After spending most of March resort skiing with my family in Salt Lake City, I was back in the Pacific Northwest and itching for some touring. Henk, Anna, and I decided to take a day off work and try to get on top of Mt. Lichtenberg. We optimistically dropped a car off at the Yodelin Parking lot, and then headed over to Rainy Creek Rd (NF 67) to begin our tour.

We left the road at the first switchback, and spent some time hunting for a snow bridge over Smith Brook

A roaring brook partially covered by snow
Not huge, but big enough to want to stay out of

After finding a relatively safe crossing, we continued upwards, picking our way through the forested low-angle terrain. As the day progressed, we started to feel and hear signs of warming…

A skier looking at a steeper treed slope ahead
Anna assessing our path

It was already 11am, and we were facing a steeper (35-45°) section of terrain. The day’s avalanche forecast warned of wet loose avalanches, the trees around us were shedding snow at a noticeable rate, and the snow beneath our feet was definitely wet. So we turned around, and spent the afternoon in safer terrain at Yodelin.

Turning around in the mountains is always a tough choice, and far smarter and more experienced people than I have written far more interesting things about it. But given the obvious red flags and the experience level of our group, I think it was the right decision.

Back for revenge

Warming continued for the next several days and I went running instead. But then the days got (slightly) colder, and the nights got (more than slightly) colder, and Henk and I went back for round two. With the week’s minimum temperature the previous night and an earlier start than our last attempt, we took advantage of our previous snow-bridge reconaissance and made it to Lichtenwasser Lake by 9am.

A skier looking out at a snow-covered lake
Henk about to cross the lake

We crossed the lake and proceeded uphill uneventfully. The terrain steepened, but it was still early in the day and, now at higher elevations, we saw no concerning signs of warning, although there were a few wind-loaded pockets to avoid.

We reached the East Peak around 10:30 am. The snow was quite firm, and required careful edging to descend the summit ridge Northwest towards the main peak. With some downbooting and cornice-avoidance, we reached Lichtenberg Mountain shortly after 11, and enjoyed the blue skies and clear views.

The same skier sitting on a summit looking out at the mountains
Summit views

We didn’t linger too long, and enjoyed some lovely corn and wide trees coming down off the summit. By the time the snow started to feel soft, we were back on low-angle terrain on our way out. We did see the remnants of a moderately sized wet loose avalanche on the way out, likely a few days old, but good confirmation on our decision to turn around the previous week.

A treed snowy slope
Looking back at whence we came

From there it was a mix of skating, skinning, and walking on flat terrain; doing our best to avoid disturbing the various residences scattered along the outtrack. My ill-fitting rental boots certainly didn’t help (my ski boots were in the process of getting warrantied due to a crack in the shell), but we made it to the stashed car by 1pm, satisfied with some pretty decent skiing for a warm April.