Diamond Peak (OR) - Southeast Bowl

Now into summer, and with the snow rapidly melting, I wanted to get in one final tour of the season. My first thought was an overnighter into Jefferson Park, but unfortunately I wasn't able to rally the troops for that one. The next area that came to mind was the southeast bowl on Diamond Peak, which I had heard holds its snow later into the season than most. For this one I was able to enlist Ethan and Waldy, who were also eager to get in some late season turns. A couple more Oakridge locals and friends of Waldy, Brian and Hilary, would also be joining us.

With warm temps forecasted, we planned to get an early start. Ethan and I left Eugene around 5:30am, meeting up with the others in Oakridge before driving to the trailhead near Summit Lake. After some delay, we finally reached Summit Lake at around 8:30am, and soon after gearing up we were on the PCT and headed toward Diamond Peak. Waldy had warned me that the mosquitoes would be really bad and he certainly wasn't exaggerating. I don't recall the last time I used DEET, but it didn't take long before I was spraying it liberally from head to toe. As we hiked down the trail it became very obvious why there were so many mosquitoes, about every 1/8th of a mile we passed a small lake or pond. For the first mile or so we saw very little snow but eventually it became pretty patchy and hid the trail in spots. Once we reached the intersection with the trail leading to Diamond Rock Pile, we stopped for a quick break and to grab some water from a nearby spring.

Starting to find some snow along the trail

One of our first glimpses of Diamond Peak through the trees

Shortly after leaving the junction, the PCT became completely obscured by snow, although with Diamond Peak often in view and Brian's knowledge of the area we were able to continue on without its guidance. Before long we reached the base of the mountain where we began to climb up a steep side hill alternating between sharp lava rock and patches of snow. We had to be mindful of our foot placement at the boundary between the snow and rock, for dropping your foot into a hidden void beneath the snow could certainly cause a leg or knee injury.

Getting closer!

Waldy points out some landmarks to the south

Breaking through the tree line

As we broke through the trees into the bottom of the SE bowl, any anxiety over snow coverage was completely eliminated. However, it was now noon and the snow was heating up pretty good, bringing with it other concerns of it being too slushy. Now that we were on the snowfield, we threw on our skins and started traversing uphill and toward the center of the bowl. This process only heightened my concerns over the loose snow, as it was a struggle to retain grip while side-hilling, and I slid out on more than one occasion – although putting on my ski crampons did help with this. Once we reached the center of the bowl we switched over to bootpacking and climbed straight up the face toward the summit of Diamond Peak. Climbing the remaining 700 vertical feet took us around 40 minutes and finally reaching the summit brought on a huge sense of relief.

Starting the traverse toward center bowl

This side-hill was the toughest part of the approach, at least for me.

Boot packing toward the summit

The final push to the summit

The winds at the top were essentially nonexistent, which I’ve found to be quite rare during my limited time touring the Cascade volcanoes. It was quite pleasant and we spent a bit of time hanging out on the bare peak and soaking up the sun. After a bit I became restless and started getting geared up before the others, mainly because I wanted to head down and get setup for some photos in the middle of the bowl. Just below the summit was a nice flat spot to strap into my board and prepare to drop-in. As I rolled over the edge the slope felt steeper than I had expected. Luckily the snow felt perfect and I was able to hold my toe edge while traversing north across the bowl to take photos from that side. Before long, Waldy and Hilary came into view and shortly after that dropped in for their first turns of the day.

Looking out toward the Thee Sisters from the summit of Diamond Peak

Relaxin' at the summit

Waldy drops in for his first turns

Partway down the upper bowl

Dog in tow

Waldy, about halfway down. 

Hilary starting it off

Nice tracks!

After they had reached the bottom of the boot pack, I put away my camera and started my descent. Again, the slope felt steep and it took me a half dozen or so edge transitions before I started to get comfortable. Of course, once I was starting to get into a rhythm I was already looking for another place to setup to take photos of both Ethan and Brian, who were still up top. Before long, both of them dropped in, entering through a narrow path between rock features and painting their lines down the south side of the center bowl. The coolest feature on this line was the banking turn off the giant fin rock, which both Ethan and Brian railed with style! Since we were all planning to do another lap we didn’t go any lower than the boot pack, which we’d use to ascend once again.

