United States

The Rest of the U.S.


⎪THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES

Adirondacks, Cascades, Beartooths, Sawtooths, Sierras, Wasatch, White Mountains


Though compact, the Sawtooths in central Idaho are big in feel, quite remote, and super aesthetic. The Beartooths of Montana are similarly impressive, but take up a larger area and are even harder to access. Both mimic the high angles and snow quality found in the Tetons of Wyoming. The Sierras are rugged and beautiful, and are well known for their heavy and consistent snowfalls. The Cascades get even more snow, and is the only mountain range in the continental United States with any meaningful glaciated terrain. Due to its more consistent temperatures, and the high water content of its snowpack, both the Sierras and Cascades are a little less prone to avalanche than are most other mountain ranges in the U.S. But this relative stability can sometimes make for poor snow quality, as both the water content and relatively warm temperatures tend to produce higher levels of snow density. Fortunately, this presents less of a problem in steep terrain, which is fairly abundant here. The Wasatch Range (pictured above) just to the east—and leeward side—of the Great Salt Lake Desert in Utah, has fantastic terrain and some of the driest powder conditions in the Continental United States. Unfortunately, its Intermountain snowpack is extremely unstable and thus prone to avalanche. Global warming is also threatening its historic reputation for abundant and consistent snowfall. The White Mountains in the eastern U.S. have some of the nation’s worst weather (cold, windy and humid), and outside of the central Adirondacks in northern New York (and a few isolated spots in the Green Mountains of Vermont), are the only range east of the Mississippi River that features terrain suitable enough for serious backcountry skiing. The thin snowpack and gentle topography of the region doesn’t allow for much excitement, but its modest verticals and high elevation-like conditions provide an excellent introduction to the sport. The twin ravines below the summit of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire (the East’s highest) are the region’s pièce de résistance.


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I. CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES (West) / Gallery

click on images to enlarge

Mt. Shuksan, as seen from Mt. Baker ski area, Cascades, Washington (photo: Unsplash)

Big Fatty, Sawtooths, ID (photographer: Sawtooth Mountain Guides)

Resurrection Couloir, Sawtooths, central Idaho (photo: Aaron Teasdale)

Free-heeling in the Absarokas, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming; Abiathar Peak in the background, middle right (photo: Aaron Teasdale)

Catch A Fire, Beartooths, Montana (photo: Noah Howell)

Snowboarder on belay, Resurrection Couloir, Sawtooths, central Idaho (photo: Aaron Teasdale)

Late spring, somewhere deep in the Beartooths, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming (photo: Aaron Teasdale)

I. CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES (West) / The Biggest Lines


• SYMBOLS KEY: Click on the ⚲ symbol for location on Google Maps; info for trip reports; the ▸ symbol for video links; and fatmap for FATMAP link/route info.

• RATINGS KEY: Exposure: E1=Low, E2=Medium, E3=High, E4=Extreme Distance: S=Slack, R=Remote, VR=Very Remote, XR=Extremely Remote Max Slope Angle: XX°

• UPDATES: while serious hazards exist on ALL Biggest Lines ski routes, these route updates provide additional beta from new developments and/or recent trip reports


156. Big Couloir, Big Sky, MT ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E2+/S

157. Catch A Fire, Glacier Peak, Beartooth Mountains, MT ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E3/XR/45°+

158. Chamonix Couloir, Beartooth Mountains, MT ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E3/XR

159. Cold Fusion, Mount Timpanogos, UT ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E3/VR/36°

160. Führer Finger, Mt. Ranier, WA ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E3+/VR/39°

161. Giant Steps Couloir, MT. Williamson, CA ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E3/XR

162. Hellmouth Couloir, Alex Lowe Peak, Hyalite Canyon, MT ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E3/VR/54°

