Mount Shuksan- Mountain Profile - Jewell of the North Cascades National Park

At 9131ft, Mount Shuksan is the fifth highest non-volcanic peak in the state of Washington. It is one my favorite climbs in the North Cascades National Park because it possesses great qualities like commanding position, as well as combining all the essential elements of classic alpine climbing: glacier travel and rock climbing. Even though you might not recognize the peak at first, chances are, you've seen on a bank calendar at some point or another. It is one of the most photographed peaks in the US.

After about a 5 mile trail approach one arrives at a small saddle above Lake Ann. Here is the first really spectacular view of the mountain. The Curtis Glacier spills off the cliffs and the upper mountain is guarded by rock walls. Below Stephen Perry from Minnesota takes a break while soaking in the view.

One of the coolest things about leaving the trail is the rock climbing required to get to the high camp. Below Stephen cranks some easy 5th class rock on the way up the Fisher Chimneys. How many climbs require rock climbing just to get to camp?

Perched right below Winnie's Slide, we have a fantastic camp with a great view of Mt Baker.

 

In the morning there is some moderate glacier travel as the fog breaks.

And yet another transition back to rock! Below is Stephen enjoy some steep rock on the summit pyramid of Mt Shuksan. We took the SE Ridge variation which is clean and only slightly more difficult than the standard route.

Rock climbing high above the Sulphide Glacier. Now this is the real thing!

Stephen and I enjoying picture perfect weather on the summit with Mt Baker in the background.

August and early September are a great time to climb in the North Cascades National Park. Come let us show you the hidden gems in this little known national park.

Sky Ridge- A Route Profile of a Classic

Sky Ridge- A Smith Rock Classic

People often ask us what are favorite routes are. For me, there are several qualities that make a route special to climb. First and foremost, it has to have good position. Second, the climbing has to be fun. And third, a minimum of hanging belays!

Sky Ridge meets all of the above requirements, but it really appeals to folks who want a great, exposed position. Depending on how you climb it, it is 3-4 pitches and some scrambling to get to the top. If you can climb 5.8 face, and 5.7 cracks, this route is a must do.

The first pitch, pictured below, climbs directly up a rib of rock no wider than a sidewalk, straight from Asterisk Pass. Easy, but exposed, this pitch is just a primer for what is to come.

On pitch 2, the arete climbing begins with a more moderate version of what is to come.

Pictured below, Robert cranks the crux 5.8 pitch on tiny nubbins while looking down the east and west sides of the formation. This is the money pitch.

  

After a tough stretch of thin face climbing, the belay ledge below the last pitch is a great perch high in the sky on the Smith Rock Group. Here Robert enjoys the view while belaying me, all in relative comfort. That is if you like exposed places!

Ahhhh.....the final pitch. This section of the route consists of an exposed hand traverse in a hand crack. You can see Monkey Face in the background!

All in all, this route is a must do for anyone seeking exposed spectacular climbing. At this time of year, there is a fair amount of shade on the beginning of the climb which makes for comfortable conditions in the summer heat. Come check it out!

News From the Hood!

We've been having a great season here up on Mount Hood.  Despite some days with an ominous forecast we've still had tons of successful climbs with sweeping views from Mount Rainier to the North and the Three Sisters to the South.  We're still enjoying the record snowfall year we had in the Oregon Cascades with tremendous summer ski mountaineering. For some reason it's really hard to get tired of skiing when the snow is this good!  Right now we're seeing great conditions with cold weather and firm snow. All the main variations on the southside are in great shape, although somewhat steeper.

Climbing the Wy'East with some great alpineglow.



Johnnymtguide.com and his crew on the summit.




Enjoying great snow high above the clouds.











Broken Top- A Central Oregon Classic

Last week I had the great opportunity to the climb the iconic Broken Top. Sitting south of the Three Sisters Wilderness, Broken Top is a fantastic peak for alpine climbers and ski mountaineers. I had been talking with Jane and Dan about this peak for a year! We also had been watching the weather and finally our scheduled aligned with the weather and we had bluebird day!

