Trip type: backcountry ski
Elevation gain: approx. 3,285 feet
Car-to-car time: 7 hours 28 minutes
USGS quads: Lost Lake, Snoqualmie Pass
In area: South Fork Snoqualmie Drainage
Ben and I parked in the Hyak parking lot and skinned up Mount Hyak underneath the south lift. We descended to the clear-cut basin to the west, and entered the old-growth forest on the other side. When we made it to the 4,000'+ pass between Mount Catherine and Rockdale Ridge (point 4,440'+), we headed south then east following the ridge to the summit of Mount Catherine.
The summit is clear of trees and has 360 degree views, with good close-up views of Silver Peak and Tinkham Peak, and nice views of many Snoqualmie Pass peaks like Red Mountain, Lundin Peak, Rampart Ridge, Guye Peak, Granite Mountain, Snoqualmie Mountain, etc. In the distance we could see Mount Stuart and Big Snow Mountain.
From the summit we headed back west down the ridge, we overshot and ended up in Olallie Meadow. From Olallie Meadow we skiied up the south side of Rockdale Ridge. There are some tight trees here, this side of the ridge wouldn't be good to ski down.
We descended the north side of the ridge, which provided good skiing. Soon we caught a maintenance road which I assume leads to the radio tower on the north side of the ridge. We followed the maze of roads through the nordic ski area back to Hyak.
References
- Steve Fox's website: I-90 winter climbs
- Winter guide book: Winter Climbs: One Day Ascents (out of print)
Travel Times
Car-to-car time: 7 hours 28 minutes- 3 hours 38 minutes ascending from Hyak parking lot to summit of Mount Catherine
- 44 minutes descending from summit of Mount Catherine to Olallie Meadow
- 1 hour 4 minutes ascending from Olallie Meadow to top of Rockdale Ridge
- 1 hour 27 minutes descending from top of Rockdale Ridge to Hyak parking lot
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