-Mastiff-Howard Traverse

by W.O. Staff on 05/08/2012 03:17 0 comments , 44 views
Categories: Skiing-Alpine,Nordic,BC
Tags: backcountry skiing, rock howard mastiff traverse, best ski tours stevens pass, best backcountry skiing near stevens pass

This time of year the problem with skiing isn't that there's a shortage of high snow, but that there's a shortage of low snow to access the high snow. You start carrying the skis (heavy) and the boots (heavier still) from short to stupid distances as the snowpack burns off. Looking for tours with the best ratios of skiing to carry becomes the game each weekend.

One spring tour meriting many stars because it not only has a good ratio but is also scenic and, navigationally interesting is the Rock-Howard-Mastiff Traverse. At the start of the Rock Mountain Trail off of Highway 2, you're going to be carrying the skis this time of year but the trail is a beast in how quickly it gains elevation. There's none of the tedium of slowly gaining elevation on a road. This steep trail gets you up to snowline fast.

This past Sunday (May 6) Tom Janisch and I climbed with skis on our packs from the highway (2,640 feet) and hit skiable snow at 4,300 feet in about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Once the skis came off the pack, they were on our feet the entire time as we finished the ascent of Rock, descended to Crescent Lake, climbed Howard, descended to Canaan Lake, climbed Mastiff, descended to Lost Lake, climbed above Merritt Lake, and descended to Merritt Lake. From Merritt Lake we skied down to the 3900-foot level before the snow disappeared. Then we plunged steeply down old-growth forests until we intersected the Highway another 1,300 vertical feet lower.

For the amount of skiing we enjoyed (and good skiing it was with both powder and corn to sample), the skis were on our backs a small portion of the day. A few pictures of the day are shown below.

Here's a slideshow featuring what makes this an awfully appealing spring tour.

More details and maps (Map 1 , Map 2) of the route from our backcountry skiing guidebook.