Ethan with a sweet line, banking off the pinnacle.

Setting up for the next pitch

The crew waiting at the start of the boot pack

The author enjoying some corn turns
(photo by Waldy Torkelson)

Another rare shot of the author
(photo by Waldy Torkelson)

Even with an established line of steps kicked into the face of the slope, the second trip up felt pretty taxing and I found myself taking many short breaks to catch my breath. For my second line down I wasn’t planning to take any photos from the midway point. This allowed me to concentrate on my turns, which ended being a lot smoother and quite a bit more enjoyable. Since Ethan, Waldy and I weren’t planning to do another lap, I continued past the boot pack for a short distance, which provided some nice low angle turns to finish things up. After a couple of minutes I could see a couple small specks moving down the face of the bowl, which could only be my other companions. I fired off a couple more shots as they made their way down, capturing some nice sun stars in the process.

Ethan halfway down his second descent

Comin' in hot!

Waldy on his second lap

Since Hilary and Brian had planned to get in at least one more lap, we decided that it wasn't necessary to wait for them and instead started our journey back to the parking lot. Although we could have descended a bit further, we used our current elevation to traverse across the bowl without skinning. Once on the other side, I tied my planks to my pack and began the hike, while the other two tried to squeak out as much skiing as possible. Within a few hundred yards the snow became too intermittent for them to continue on skis, and they had to succumb to booting out as well. Instead of following our old tracks or the PCT, Waldy led us on a more direct approach using his wicked GPS skills. Within a few miles we reached the trail intersection to Diamond Rock Pile, at which point we began following the PCT the rest of the way out. The further we went down the trail the worse the mosquitoes got and even the DEET was struggling to keep them at bay. Back at the car, we wasted little time changing clothes and loading up our gear, all while being ambushed by hordes of blood suckers. It wasn’t until we were back in the confines of the truck that we could relax and celebrate our day’s adventure over a beer.

Traversing back out across the SE bowl

One final look back at the amazing terrain found on the southeast face of Diamond Peak

Conclusion:
Diamond Peak’s southeast aspect is a fantastic late season touring destination, with many line options available. I’d say it’s just as good if not better than the southwest bowl, but of course opinions may vary. We happened to choose the bowl that drops down just to the northeast of the summit, which was an awesome line, especially if summiting is part of your goal. That said, the many lines that drop between the rock bands look awesome too. I’ll certainly be coming back here year after year, but next time I’d like to do it as an overnighter and get in at least two days of riding, especially given the fairly long approach and the swarms of mosquitoes you have to fight through to get there. On a final note, the road into Summit Lake is pretty nasty and requires a high clearance vehicle, which should probably have 4WD as well.

Our tracks:
Red = Approach
Dark Blue = First descent
Light Blue = Second descent
Yellow = hike out

Diamond Peak (OR) - SW Bowl

Being an avid mountain biker and riding in Oakridge throughout the summer months, I’ve often looked onto Diamond Peak and wondered what it would be like to snowboard one of its many bowls, which look amazing as seen from the many vistas in the surrounding area. In fact, Diamond Peak really jumpstarted my desire to snowboard the various volcanic peaks in the Pacific Northwest. However, with mountain biking and whitewater kayaking consuming all of my free time, it would be years before I finally invested in the gear and avalanche training that was needed to get out there and actually do it. Now 2016, I had jumped into the sport headfirst and Diamond Peak was high on the list. Since I didn’t have a snowmobile or proper overnight gear, I would need to wait until the roads melted out to get close enough for a day tour.

As seen from Fuji Mountain
With Roland Vilett - RIP dear friend

As seen from Bunchgrass

As seen from Dead Mountain

It was now the last week in April, and I got word that the snowline was high enough to bag the southwest bowl as a day trip, with the one caveat being that downed trees or snow drifts might prevent us from getting all the way to the trailhead. The worst case scenario was that we might have to start down further, adding another mile or two to the approach. As for the team, Jason Barber was the only one that I knew; the others were Waldy, Brian, and Hillary, who were all friends of Jason’s.

