I’m not sure what took me so long, but considering it’s only about an hours drive from town and with an easy approach starting from the Summit West parking lot, Kendall Peak is obvious low hanging fruit for the greater Seattle backcountry ski touring community. Whether it’s the steeps, open bowls and faces or couloirs you’re after, Kendall has it all. Making the most of a 3-day weekend in February, Franklin and I toured the peak’s West Flank only to return a couple days later with Eli and Justin to shred the Left Twin Couloir which somehow eluded us the first time. Highlights include skiing off the summit via the summit gully and West Flank, and an exhilarating descent from Kendall Ridge down to Gold Creek.

Kendall Peak - West Flank/Gully







Kendall Ridge - Left Twin Couloir

Picking up where we left off back in late December now that winter has finally returned. Don't get me wrong, the outgoing sunny days were pleasingly...um...Mediterranean, with relatively balmy afternoons and pretty sunsets around town and points north. But it’s winter after all and this is supposed to be a time for 43-degree Seattle rain, bottomless mountain snow, and balls-to-the-walls shredding! Anyway, with the January-mid February drought now thankfully behind us, we’re relieved to resume our snow-chasing routine…