Ruth Mountain may have the best scenery-to-effort ratio in the North Cascades. A smooth gravel road to Hannegan Pass Trailhead, followed by a nicely maintained trail, easy snow travel, and no crevasse shenanigans (season dependent obviously) - highly recommend as a type 1 kind of day.

Eldorado Peak is one of the “Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America” that shouldn’t be. The quality of skiing itself was mediocre but the views more than made up for it. We were debating turning around with the grim visibility on the way up, but we pressed on and were instead rewarded with brief yet stunning views near the summit.

There is nothing notable about Ruby Mountain in the North Cascades, but its view of Ross Lake and the surrounding peaks is pretty cool. We missed the powder window in favor of mashed potatoes so I definitely need to come back early on a cold bluebird day!

In retrospect this was probably a lot for me to handle at the time, but I’m super thankful for the receptive partners and the proper conditions for skiing a line this burly with no drama (although I was pretty tired). Would love to pay something like this forward one day.