Corn Harvest on Middle Sister - Spring Ski Mountaineering

It’s been a hot minute since we’ve done anything leisurely in the Three Sisters Wilderness, so we decided to take the weekend to camp overnight, and casually climb and ski Middle Sister. We didn’t have any recent beta on the conditions of the road up to Pole Creek, so we planned for an additional mile or two of skinning/skiing on the approach/descent. This time of year is tricky, weather-wise, so we decided that splitting a few extra miles across 2 days would also be nice for our legs. We left Portland at the convenient hour of 12:30 pm and made our way toward Pole Creek. This would be Cinder’s first time in the Three Sisters, her first time on a glacier, and her first time carrying a backpack! We were psyched to see how her year of training as a ski dog paid off. We made it to within a mile of the true trailhead, skinning near the road and cutting off corners where we knew they existed. It was a beautiful afternoon and the sun kept us warm and comfortable on the approach. Cinder wasn’t slowed down in the slightest by her pack (which was only lightly packed) which was really wonderful to see. After about 5 miles of navigating around the toes of ridges and crossing a couple of solid snow bridges over creeks, we emerged near the treeline and were met with strong winds and spitting precipitation. We moved quickly to a sheltered area, threw on layers, and began digging out space for our tent. The mountains were hidden behind a thick, angry layer of clouds but, with the forecast showing bomber weather for Sunday, we didn’t worry. We ate dinner, threw snowballs for Cinder, and went to bed. Sunday morning, we woke at the crack of 7 am to blue skies and sunshine (we love Spring mountaineering), made breakfast, drank instant coffee (Alpine Start makes the best stuff), and headed toward Middle Sister. We elected not to bring any crevasse rescue gear on this trip since previous experience let us know that there was a safe, easy way to avoid any possible sags on our ascent of the Hayden Glacier. We do not advocate for this method - always make your own decisions based on your experience and comfort level. Cinder galloped alongside our skintrack, barking at the distant team of skiers making their way up the flanks of North Sister, but otherwise, stuck with us. At Prouty Point, we threw a DIY leash of 7mm rope and 2 lockers on Cinder, threw on our crampons, and packed skis. The North Ridge was a striated mess of wind-packed powder and crusty, wind-affected ice so skinning wasn’t an efficient option. Andy led, setting the bootpack for Cinder to follow, and Corie short-roped Cinder up the flanks of her first 10,000’ volcano. There’s no need to carry your pup when they’re smart enough to stick to the path you’ve made for them! After gaining the summit, we made plans for our descent. Skiing the North Ridge didn’t seem fun, so Andy checked out the South Ridge. A couple hundred feet down from the summit, the snow evened out and had started corn cycling so we packed skis down to that point (occasionally falling up to our waists in wind-blown snow) and transitioned to downhill mode. From there, we ripped it down the South Ridge, skirting the Hayden and making our way back to camp. It was glorious and fast and beautiful. We packed up quickly and began the ‘no skins on the descent’ challenge– not an easy task coming out of the Three Sisters Wilderness but one that we managed to pull off with only a couple stretches of skate skiing. Before heading home, we quickly helped dig a guy out of a snow bank (karma points), drank some bubbly water, and made our way home. Gear List- Humans Skis, skins, poles Beacon, shovel, probe Headlamps + extra batteries Tent, sleeping bags, sleeping pads Nomad Nutrition dehydrated meals Extra layers Gaia GPS + area map Sunscreen! Gear List- Cinder Ruffwear Beacon Safety Light Ruffwear Crag Collar Ruffwear Approach Pack Ruffwear Water Bowl Ruffwear Polartrex Dog Booties The Honest Kitchen dehydrated food + treats Stats (Car to Car) Mileage: 16 miles Elevation Gain/Loss: ~5,300’