Dome South Couloir + Sinister North Face

Dome and Sinister sit at the head of the Ptarmigan Traverse, two of the most remote peaks in the central North Cascades. The standard ski mountaineering linkup approaches via Downey Creek and Bachelor Creek, climbing nearly six thousand feet to a high camp on Itswoot Ridge — about eight hours of climbing on the first day. From there, the south couloir on Dome and the north face of Sinister can be linked across the Chickamin Glacier in a single huge day.

The skiing combines two distinct aspects. Dome's south couloir delivers spring corn on the right cycle. Sinister's north face holds powder or refrozen surfaces depending on timing. Both descents involve glacier travel, with the Dana Glacier offering an alternative route between objectives. Sun-exposed slopes carry wet-loose hazard during the descent windows.

This is committing terrain demanding the full ski mountaineering toolkit. Crevasse rescue gear, rope team work, and stable weather windows of three to four days are mandatory. The exit through Cub Lake delivers continuous skiing back to thirty-five hundred feet before the bushwhack out. Northwest Forest Pass at the trailhead.