Silvertip (Ski)

Rising nearly a mile above sea level and 4,000 feet above the road, Silvertip towers over its neighboring mountains on the Kenai Peninsula. Its north face, which is visible as you drive south through Turnagain Pass, is a vertical striated final pitch looming over a deep cirque.

Despite appearances, Silvertip is a relatively easy ascent that provides world class views and a window into uncrowded ski terrain on the Kenai Peninsula. And the trailhead is little more than an hour from Anchorage.

Most skiers heading south stop at Turnagain Pass. A few continue on to Summit Lake. In between, a couple of old mining roads offer relatively easy access to the mountain complex that stretches from Johnson Pass to Summit Lake, and from Six Mile Creek to Trail Lake. This cacophony of peaks, ridges, and a few remnant glaciers practically invites skiers in the mood for exploration.

The easiest way to approach Silvertip is from the small parking lot and trailhead next to the bridge over Granite Creek. This trailhead is about a mile west of the Granite Creek campground and a couple miles upstream of the standard whitewater put in for the first canyon of Six Mile.

From the trailhead, a small and inconsistently marked ATV and snowmachine trail works its way southwest toward the valley from which Silvertip Creek emerges. Try to follow this trail until it intersects a larger cleared trail, which follows the creek upstream. This old mining road provides a path through what would otherwise be tedious and time consuming bushwhacking. After leaving the broad Granite Creek valley and entering the much narrower Silvertip Creek valley, the road continues uphill and south for about a mile.

On a clear day, you can see the summit of Silvertip from where the road peters out. From this point, there are two options. One is to cross to the west side of the creek, continue another half mile up the valley, and then ascend 500 foot or so  to reach the ridge that leads to Silvertip's summit. Alternatively, continue on the east side of the creek, side-hilling around the gorge near the toe of the ridge before crossing the creek and ascending to the ridgeline higher up. The second option has much higher consequences in the event of an avalanche.

The ridgeline is wide and not particularly steep. Only the last part of the ascent is steep, and none of it is particularly narrow or exposed except the very end. As long as there's some visibility, the ridgeline ascent is easier than making your way up the creek valley and the initial steep climb up to the ridge.

Silvertip's summit has panoramic views. The Trail Creek/Trail Lake valley and Portage ice field are visible to the east, and on a clear day it might be possible to see Resurrection Bay far to the south. The summit provides a commanding view of the Six Mile watershed as it descends toward Turnagain Arm. On the north side of the peak, the mountain descends vertically into a cirque that cradled a small glacier just a few decades ago, which was one of three around Silvertip.

Since Silvertip is higher than the immediate surrounding peaks, it is prone to having wind hardened snow near the top. Like the Summit Lake area, it receives less snow than Turnagain Pass. Nonetheless, in good conditions the southeast face of Silvertip would be a great area to ski laps. Or it is possible to ski across the next valley south and cross over to Manitoba. The easiest way to ski out from Silvertip is to ski the fall line southeast toward the valley, then hang a left and traverse above the small gorge back to the creek.

Note that numerous points of the Silvertip approach and descend are avalanche prone. I would only recommend going in stable snow conditions, which have been rare this year. The Silvertip Creek valley in many places could act as a dangerous terrain trap.

Although Silvertip looks far from the trailhead, the ascent takes less time than I anticipated. This year a hike would be required through snow-less lower elevations, but the route is still short enough that it should be an achievable day trip.

If you're looking for new terrain and achievable ski summits close to Anchorage, Silvertip is a worthy destination. Set back behind a long ridge, it feels far from civilization and offers views that remind us of the magnitude of our backyard wilderness.