Jens Holsten on Gorillas in the Mist, Mt. Stuart
The mountains between Seattle, Spokane, and Vancouver have seen prodigious activity in the last few years, and many of the new routes are amazing. The question is: will anyone climb them, or will they fade into obscurity?
Here's a listing of new routes, with links to more info. These are all un-published (or "under-published") but many would be amazing climbs if you're looking for greater challenges or if you have done all the guidebook climbs that perk your interest. If or when some of these routes get traffic, they could become the modern classics of the range, and some of the hardest or best alpine climbs in the contiguous US! Let me know which ones I forgot and I'll add them in. There are definitely many on this list that I can't wait to try.
Presence of stars is totally subjective. I rated only the routes I had done. Absence of any stars means I have not done the climb. ***=World Class, **= Great, put it on the list! *=OK
BC, The Picket Ranges, and Cascades North of Hwy 20
Blake Herrington on Castle Peak's Herrington/Hirst
Les Cornes - Springbok Arete, Sprung Cocks Erect, Voodoo Child ***
Here's a listing of new routes, with links to more info. These are all un-published (or "under-published") but many would be amazing climbs if you're looking for greater challenges or if you have done all the guidebook climbs that perk your interest. If or when some of these routes get traffic, they could become the modern classics of the range, and some of the hardest or best alpine climbs in the contiguous US! Let me know which ones I forgot and I'll add them in. There are definitely many on this list that I can't wait to try.
Presence of stars is totally subjective. I rated only the routes I had done. Absence of any stars means I have not done the climb. ***=World Class, **= Great, put it on the list! *=OK
BC, The Picket Ranges, and Cascades North of Hwy 20
Blake Herrington on Castle Peak's Herrington/Hirst
Les Cornes - Springbok Arete, Sprung Cocks Erect, Voodoo Child ***
Serendipity Peak - Back of Beyond Buttress III 5.10b
Rexford's False Summit - South Pillar III 5.11
Castle Peak - Herrington/Hirst (middle buttress of North Face) IV 5.10d**
Castle Peak - Sod-On-Me III+ 5.10
Ampitheater Mountain North Face - Pilgrimage to Mecca II+ 5.9 **
Ampitheater Mountain North Face - Unauthorized Squirrel II+ 5.10a *
Ampitheater Mountain North Face - Middle Finger Buttress Left II+ 5.10c**
Macabre Peak - South (South) Buttress III 5.11a
Mt. Shuksan - NW Arayete III 5.9 **
Green Creek Wall (E. Ridge of South Twin Sister) - The Mythic Wall III 5.10a**
Green Creek Wall - Green Creek Arete II 5.6
Green Creek Wall - Evil Twin Arete III 5.9*
Mt. Fury's West Summit - Mongo Ridge VI 5.10
Specter Peak - The Haunted Wall IV 5.9
Middle Challenger - South Ridge III 5.7
West Challenger - East Ridge III 5.9
Poltergeist Pinnacle (sub -peak of Challenger) - East Face III 5.9 R/X
SE Mox (Lemolo Peak) - NE Buttress / After Hours V 5.10-
SE Mox's East Face - Devil's Club V+ 5.9 A2
The Blob - Plan 9 III or IV 5.10
East McMillan Spire - Come over to the Dark Side (NE Buttress) V 5.10-
Mt. Triumph - SW Rib III 5.8
Southern Pickets Traverse - VI 5.10+
Northern Pickets Traverse - VI 5.7 - Alternate Link