163. Hypodermic Needle, Thunder Ridge, Wasatch, UT ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E3/VR/45°

164. JC (Jesus Christ) Couloir, Sawtooth Range, Stanley, ID ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E4/VR

165. North Couloir, Abiathar Peak, Absaroka Range, WY ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E3/VR

166. North Couloir, McGowen Peak, Sawtooths, ID ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E3/VR/61°

167. North Couloir, Southern Sierras, CA ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E3/XR

168. Northwest Route, Mt. Shuksan, Cascades, WA ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E3/VR/52°

169. Patriarch, Glacier Peak, Beartooth Mountains, MT ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E3/XR/37°

170. Pipeline Couloir, Snowbird, UT ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E3/R/50°

171. Resurrection Couloir, Sawtooth Range, Stanley, ID ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E3/VR

172. Split Couloir, Split Mountain, CA ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E3/XR

173. Terminal Cancer, Ruby Mountains, NV ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E2+/VR/49°

174. The Sickle, Horstmann Peak, ID ⚲ info ▸ fatmap E3/VR/47°

175. Y Couloir, Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT ⚲ info ▸ ▸ fatmap E3/VR


*IMPORTANT: Exposure Level and Distance ratings are subjective and do not adequately reflect dangers inherent on approach or egress. Use conservatively.

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II. CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES (East) / Gallery

click on images to enlarge

The Chute, Tuckerman Ravine, Mt. Washington, New Hampshire (photo: Jamie Walter)

Somewhere DEEP in the Maine woods near Sugarloaf (photo: Jamie Walter)

Powder highway, White Mountains, New Hampshire (photo: Unsplash)

Tuckerman Ravine (left) and Huntington Ravine (right), with the Sherburne Ski Trail (exit route) clearly visible in the foreground, Mt. Washington, NH (photo: Andrew Drummond)

Adirondacks backcountry, upstate New York (photo: High Peaks Mountain Guides)

II. CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES (East) / The Biggest Lines


• SYMBOLS KEY: Click on the ⚲ symbol for location on Google Maps; info for trip reports; the ▸ symbol for video links; and fatmap for FATMAP link/route info.

• RATINGS KEY: Exposure: E1=Low, E2=Medium, E3=High, E4=Extreme Distance: S=Slack, R=Remote, VR=Very Remote, XR=Extremely Remote Max Slope Angle: XX°

• UPDATES: while serious hazards exist on ALL Biggest Lines ski routes, these route updates provide additional beta from new developments and/or recent trip reports

176. Avalanche Loop (and adjacent slide paths), Adirondack Park, Keene Valley, NY ⚲ info info fatmap E2/VR/36°

177. Huntington Ravine , Mt. Washington, NH ⚲ info fatmap E2+/VR/52°

178. Tuckerman Ravine, Mt. Washington, NH ⚲ info fatmap E2+/VR/52°


*IMPORTANT: Exposure Level and Distance ratings are subjective and do not adequately reflect dangers inherent on approach or egress. Use conservatively.



⎪CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES: MAPS

  • The Rocky Mountains dominate the high ground of most of the western half of the United States. They are oriented north and south and cover a vast area from western Texas all the way to the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. The Colorado Rockies and Wasatch make up most of the south and central areas within this region, while the Tetons, Beartooths, Absarokas, and Sawtooths take up the northern ones. The Sierras have a similar N-S orientation but are concentrated along the western coast (in California and Nevada), and sandwiched between the Central Valley on the west and the Great Basin to the east. The Cascades are an incongruous band of mountains contained within the northwest corner of the United States within the borders of Oregon and Washington. They are largely volcanic and often glaciated. The Appalachians are the obvious line of mountains in the east, starting in western North Carolina and on up towards the northeast corner of the States, ending in New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. While the terrain in the NE is relatively low, and not much higher in elevation than in the southern part of the range, their latitude makes for good skiing and snowboarding in winter, especially in the Adirondacks of New York and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Click here for Google Map.


Idaho

Boulder-White Clouds Wilderness Map (includes Sawtooth National Recreation Area). PDF available from Sawtooth Society


Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Montana/Wyoming

National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map, available from REI. Click image to enlarge.


Mt. Washington, New Hampshire

Mt. Washington, New Hampshire, in fall, with both Tuckerman and Huntington Ravine in view. Hillman’s Highway, the area’s longest couloir at over 400m (still with remnants of last season’s snowpack), and the Sherburne Ski Trail, is visible on the left side of the photo. View map below for detail on the access route.

Map depicting the access route for Tuckerman Ravine (The Tuckerman Ravine Trail), to/from Pinkham Notch and Joe Dodge Lodge, Mt. Washington, NH.