Mount Adams Climb and Ski Descent
12,276FT / 3,741M | WashingtonMount Adams Climb and Ski Descent
- Washington State
- Pack Weight: 40+ lbs.
- 2 Days
- Gallery
- Dates & Pricing
With over a vertical mile of moderate (25-35% slope) skiing, Mount Adams (12,276 ft), originally named Klickitat, is the perfect entry point into the world of ski mountaineering for skiers and riders of varying ability. This trip allows backcountry travelers to experience the thrill of skiing/riding off the summit of Washington’s second highest peak. Located in the remote wilderness of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. It’s an excellent objective for graduates of our Intro to Backcountry Touring or those with prior backcountry skiing/riding experience.
Key Components
Guide Expertise: World-class guides providing tailored instruction throughout the trip
Guide Ratio: 3:1 skier-to-guide ratio for personalized, hands-on instruction
Skills Training: Excellent introduction to ski mountaineering
High Camp Advantage: Overnight on the mountain to increase acclimatization and shorten summit day
Stunning Scenery: Expansive summit views of Mount Rainier, Mount Saint Helens, and Mount Hood
Next Steps: Ideal preparation for objectives like our Mount Baker Climb & Ski Descent
Technical Gear Included: Group equipment, tents, stoves, and fuel
Gear Support: Full-time gear department for expert equipment support
Couldn't have been happier with the climb!
We got very lucky with the weather and had a blast skiing down perfect corn.
The Alpine Ascents Way
Our Mount Adams ski descents embody the same principles that define Alpine Ascents across all of our ski programs: exceptional guiding, thoughtful instruction, and a commitment to creating an outstanding ski mountaineering experience on one of the Pacific Northwest’s most iconic volcanoes. Adams’ broad flanks and sweeping snowfields offer some of the longest continuous ski lines in the region, and our guides draw on deep experience to select the best descent for each team. Depending on conditions and group ability, we may ski the classic South Spur or, for more advanced skiers, the legendary Southwest Chutes—an elegant, aesthetic fall-line descent that has become one of the most sought-after ski runs in the Cascades.
Our guide team reflects the highest professional standard in ski mountaineering. Mount Adams programs are led by our staff of AMGA-trained and IFMGA-certified ski guides, ski patrollers, AIARE instructors, avalanche forecasters, and seasoned educators who bring extensive experience in snow science, avalanche management, and efficient winter travel. Their expertise covers everything from terrain evaluation and snowpack assessment to confident, fluid skiing in changing conditions. Their goal is not simply to guide a successful descent, but to cultivate thoughtful, knowledgeable backcountry travelers.
The Alpine Ascents Way for skiing Mount Adams brings together world-class guides, decades of expedition heritage, intentional teaching, and a spirit of exploration that transforms this big-mountain descent into a memorable alpine adventure. It’s an approach that consistently elevates the experience—one that skiers return to as they continue to grow their skills and pursue new summits and ski lines across the range.
The Mountain
Mount Adams rises as the second-highest peak in Washington and the largest by volume, a broad, glacier-carved stratovolcano standing nearly 10,000 feet above the surrounding foothills. Its massive cone dominates the landscape north of the Columbia River Gorge, forming one of the most striking silhouettes in the Cascade Range. A member of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, Adams is both immense and approachable, offering long, continuous snow slopes that have made it an enduring training ground for climbers and ski mountaineers preparing for steeper objectives like Mount Rainier to the north.
Long before Euro-American naming conventions took hold, the mountain was known as Pahto or Klickitat to the Yakama, Klickitat, and other Plateau tribes whose lives, stories, and seasonal rhythms were tied to its slopes. Pahto figures prominently in traditional narratives, often portrayed as a powerful being in a dynamic relationship—sometimes conflict—with neighboring volcanoes such as Mount St. Helens (Wakhshum) and Mount Rainier (Tahoma). The lower slopes provided an abundance of berries and game; the high snowfields fed the rivers and gave life to the valley. For the Yakama Nation, Pahto remains a sacred mountain—an emblem of cultural continuity, resilience, and the strength of the People.
Massive, quiet, and steeped in history, Mount Adams remains both a geological giant and a cultural landmark. Pahto’s snowy flanks continue to draw climbers and skiers seeking long, uninterrupted lines and panoramic views of the Cascades, while the mountain’s deeper stories—of creation, identity, and connection to the land—endure in the traditions of the Yakama and other tribes who have lived in its shadow since time immemorial.