On Sunday, May 1st, I drove to Oakridge and met Jason at the Mercantile at 7am sharp. From there we drove a short distance to pick up Waldy before heading south out of Oakridge along Hills Creek Reservoir and eventually the upper MF Willamette. Soon after passing Indigo Springs we made a left on FS-2149 and soon after that a right on to FS-2160. From there we drove up to a where the snow blocked the road (a little past the Pioneer Gulch TH), which happened to be right where we were planning to start our approach from. After shuffling out of the car, we headed over to greet Brian and Hillary, who had arrived before us. Since they were pretty much geared up and ready to go, they started the approach while the rest of us made our final preparations. As I was putting on my boots, the wind was whipping through the trees pretty good, which made me a bit nervous about what the conditions would be like high up on Diamond. After expressing my concerns with the others, Jason stated that the winds were supposed to die down a bit throughout the day, which was certainly welcome news.

From the car, we’d be hiking on bare ground for the first part of the ascent. After walking a short distance up a gravel spur road to where it dead ended, we turned northeast and headed up through an old logging cut which had some dense manzanita to contend with. It was pretty tough going for a 1/8th mile or so, but eventually we entered the uncut wilderness which was much easier to navigate through, albeit much steeper. Eventually we reached the Pioneer Gulch Trail, which we followed for a very short distance before breaking off and heading directly toward Diamond Peak’s SW bowl.

A bit of gravel road before the bushwhacking began

The crew climbs up a short section of the Pioneer Gulch trail

Although we had finally reached the snowline, we continued to hike rather than skin, since the snow was still firm and the terrain was fairly uneven. From time to time you could see the summit of Diamond Peak through the trees, which appeared to be getting blasted by the wind, based on the fast moving clouds and blowing snow. Before long our path became much more conducive to skinning, at which point we transitioned over and started to make some pretty good time. Instead of traveling up the ridge, which is usually how I’ve done my approaches, we headed right toward the foot of the bowl, of which we planned to ascend straight up the center.

One of our first views of Diamond Peak through the trees. It was looking awfully windy...

Skinning -- finally!

Jason and Waldy skin up though some typical terrain between the snow line and timberline

As we continued along, the forest began to open up a bit, and after crossing over the SW ridge we found ourselves in the runout to the upper bowl. Heading straight up the drainage we crested over a small rise and passed the timberline into the bottom of the SW Bowl, where I got my first glimpse of the amazing terrain we’d be skiing/boarding down – it was quite an amazing sight! The wind also seemed to be dying down which was a huge relief, since we'd be pretty exposed for the rest of the route to the summit. The bowl started out pretty flat but soon began to steepen as we made our way up the expansive snowfield. At this point it was Jason, Waldy and me up front and we were moving at a pretty solid pace. Brian and Hillary were on a more leisurely schedule and were a little bit behind us with their dog in tow.

Reaching the run-out to the SW bowl

Jason climbs a small rise just below the timberline

Gettin' higher

Jason and Waldy, crossing over the timberline.

Skinning up the bottom of the bowl

As planned, we skinned straight up the face of the bowl, and amazingly, without the need for a switchback. The snow was just starting to corn up and I was amazed at how steep we were able to climb without sliding backwards. We did finally reach a point where the slope angle was steep enough to force us from our skis and finish up the climb with a boot pack. Since Jason and Waldy had ski boots and I was in relatively soft toed snowboard boots they offered to switch off kicking in the steps while I pulled up the rear and took advantage of their hard work. Now about three quarters of the way up, we were above the ridge that had been blocking the wind, coming across the bowl from the southeast. I’m not sure what the wind speed was, but it was certainly strong enough to knock you off your perch if you weren’t firmly planted. It got to the point where I didn’t feel safe climbing during a gust, so I’d lay down on the slope with my toes resting in the foot holes and my fingers gripping the snow as best I could. Between the gusts I’d climb 10 yards or so before the next one hit and I was sent back into my defensive position. This process repeated itself all the way to the summit ridge where the wind was surprisingly calm.

Some steep skinning about halfway up the bowl

Jason, establishing the boot pack. 

