Elain and I decided we would try again to climb Denny Mountain this weekend. The forecast looked good for Sunday, and this time we got an earlier start, hitting the trail at 9 AM. There was quite a bit of new snow, and it was slow going uphill through the forest. Eventually we got onto snowboard tracks, which meant more consolidated snow. We kicked steps uphill with our snowshoes until we reached the flat area at 4600' below the north slope of Denny Mountain. There were quite a few skiers coming down the north slope of Denny Mountain, and we wanted to avoid the crowds, so we headed west towards Cliff's Couloir. Unfortunately when we reached the base of the couloir, the couloir appeared to be a significant terrain trap, and there were obvious lee slopes above it, with large cornices. So, we decided to go with the less desirable plan B and head up the north slope. We trudged up the ski slope, staying to the extreme climber's right to avoid the skiers as much as possible. About halfway up, the ski patrol came over and told us that the "mountain was closed to uphill hiking." We asked if this included the Alpental Backcountry and the patroller said "yes." Finally after some discussion, the patroller relented and we headed up a gully to the climber's right towards the ridge. The gully was tedious step kicking/wallowing, but it was nice to be out of the path of any skiers. At the top of the gully, we turned right and ascended snow and snow-covered-ice to reach a snow slope just below the ridge. The final slope to the ridge was moderate angle, and there was already a small breach in the cornice. We reached the ridge crest at 1:10 PM, and were greeted by a cold breeze coming from the west. Visibility was about 400 meters. The Southeast Summit of Denny Mountain was just about 50 meters away, and Elain wanted to tag the summit, so we made our way along the west side of the ridge, and reached the summit at 1:30 PM. We descended by the ascent route and reached the car at 3:30 PM.
Unfortunately, we forgot to bring our camera on this trip.
Gear: ice axe, snowshoes. Aluminum crampons might prove useful for the final gully.