Big Chief (Ski)

Big Chief is in the heart of an impressive expanse of wilderness, which stretches from Six Mile Creek to the south and west to Turnagain Arm and the Seward Highway. This mountain complex has perhaps a dozen hanging glaciers, high peaks like Alpenglow, and remote skiing destinations that may only get climbed a couple times per year, if that. Surprisingly, snowmachiners tend not to go very far into the backcountry either. When we were there, 99% of them stuck to Seattle Ridge, which is an easy day trip destination for skiers, much less for machines that go 60 miles per hour. Fortunately, the snowmachiners’ decision to stay near the road leaves a great swath of backcountry open to exploration away from their fumes and noise.

Accessing Big Chief is fairly simple: Ascend Seattle Ridge, probably using the standard uptrack from the unmarked parking lot just north of the Tincan lot. If that lot isn’t plowed, park at Tincan or the motorized lot and skin a little farther. Once you’ve gained Seattle Ridge, follow it south toward the head of the Seattle Creek valley. Most of this upper valley is skiable, on terrain ranging from moderate to low angles. It makes for a quick descent into the head of the valley, which also is the bottom of Big Chief.

On a clear day, the destination is obvious: A large, arcing ridge across the valley, clearly higher than any other in the immediate area. Big Chief has a convenient, eastern ridge that provides an obvious route of ascent. This ridge can be buffeted by wind, so be aware of potential variability and associated avalanche hazards in the snowpack, adjusting your skintrack to minimize risk. The climb starts out low angle, steepens to moderate, and then returns to a low angle ascent to the summit, with some weaving or bootpacking through rime patches near the top. For a ridgeline, it is fairly wide with little exposure--just don’t get onto the cornices overhanging the rather verical south face.

Speaking of that south face--it’s chutes will be very tempting. Just be aware most of them terminate in a giant cliff band. It’s much safer, and quite a nice ride, to descend down one of the several north facing chutes. They have moderate steepness, are fairly wide, and end in a high sub-valley above Seattle Creek. From this valley, you can explore neighboring west-side peaks or head east back toward Seattle Ridge and the car. Or, traverse around the Big Chief ridge and check out the north-facing couloirs at the head of Seattle Creek. Those are the most enjoyable looking lines right near Big Chief, in addition to its north-facing chutes.

Climbing Big Chief is a longer day than most skiers embark on in an average weekend, but it’s very achievable for anyone who is in decent shape and has basic avalanche awareness. Get an early start, bring plenty of food, and pick a day with good visibility. Unlike the frontcountry terrain on Tincan, Magnum, Sunburst, Cornbiscuit, and Lipps, Big Chief feels like it’s back there. If you’ve thoroughly explored Goldpan and Pastoral, Big Chief is a good non-technical destination to plunge deeper into the wilderness while skiing exciting new lines in Turnagain.

View of Big Chief from Seattle Ridge. Credit: Mike Records