Looking down from the midway point of the boot pack 

Taking a breather on the summit ridge

We were now about 100 vertical feet and a very short distance from the true summit, which we reached a few minutes later. Although the wind was not as calm as it had been on the ridge, it was much better than I had expected and it was actually quite pleasant. The views from the top were simply amazing, with a full 360 degrees of unobstructed Oregon wilderness. You could pretty much see all of the Oregon Cascade peaks and many other notable lakes and lesser summits. Also within our view was the abundance of skiable terrain that Diamond’s many faces provided, which certainly had me drooling and thinking about what my future routes would be. After taking it all in, I quickly ate a snack and transitioned over for the descent, hoping to drop in before the others so that I could take some photos of them descending the main bowl.

Jason and Waldy making the final push to the summit

The summit!

Looking northeast onto the north (lesser) summit.
The Three Sisters, Broken Top and Mount Bachelor are in the background.  

Looking onto the edge of the northwest bowl

Looking south onto a a frozen Summit Lake (foreground) and Mount Thielsen (background) 

Looking east onto Crescent Lake and Odell Butte

Once I had my splitboard assembled I strapped in and prepared to drop in. Although the snow felt good and was holding an edge very well, I always feel a bit shaky on my first few turns of any tour. I scooted down on my heel edge for about 50 vertical feet before jumping onto my toe edge and traversing over to the center of the bowl. As I crossed over our boot pack I gave a shout and wave to Brian and Hillary who had just reached the summit ridge. With a couple of warmup turns under my belt I built up more and more speed, while transitioning between heel and toe side turns. About halfway down the bowl the snow developed into perfect corn conditions and I felt much more confident in my edge hold. As I neared the bottom, the bowl started to flatten out and I was able to finish up with a nice series of hippy turns!

As I waited for the others to come down, I noticed that another group of skiers were dropping in for some turns off the southwest ridge. It was great to see other folks enjoying some different lines on Diamond, although I wondered why they hadn’t dropped in from the top. Before long, both Jason and Waldy came into view, appearing as tiny dots up near the upper ridge. Watching them paint their lines down the bowl really highlighted just how big it actually was – 1,500 vertical feet of treeless bliss! After a few minutes they reached my position, where it was obvious that both had enjoyed their turns along the way.

The last skier of another crew dropping low off the SW ridge

About halfway down the SW bowl, Jason and Waldy still look pretty small.

Paintin' lines

Getting closer

Jason, coming in hot!

Brian and Hillary were still hanging out at the summit and were actually planning on doing a few laps on the SW bowl. Since we didn’t plan on doing a second run we continued down the hill, where the trees started to get thicker the further along we went. What also started to change were the snow conditions, which turned rotten pretty quickly. It got so slushy that it was hard to keep my speed and the tip of my snowboard up. It also became quite difficult to turn, so I eventually stowed my board away and pulled out the Verts (snowshoes) I’d been carrying. Since Brian and Waldy were both experienced tele skiers, they had a much easier time navigating the trees, so they kept their skis on while I jogged down the hill just to the side of their ski tracks. I was actually making pretty good time, and although I was not as fast as them I was keeping up pretty well.

Waldy contends with some velcro snow near timberline

The snow was getting pretty rotten at this point

As I chased them down the hill for about a mile or so I was starting to get pretty tired, so I was happy when we hit the bare ground and skiing was no longer an option. Brian and Waldy secured their skis to their packs while I pulled off my Verts before bushwhacking down through the forest toward the cars. In another 1/8 of a mile we reached the logging cut, although this time Jason navigated us along a much cleaner course. We couldn’t have planned our route better, since we ended up exiting the forest right where the road had dead ended. From there it was a quick stroll back to the cars, where we celebrated with some good beer and conversation!

Navigating the manzanita down to the road

Conclusion:
Diamond Peak provided one of the best faces I’ve had the pleasure of snowboarding down in Oregon. I can’t believe it was only a 2 mile approach to the summit, which is really rare for backcountry volcano skiing in the Pacific Northwest. Looking at the topography and imagery using programs like Google Earth it appears that the southwest bowl is the main skiable face on Diamond Peak; however, there are many other bowls, chutes and faces that also look very good. I was able to see some of the other terrain from the summit and I can certainly say that there are other zones I’m excited to tour into. Speaking of the summit, the 360 degree unobstructed view is probably worth the trip alone, even if you were doing it during the summertime as a hike. In summary, Diamond Peak was one of the volcanos I was most looking forward to doing, and it definitely exceeded my expectations!

The track from our tour: