Routes: W/S Side (moderate ski descent)
Maxwell Butte from Twin Lakes in December
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Maxwell Butte is a minor summit just west of Three-Fingered Jack. In summer it is an easy trail hike, but
in winter it can be quite challenging, depending on conditions. Unfortunately, it is west of the Cascades
crest, so the snow more often than not is awful. The main reason why I go there so often is that it is a
mere hour's driving from my home.
Routes: W/S Side (moderate ski descent)
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Maxwell Butte from Twin Lakes in December |
Party: DB solo
Route: W Side
Equipment: AT Skis
Time: Sno-Park - Summit 3 hrs 30 mins
Roundtrip from sno park 7 hrs
Comments: Very icy conditions
Trip report:
The weather had been very cold and dry for weeks, and I was eager to get out. I opted for
Maxwell Butte, since it's a short drive. That was okay, but I opted for skis, which was a
mistake; snowshoes would have been better.
I got a leisurely start, and the driving on icy roads was very slow, so I got going from
the sno park only at 9:40. There was snow down to the snow park, and the surface was
extremely icy. I figured it would soften up later, and got going. There was a good snow
shoe track to Twin Lakes, and it took me only 75 minutes to get there. An icy wind was
blowing across the lakes, so I put on a shell, ate something, and continued. The snow
got a little better once I reached the meadows, but the wind got even stronger. Santiam
Pass was fogged in, and the wind was driving the fog across the pass. Once I got a little
higher I could see Mt. Washington and the Sisters hovering over the fog.
I went up straight the west side, which was okay for a while, but the last 150 vertical feet
or so were a desperate struggle on hard ice between the trees. I cut right (south) and gained
the ridge just below the summit ridge, then I traversed below the ridge line in a full-blown
gale. The view from the summit was impressive, but the wind made it a very inhospitable place.
This, plus the fact that I figured going down would take a while on account of the icy conditions, and that I had forgotten to take a head lamp, made me postpone lunch until I was back down in the meadows.
I skied down the south side in hopes of finding less icy conditions than on the west slopes. This turned out to be the case, and I managed to link turns down the open slopes. Then came the awful traverse back to the west side. I always ski down too far and get caught in a terrain trap with extremely dense vegetation. The meagre snow cover did not help, and on several occasions I had to take my skis off to climb over and under tree trunks. Progress was extremely slow for a while. By the time I finally intersected my tracks I was actually below the meadows, and skied down to Twin Lakes. There the wind was still so strong that I continued, and finally had lunch at 3:30pm in a sheltered spot on the trail. The trail down to the highway was just as icy as it had been in the morning, and what can be a very enjoyable glide was a constant struggle for control. I got back to my car just after sunset.
Maxwell Butte is not an ideal ski mountain to start with, and today snow shoes would definitely have been more sensible equipment. The views were very impressive, though.
Party: Dietrich and Paul Belitz
Route: West/South Side
Equipment: AT Skis
Time: Sno Park - Summit 3 hrs 30 mins
Comments: Bad, crusty snow, rainy.
Party: Dietrich and Paul Belitz
Route: West/South Side
Equipment: Touring Skis
Time: Sno Park - Summit 3 hrs 25 mins
Comments:
Party: Dietrich and Paul Belitz
Route: South Side from MB Sno Park
Equipment: Touring Skis
Time: Sno Park - Summit 4 hrs 45 mins
Comments: Bad conditions on last few hundred vertical feet.
Party: Dietrich and Paul Belitz
Route: South Side from MB Sno Park
Equipment: Touring Skis and Snow Shoes
Time: Sno Park - Summit 4 hrs 15 mins
Comments: Tough going up the south side
Party: DB solo
Route: West Side
Equipment: Snow Shoes
Time: Sno Park - Summit 5 hrs
Comments: Deep soft snow.
Party: DB, Dave Cohen
Route: West Side
Equipment: Touring Skis
Time: Sno Park - Summit 3 hrs 45 mins
Comments: DC lost a binding and had to walk out.
Party: Family (to Twin Lakes), DB solo (to summit)
Route: West Side
Equipment: None
Time: Sno Park - Twin Lakes 1 hr 45 mins
Comments:
Party: DB solo
Route: West Side
Equipment: None
Time: Sno Park - Summit 2 hrs 30 mins
Comments: Very little snow.
Party: Family (to Twin Lakes), DB solo (to summit)
Route: West Side
Equipment: Crampons, ice axe
Time: Sno Park - Twin Lakes 2 hrs
Comments: Icy conditions
Party: DB solo
Route: West Side
Equipment: Snow Shoes
Time: Sno Park - High Point at ~6,000' 4 hrs
Comments: Deep snow, skis would have been faster and more fun. Zero visibility.
Party: DB solo
Route: West Side
Equipment: Touring Skis
Time: Sno Park - Summit 3 hrs
Comments: Very icy conditions
Party: DB solo
Route: Traverse from Santiam Pass to Maxwell Sno Park
Equipment: X-Country Skis
Time: Santiam Pass - Summit 4 hrs 40 mins
Comments:
Party: DB solo
Route: West Side
Equipment: X-Country skis
Time: Sno Park - Summit 3 hrs 30 mins
Comments:
Photo Gallery:
Click the pictures to see a higher resolution image
Approaching the meadows.
Mt. Washington and the Three Sisters above the fog.
Three-Fingered Jack from the summit.
View of Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Hood from the summit.
View while going down the south side. Notice the "breaker"
feature in the fog pattern!
Date: December 21, 2003
Roundtrip 6 hrs 30 mins
Date: December 23, 2002
Summit - Sno Park 1 hr 30 mins
Date: January 23, 2000
Roundtrip 7 hrs 45 mins
Date: January 19, 1999
Roundtrip 8 hrs 15 mins
Date: December 22, 1997
Roundtrip 8 hrs
Date: December 18, 1996
Roundtrip 8 hrs 15 mins
Date: November 10, 1996
Twin Lakes - Summit 1 hr 20 mins
Date: January 13, 1996
Roundtrip 4 hrs 45 mins
Date: February 11, 1995
Twin Lakes - Summit 1 hr 30 mins
Summit - Sno Park 2 hrs
Date: January 15, 1995
Roundtrip 7 hrs
Date: January 16, 1994
Roundtrip 6 hrs 30 mins
Date: February 28, 1993
Total trip 8 hrs
Date: December 19, 1992
Roundtrip from sno park 6 hrs 30 mins