There were at least 4 hikers who summit today.  A hiker and I were the first two snowshoed above the tree line, on the ridge. He plowed the open track but neither he nor I felt comfortable of going up the narrow ridge. We decided to drop down to the “bowl” and traversed 200 yards further on the summer route before turning left and up the ridge again. In the meantime another hiker just braved the ridge route and summit first.

It’s sunny and windless yet freezing at the top. We all came down by following the ridge line. Some segments were frozen hard as a shell and you must put on traction devices here. Looking back, the backside route we took is indeed a much safer one.

Met a hiker going up above tree line during our decent. He’s well equipped and in good spirits. He would take the fourth place for sure. The rest of hikers either started too late or not dressed up for the challenge I doubt they could make it to the top.

A lazy noon start meant I turned around in the bowl below the summit, which was fine because visibility was about 100 yards with the fog and light snowfall. Only saw one other person on the lower half of the trail so I had the upper mountain to myself. Snow begins around 3000 ft or so and is 2+ feet deep on the summit ridge and bowl. Spikes weren't needed, but snowshoes would've been nice above tree line to prevent post holing. Footprints are easy to follow.

On the descent the sun came out and the fog lifted. Birds everywhere, including cedar waxwings, eating mountain ash berries. Hiked out in near darkness.

Some snow covered places near the top that were a little sketchy.

See additional links below for more trip photos.

Armed with optimal weather forecast and moderate avalanche danger, pup an I continued our New Year’s tradition on this mountain. Last year we weren’t so lucky with the weather and postphoned the trip by two weeks. Despite a night of year-end celebration for most people, I successfully enlisted one climbing partner to join us today.

Dave and I had originally planned the usual south ridge route for a direct approach. But after seeing that the trail had already been broken, we were more than happy to conserve the energy and follow the existing tracks in the direction of the summer trail. A ton of avalanche debris strewed the snow chutes.

Several switchbacks through the dense forest later, we came out onto the open slopes at 4,400′ below the summer meadow area. There we past three energetic hikers on their way down from a sunrise climb. Snow had been packed down by the hikers for us to continue in boots comfortably.

My legs felt heavy with sleep from yesterday’s outing, but I was looking forward to getting a long break on top. Just below the southeast ridge the slopes became icy, so we made a quick stop at 5,000′ to put on traction device. I switched from microspikes to snowshoes while Dave put on crampons.

Shortly afterward we attained the southeast ridge overlooking the meadow area below Granite Mountain’s steep east face. Some snowshoe tracks were seen meandering through the meadow to the back side of the lookout tower.

We continued traversing the ridge while carefully avoiding big gaps between granite rocks where snow hadn’t completely filled in. The last 400′ to the top went by fast with a gradual rising traverse and plenty of talking.

Mostly cloudy weather forecast ended up being mostly sunny. We spent over an hour on top chewing the fat and watching the beautiful temperature inversion over Snoqualmie Pass spilling clouds into nearby basins. A loop trip suggested by Dave didn’t sound like a bad idea given the plenty of daylight remaining. After the break we descended northwest ridge toward West Granite (Tusk O’Granite).

Having kept my snowshoes on, pup and I avoided the icy slopes by hugging the ridge and staying close to the trees on the descent to the northwest saddle. Dave kept his crampons on and had a much easier time breaking through the ice crust.

We took a break on the woodsy east end of the summit ridge before heading over to the west end for more open views. From there, we descended the south ridge on mixed snow conditions and picked up snowshoe tracks on south slopes. It seemed to have taken forever before finally reaching the Pratt Lake Trail at 3,000'.

Back on the trail, I switched back to microspikes for traction on ice. Two miles of hiking and we were back at the cars a little over an hour before sunset.

Access: Granite Mountain Trailhead
Gear: snowshoes, microspikes, crampons, ice axe

This is my second time at the Granite this winter and it was pretty much the same as last time back in February - truly for the fans only. The parking lot was literally in perfect condition - clean and all snow free - a drastic contrast to many of the other trail parking lots I have seen recently. That was certainly nice. While the lot was snow free, the trail right from the beginning had still a noticeable layer of older snow that was only getting deeper as the hike progressed. Fortunately over the winter it has been cover with a sizable layer of needles and branches so it is perfectly walk-able without any traction devices - I had mine, but didn't use it all on the ascent. The creeks at the beginning were all snow free and trivial to cross, which I enjoyed greatly as they tend to be a real pain in the winter - especially when wearing spikes or worse - snow-shoes. As other people have mentioned there is a large pile of avalanche debris at the first switchback in the chute. Not difficult to cross, but will certainly remain there well into the summer - it really is a lot of snow and trees... Other than that the initial part of the hike went quite smooth and only got harder above 3500 ft. Then the snow was getting really deep and I have been sinking noticeably. Staying in the forest helps as it is not as deep there but eventually the trees get sparse and it is truly hard - for that part snow-shoes could be helpful - ideally something small and flexible as it is a steep terrain (mine are too big for it). As avalanche danger is concerned the crossing between the tree line and the ridge is probably the most dangerous - it is not long but somewhat exposed. Do evaluate the conditions there. Once the ridge is reached it seemed safer as the rocks provide a good protection as they tend to be somewhat snow free - for a good reason - they get blasted with a wind around the clock - so was I... It really hits hard - well above 50 mph at times and continuous - a solid jacket is a must for that part and two hats help as well. I had ice-axe and hiking pole, which were helpful, but probably not required today (last time they were). But it certainly would not hurt to bring them - I used them well, and ice-axe was nice to have on descent as well. Then until the tower it was a painfully slow trek in the wind, but fortunately the tower itself was well protected and wind free which made for a great resting/lunch spot and this time I could take some pictures without worrying about losing few fingers or a hand to the frostbite as I could comfortably take my gloves for few minutes. The interesting thing about Granite is that I often see many people on the trail but not a single footprint at the top... In fact the snow was in pristine condition today at the tower. As always, amazing views from the top. In summary - Granite is very much still in deep winter conditions and most likely will remain like that for a while - be prepared the same way as you would be in January.