• • Kyle miller and Jason Hummel are no strangers to epic slogs, but their mission to complete the first-ever traverse of the American Alps once again confirms their standing as the undisputed champs of Cascadian sufferfests. Linking together the Isolation Traverse, The Ptarmigan Traverse, The Extended Ptarmigan and the Suiattle High Route during the first 16 days this past June, Miller and Hummel completed a dream first conceived but never completed by Washington’s legendary ski-mountaineering Skoog Brothers—Carl and Lowell.

  • In total, their stroll took them a total of 193 kilometres (120 miles) and over 18,000 metres (60,000 vertical feet) through some of the most remote terrain in the North Cascades, with resupplies at their food caches on Cascade Pass and the remote mountain village of Holden, as well as the summit of Glacier Peak. They picked the perfect weather window in the fickle Cascades and became the first pair to tick off this massive ski-and-splitboard traverse, a fitting sequel to the tandem’s 2012 conquest of all Washington State’s 9,000-foot peaks.

  • “This adventure was far bigger than I had ever expected, and we were so fortunate that it went as smoothly as it did. Physically it was quite demanding, but it was the mental game that really had me stressed out,” concludes Miller. “Being natives of Washington, it gave us pride to be the first two people to pull off what some are now calling a benchmark traverse.” The Skoog brothers would be proud.

  
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