The pickets traverse, consisting of approximately 50 miles and 38,000' of gain through remote wilderness is one of the lower 48's most challenging ski objectives. Only a handful of parties have completed the route. The basic route goes from Hannegan pass to Diablo (can be done in both directions), the first party (Skoog/Keiler) used the hiking trail to approach Mt. Whatcom. Other parties have since developed an alternative approach along the Mineral Mountain ridge.
Route Completions By Date (all known to me): 10 Parties Total
- 1985 Carl Skoog, Lowell Skoog, Jens Kieler
- http://www.alpenglow.org/skiing/pickets-1985/index.html
- 2010 Forest McBrian, Jason Hummel, Kyle Miller (S to N)
- https://www.cascadecrusades.org/SkiMountaineering/pickettraverse/pickettraverse2010/pickets2010.htm
- 2012 Kyle Miller, Scott, Seth, Frankie (S to N)
- https://www.whereiskylemiller.com/highway-20/picket-range-ski-traverse/
- 2013 Kyle Breakey Et Al.
- 2017 Ben Peters and Allen Taylor
- See TR on this website
- 2017 Forest McBrian and Trevor Kostanich (S to N, continued north past Whatcom Mtn as part of their I-90 to Canada Traverse)
- https://www.seattletimes.com/life/outdoors/from-snoqualmie-pass-to-the-canadian-border-in-34-days-on-skis/
- 2019 Dan Martinell, Peter Lillesve Et Al.
- 2021 Jediah Porter and Dave Riggs (Guided Party)
- TR, photos and GPS track submitted to this website for FKT
- 2021 Jason Hummel, Jeff Rich, and Carl Simpson
- https://www.jasonhummelphotography.com/2021/07/01/the-picket-traverse/
- 2022 Evan Miller of Victor, ID, Jake Perkinson, of Lander, WY and Willy Oppenheim, of Seattle, WA completed over 6 days. April 17-22, 2022. South to North, finishing via Hannegan Pass and Ruth creek.
FKT
• 2021 Jediah Porter and Dave Riggs (Guided Party)
Launched at 3:32am 5/21/21 from Hannegan Trailhead.
Finished at 4:02pm 5/24/21 at Sourdough Mountain trailhead.
Elapsed time: 3 days, 13 hours, 30 minutes.
Launched at 3:32am 5/21/21 from Hannegan Trailhead.
Finished at 4:02pm 5/24/21 at Sourdough Mountain trailhead.
Elapsed time: 3 days, 13 hours, 30 minutes.