Skiing Stanton worth the work on a sunny day

Winding along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, Ella Kuzyk and I had our sights set on a snowy Mount Stanton, shrouded in a morning fog at the head of the lake. Donning backcountry skis, we continued up the road before crossing McDonald Creek and working our way to the base of the Trout Lake Trail in Glacier National Park. To our dismay the trail was nearly dry with only patches of snow at the lower elevations.

Consequently, we packed our skis on our backs and began trudging up the trail through the fog. The higher we worked up the criss-crossing trail the lighter the overhead sky became. We crested above the inversion where we were greeted by blue skies and glaring rays of sun. From the saddle of the trail we began our ascent up Mount Stanton’s western ridge, skis back on our feet. The inversion and spring-like day was far warmer than we anticipated as we shed layer after layer until we were down to our t-shirts. Soaking up the sun and nonstop vertical gain up Stanton, we eventually reached a shoulder below the summit where we took a break to eat lunch and bathe in the long-awaited rays. The clouds enveloping Lake McDonald dissipated until the lake and nearby summits of Mount Brown and Rogers Peak gleamed brilliantly. Working our way past rhimed chunks of Glacier shale, we weaved closer and closer to the summit as the snow began to firm up below our skis. Cresting over the summit ridge we were greeted by a gusty breeze and seemingly endless views of Glacier Park.

Lake McDonald glittered in the afternoon sun as prominent peaks such as Mount Saint Nicholas, Mount Merritt, Bearhat Mountain, Vulture Peak, Trout Lake, and the Logan Pass area seemed to beckon from their distant valleys. The low hanging inversion had completely evaporated, leaving us with a breathtakingly uninterrupted panorama from Canada to the Flathead Valley, filling us with a sense of awe as we ripped skins and began our plan of descent.

Retracing our final steps to the summit, we carefully worked down the firm and unforgiving snow to reach the saddle where we assessed our next move downward. Double checking the integrity of the snowpack we were happy to find no weak layers and little to no avalanche danger, confirming our decision to ski the west bowl back down to the trail. Feeling tiny in the presence of the larger-than-life bowl, we made calculated turns down the slope, weaving from one island of safety to another to keep our risk levels as low as possible. Skiing thousands of feet we sampled nearly every snow type imaginable, from firm crust to gloppy wet slush. Working through the final gully, we took a moment to look back and appreciate the journey of skiing such a marvelous face, in safe conditions nonetheless. We weaved back down the trail through downfall and limitless brush until we reached the trailhead, now gleaming in afternoon light.

With tired legs and smiles on our faces we retraced our steps back along the Sun Road to the trailhead. 

A well-deserved beer awaited us as we reached the car just as the evening light began to bathe Lake McDonald and its towering peaks in an orange alpenglow. We sat on the tailgate soaking in the day’s adventure, thankful for a safe and spectacular journey in the sun.