Backcountry Paradise

Summer is in the air in Central Oregon and flowers are blossoming! Merino wool layers and puffy jackets are being replaced by shorts and blouses; big insulated boots replaced by sandals and Birkenstocks. Summer sports such as biking and hiking are defrosting and the transition from winter to summer is almost complete. A lot of people consider skiing to be a pure wintertime sport, but now is actually one of the best times to get out and keep enjoying the sport! The ideal summer conditions are such that the snow will freeze during the night then melt just enough during the day to produce a snow phenomenon called ‘corn’ and it makes for fabulous skiing.

Skiing in the springtime is ideal because the avalanche danger becomes very low as the snowpack stabilizes due to the melt and freeze cycle. However, if the snow does not freeze or becomes too hot too fast, it can become dangerous and the potential for avalanches increases dramatically. In the mountains it’s best to observe all conditions and be present in the moment, as there will be signs that the snow is becoming too dangerous to ski. That being said, if it’s timed right the skiing is some of the finest skiing to be had! So grab your sunblock and head into the mountains outside Bend with me!

This week’s special will detail the two trips I had into the 3 Sisters wilderness starting out at Pole Creek Trailhead, about an hour drive outside of Bend. The first trip was more of an exploratory run as I had never been to either the North or the Middle Sister.

Setting off, already I knew it was too late, at about a quarter to 9 the snow was already starting to soften up, but I continued up to North Sister as it was the closest option. Making it to a crater bowl in the mountain, I chose my line that I wanted to ski and set off after it, skinning (using special materials that allow the skis to grip the snow to ascend uphill) as far as I could until I had to put my skis on my back and boot up the rest of the way. I made it to a ledge right below a cliff where I clicked into my skis and made about one thousand feet of glorious corn skiing turns, happy that my efforts had yielded such a great reward with not only the skiing conditions but the excellent views!

After skiing down into the crater of North Sister, I sidestepped up the last bit and skied low angle, wide open corn snow all the way back to where I had started earlier that day! What a rush!

Round #2. I went to Pole Creek Trailhead about a week after, armed with the knowledge I had from the last tour which was to start markedly earlier so the snow would still be firm on the uphill but then still yield corn on the descent. I grabbed my truck camping gear and headed out to the trailhead to camp so I could wake up and grab some food and coffee then be on my way! Pulling up to the trailhead I got everything situated then went out to mingle with the other folks that were there doing the same thing as I, I met a group of three friends named Jaime, Peter and Ben from just over the border in White Salmon, Washington, Seattle and Portland, respectively. Jaime provided a little interview for me and gave me his perspective on touring in the springtime: “This time of year is when the Cascades becomes unlocked, the objectives become a little bigger and the adventure starts. You have the whole Cascade line to choose from, lower down in Mt. Shasta to up here…this area has given me the best corn skiing I’ve had in my life.”

After chatting with the trio, I stole off to bed to wake up in the early hours of 3:30 am. Waking up, I broke my fast with a couple hard boiled eggs and some sharp cheddar cheese and coffee while sorting out the rest of my gear. I hit the trail at 4:20 am with my headlamp on and the stars twinkling overhead. It was beautiful in the early hours of the day as the sun slowly made its way higher in the sky and as I progressed along the trail to my objective, Middle Sister. Hiking up farther into the reaches of the Hayden glacier on the east side of Middle Sister, I looked back and saw the trio of friends approaching my location. We continued up to the saddle between North and Middle Sister, then continued up to the summit of Middle Sister having to put on crampons and use ice axes to get purchase in the ice- crusted snow.

At the top the views were incredible! Stretching south you could easily see views of South Sister, Mt. Bachelor, Broken Top and even as far down as Mount Shasta! Looking to the north you had views of North Sister, Washington, Jefferson, Hood, and Adams! Quite the view of the Cascade Range!

After enjoying the view and languishing amid the dormant volcanoes of Cascadia, we decided to descend the Diller headwall which leads down into the Diller glacier which then would take us back to the Hayden glacier where we started. The snow was a little too soft and the mountain was releasing small snow slides called “sluff,” which is an indication that it’s time to get off the mountain.

Diller headwall is a steep couloir starting at the top of Middle sister, between 40 and 45 degrees leading into two ever widening bergschrunds. A bergschrund is a crevasse that is formed when an active glacier such as the Diller glacier moves away from snow on a head wall. Having navigated these obstacles, we made it down safely one at a time, regrouped, then skied low angle corn back to the parking lot with a mild amount of traversing thrown in. In total it took about five hours to reach the summit of Middle Sister and about three hours to descend with about 5,000 vertical feet of gain. What a glorious time! The IPA enjoyed afterward was well deserved!

Sometimes you never know what you’ll find when you venture into the wilderness: new perspectives on a new area, new friends that you meet, beautiful views and awesome skiing conditions just to name a few! So get out there folks, have fun, be safe and don’t forget sunscreen and enjoy that spring skiing!

This article appears in Source Weekly May 8, 2025.