Neither of us had ever been to the Three Fingered Jack backcountry off of Santiam Pass near Hoodoo ski area , and the forecast looked favorable for skiing on Friday and Saturday.
Approaching Three Fingered Jack through the burn area. While Mt Washington is a picturesque peak reminiscent of the Paramount Pictures logo, Three Fingered Jack is a much more rubbly remnant of a volcano, forming a sawtoothed projection aligned from North to South. Map of the Three Fingered Jack backcountry. Generated using Caltopo. All information on the internet to date suggests accessing Three Fingered Jack no earlier than May to June, when the Jack Lake trailhead opens to the East.
Reaching the south ridge of three fingered jack backcountry. The travel on this ridge was nothing short of asinine. In retrospect, were one to want to reach the upper reaches of the South ridge without getting sea-sick on these slow rollers, an approach that stayed low and off the ridge to the East would be much faster and less aggravating.
On the upper reaches of three fingered jack. We did our best to move forward with the plan to get high on the mountain, but the weather continued to deteriorate, and we were forced to ski the trees instead. A variable ski to summit lake led into a quick skin to above Martin Lake, where, by sheer luck, we managed to descend unknowingly through one of only a few gaps in an enormous cliff band.
Ascending back through the burn with cornice debris. Having made a few turns, we decided to head back to the burn area for some surreal turns through the burnt-out pines. Here, we were lucky. The sun emerged, the winds had swept a few inches of soft snow onto a smooth base, and all was well in the skiing world for a long run down through the pines. Reversing our approach through the burn area made for a quick escape, skiing to the road in about ten minutes. Refreshed by a real bed and some home-made granola, we took advantage of a brief morning storm to enjoy some turns on the local Bend go-to, Tumalo Mountain.
