Solitude Mountain has a lot of expert ski terrain. Honeycomb Canyon gets all the love for its in-bounds, backcountry skiing vibe. But 9,850-foot Evergreen Peak is another gnarly zone that offers the same sort of wild experience, but for some reason is much lesser known.
Evergreen Peak
The view of Evergreen Peak from the Summit chairlift can look intimidating. And it is. The terrain that spills from the summit into Solitude Canyon is steep and littered with cliffs. The only ways down are through tight couloirs that will test any skier’s jump-turning abilities. But Evergreen’s backside above Brighton and Silver Lake offers more moderate bowls and tree skiing – a powder-filled reward for anyone who makes the hike. If you’re curious about Evergreen but have been unsure to try it, here’s a guide on how to ski Evergreen Peak at Solitude.
How to Get There
The first thing you must do to ski Evergreen Peak is get there. You can ride either the Sunrise or Apex lifts. From the top of Sunrise, ski down the Summit Access East run to get to the bottom of the Summit chair. At the top of Apex, Summit Access West gets you there.
At the top of the Summit quad, ski down Backdoor to Solbright all the way to the Evergreen Peak ski patrol gate. Leave Solbright, go through the gate, and take off your skis for the steep hike up. Getting to the top of Evergreen requires a little over 200-vertical feet of bootpacking. It might not sound like much but the hike is steep.
The Evergreen Chutes
About 3/4 of the way to the top, you can end the hike early to ski the Evergreen Chutes. This is the most advanced terrain on the mountain. There are about 3 different skiable couloirs of varying size that come back down into the resort proper above Lake Solitude. Navigation skills and expert -skiing ability is required here. One wrong turn can put you above a dangerous cliff.
Finding the entrance to these chutes is confusing if there are no tracks showing the way. At the saddle between the first bootpack pitch and the summit, put on your skis and traverse left along the edge of the ridge. Poke around into the trees until you find the start of the chutes. If you are above a cliff, keep traversing until you get there.
Each chute is tight. There are chokes that are only a ski-length wide. These chutes will test your steep-skiing, technical abilities. Some of the chutes dogleg at the bottom above cliffs, so there’s no room for error as a fall can be bad news. But if you successfully navigate the Evergreen Chutes on skis, you’ll be able to see your tracks from the next lift ride up Summit as you relish in your accomplishment.
Evergreen Peak’s Backside
For a more moderate descent, the backside of Evergreen Peak is the ticket. Here you’ll find open bowls and glades that end at the Solbright Trail for an easy skate-ski back to the frontside.
To get there, hike all the way to the top of the mountain. Directly below are north/northeast-facing runs that hold good powder long after a storm. And because of the steep hike, there’s hardly competition for fresh tracks.
The first run you can ski is called Barrett’s Glade. It’s a low-angle, open run with a smattering of trees. But as you descend, the slope angle gets steeper. If you stay skier’s right, you’ll end up above large cliffs. Traverse skier’s left until you find another way down. You may have to make left-hand traverses a few times due to the cliffs, both large and small.
To avoid the cliffs altogether, from the top traverse the ridgeline northwest to a run called Dead Tree. This is another open glade that funnels into a terrain trap spilling onto the Solbright Trail. This is a great run in fresh powder but the snow can get more sun affected here.
Perhaps the easiest run down is Evening Star. From the top, traverse the ridgeline until you see the patrol gate for the hike that begins at the top of the Sunrise lift. Ski down from here into mellow glades and meadows. Because of its proximity to the chair, you can easily hike to this run from the top of Sunrise.
Even though Evergreen’s backside runs are more mellow then the chutes, it is still double-black diamond, expert-only terrain. Consult the Solitude Mountain ski map and check in with Ski Patrol for current openings and conditions.
Jared, I know Soli is being changed by the Ikon pass and articles like this are now par for the course. But the slight barrier to access and sense of adventure required to figure out how to ski the lines you see is a large part of the ethos of expert skiing there. It’s cool to have to explore, hike, and drop into the unknown above cliffs and also a self-regulating filter for skier safety. I think this article undercuts that experience in a way that “how to ski X stash at Snowbird” doesn’t. Just something to think about for future writing.
I’d be interested in your take on the highway to heaven.
Wills reply is silly. Some people want to know where to go and how to avoid clifts at the bottom. Some people read articles like this. Others hire a guide… Nothing wrong with this write up. Keep it up. Some people just hate sharing the snow. Was
I think you’re right Sean. I was coming with a pre-Ikon mindset in that comment. I recently shared how to ski Evergreen and Fantasy in the backcountry ski facebook group when someone asked and agree that we should support everyone getting after it and share knowledge so people can have a great time when they ski. Cheers.
I think you’re right Sean. I was a bringing a pre-Ikon mindset when I made that comment. I actually recently shared how to ski evergreen and fantasy when someone asked in the backcountry ski facebook group and have taken newbies around Soli hike to terrain and sidecountry. We should share knowledge and support everyone getting after it, exploring, and having a great time when they ski. Cheers.