 Below, Jane heading towards the mountain at sunrise.

Dan entering the bowl of Broken Top with Mt Bachelor Ski Area in the distance.

Jane topping out on the top of 9 O'clock Couloir.

Traversing the west side under the summit ridge. We had to 6-8 pitches of steep traversing.

Here is Jane and Dan at a belay at the end of the long traverse. This is the final ledge below the steep summit pitch.

Jane and North Sister from the summit of Broken Top. We had some phenomenal weather and conditions!

Too Many Choices, Not Enough Time!

Spring in our neck of the woods brings plenty of options for ways to enjoy the mountains and rock of Oregon.  During this time of year it's not uncommon for us to be switching between activities each day of the week- one day you'll find us shouldering our rock packs and heading for the sun and warm temps of Smith Rock State .  The next day we may be seen skinning up a local mountain for a ski tour.  May as well round out the schedule with a day spent wielding ice axes during a climb on Mt Hood .  Here are some shots from some of our trips and programs just this past week.  Be sure to give us a call here in the office to schedule your next adventure!

Spring Climbing on Mt. Hood

Spring Climbing at Smith Rock

Spring Ski and Splitboard Mountaineering 

Spring Corn Splitboarding

Sun and Bolts at Smith Rock State Park

We've been having a great winter rock season this year here at Smith Rock.  Many people visit the Central Oregon area in the summer when temps at Smith can soar into the upper 80's and 90's.  For the rock enthusiast, mid-winter can be a great time to climb at Smith Rock State Park on clear days. In fact, most of the locals prefer to climb in the winter at the park. Down in the canyon, temperatures can often be twenty to thirty degrees warmer than in the nearby town of Redmond, providing surprising relief from what felt like winter just a few hours ago.
This week I was lucky enough to share some of that great Smith mid-weather with Stuart and Tanya who decided to take a leap from the gear plugging climbing they are used to on the quartzite cliffs of the Gunks, to the bolt clipping face climbing of Smith's welded tuff.  We had a great day sampling some of the areas classics and basking in the sun- we even had to break out the sunscreen!

Tanya enjoying the sun and face climbing.

Stuart getting some mock leading in.

Sun and bolts on Smith Rocks Morning Glory Wall.

White River Glacier- A classic Oregon Ski Descent

Last Monday, I was in the right place at the right time. This sort of thing doesn't happen to me much of the time but it did on Monday. The White River Glacier is one of the most accessible glaciers in the Lower 48. For skiing, the access is phenomenal and for a 4600 foot climb up from Timberline Lodge, it is possible to get a 6700 foot descent all the way to White River Snowpark.

When we arrived at the parking lot the weather was horrible! Clouds and fog, with cold temperatures and a biting  east wind greeted us as we booted up. We could tell that it might be clear up high, and we knew that in the last 24 hours, some light fluffy, low density had been laid down up high. We knew we wanted to get into some of that stuff!

So, we put our heads down and battled the weather. At about 8700 feet we started to get above the clouds. Below is Iain and Nick starting to feel better about life.

At about 8900 feet we received the blessing and we basked in the sunshine.

We decided to ski from the 'schrund, a prominent feature on the South Side climbers route. The snow was relatively unaffected by the wind, even that at altitude (10,700 feet). Here is Iain about to enjoy the fruits of our hard labor.

Iain smiling at our top set of tracks.

Below Crater rock. Yes folks, this is Oregon. You can see the top of Illumination Rock in the lower left of the photo.

Dropping into the upper part of White River Glacier was excellent. Mt Jefferson is in the distance.

The mid and lower part of the glacier required a bit of crevasse negotiation and held excellent low angle powder.

This was dreamboat.

The end of the tour is a really fun glide out near the bottom on the canyon. We had stashed a car at the White River Snow park where water and snacks were waiting.

The White River Glacier is one the most accessible and phenomenal long tours with a good down to up ratio. If you are interested in doing any skiing this year, please feel free to contact us!