Mount Maude and Seven Fingered Jack

The Big Copper Circuit links two of the Entiat Mountains' highest peaks across 22 miles and 13,000 vertical feet over three days. Starting from Holden Village, the route climbs Big Copper Creek through old-growth forest into the alpine, crosses Copper Basin col, and drops into the vast Entiat Basin where Ice Lakes sit beneath Mount Maude's imposing east face. Few corners of the Cascades match the scale of this basin, with Maude, Fernow, and the Spectacle Peaks forming a ring of rock and ice overhead.

Day two takes on Mount Maude via the east shoulder, then sends skiers down the sustained north face into Leroy Basin. The north face holds snow well into late spring and delivers over 3,000 feet of continuous steep skiing. Camp moves to Leroy Basin beneath Seven Fingered Jack, where sunset alpenglow lights up the surrounding granite walls.

The final day climbs Seven Fingered Jack from the southwest. The descent options require careful route-finding; the "Jacked Couloir" into Big Creek terminates in cliff bands that force a reversal. Exit follows Big Creek drainage back to Holden Village. The ferry-accessed start eliminates long road approaches and allows hauling full multi-day kits without weight anxiety.

This circuit demands strong glacier travel skills, confident route-finding in complex alpine terrain, and comfort on sustained 40-degree slopes. The reward is three days of total immersion in one of the most dramatic mountain amphitheaters in the range.