Rexford's False Summit - South Pillar III 5.11
Castle Peak - Herrington/Hirst (middle buttress of North Face) IV 5.10d**
Castle Peak - Sod-On-Me III+ 5.10
Ampitheater Mountain North Face - Pilgrimage to Mecca II+ 5.9 **
Ampitheater Mountain North Face - Unauthorized Squirrel II+ 5.10a *
Ampitheater Mountain North Face - Middle Finger Buttress Left II+ 5.10c**
Macabre Peak - South (South) Buttress III 5.11a
Mt. Shuksan - NW Arayete III 5.9 **
Green Creek Wall (E. Ridge of South Twin Sister) - The Mythic Wall III 5.10a**
Green Creek Wall - Green Creek Arete II 5.6
Green Creek Wall - Evil Twin Arete III 5.9*
Mt. Fury's West Summit - Mongo Ridge VI 5.10
Specter Peak - The Haunted Wall IV 5.9
Middle Challenger - South Ridge III 5.7
West Challenger - East Ridge III 5.9
Poltergeist Pinnacle (sub -peak of Challenger) - East Face III 5.9 R/X
SE Mox (Lemolo Peak) - NE Buttress / After Hours V 5.10-
SE Mox's East Face - Devil's Club V+ 5.9 A2
The Blob - Plan 9 III or IV 5.10
East McMillan Spire - Come over to the Dark Side (NE Buttress) V 5.10-
Mt. Triumph - SW Rib III 5.8
Southern Pickets Traverse - VI 5.10+
Northern Pickets Traverse - VI 5.7 - Alternate Link
Washington Pass Area
David Trippett belays on The Silver Horn Spire Playin not Sprayin
Tower Mountain - SE Ridge III 5.10b **
David Trippett belays on The Silver Horn Spire Playin not Sprayin
Tower Mountain - SE Ridge III 5.10b **
Cutthroat Peak - Community Service Project 5.8 x
Hinkhouse Peak - NW Ridge III 5.8*Billygoat Buttress of Pk. 6,978' (South of Cutthroat Lake Trailhead) - Perfect Crime III 5.9*
Billygoat Buttress - Easy Getaway III 5.10a**
The Snout - Deviated SeptumII 5.10b*
The Snout - Smelling Salts II 5.10d **
Vasiliki Ridge - Carlo Rossi Memorial Tower III 5.10d x
Pernod Spire - Indirect West Face III 5.10
Burgundy Spire - Action Potential (East Face) III 5.10
Burgundy Spire - Ultramega OK (East Face) III 5.10c AOSilver Star sub-summit (Whine Spire) - Gato Negro IV 5.10b**
Silver Star - Stellar Eclipse III+ 5.11aSilver Horn (Spire on E. Ridge of Silver Star) - The Chalice III 5.10a**
Silver Horn - Playin not Sprayin III 5.10c**
Le Petit Cheval - Spontaneity Arete II+ 5.7*
Le Petit Cheval - Paul Revere II+ 5.9+Big Kangaroo - Kearney/Thomas Free Ascent - III 5.11a
South Early Winter Spire - Mojo Rising III 5.11 A1
South of Hwy 20
Gordy Skoog in his element on Mt. Buckner's Southeast Ridge
Mt. Logan - NW Ridge V 5.8
Johannesburg Mountain - CK Route IV 5.10b AI3
Mt. Goode - Megalodon Ridge IV+ 5.10b**
Mt. Formidable - Direct NE Buttress III+ 5.9
Mt. Formidable - East Ridge IV 5.7Mt. Formidable - NE Face Direct III+ 5.6
Repulse Peak - North Face (No link, reported as a good adventure, not too hard or scary)
Dome Peak's SW Summit - SE Face 'Gran Torino' IV 5.9
Tupshin Peak - East Ridge III+ 5.7*
Bonanza Peak - NW Ridge via Dark Peak V 5.8**
Bonanza Peak - Three Summits Traverse V 5.8
Star Peak (Sawtooth Wilderness Area) - NW Ridge III 5.7
Courtney Peak - North Face III 5.10
Sloan Peak - SE Ridge II+ 5.10a
Roan Wall - Center Stage III 5.10d***
Salish Peak - Flight of the Falcon III 5.10c (5.9 AO)**
Tang Tower - Brush Humper's Delight III 5.10a
Tang Tower - Sine Your Pitty III 5.8+
Star Peak (Sawtooth Wilderness Area) - NW Ridge III 5.7
Courtney Peak - North Face III 5.10
Sloan Peak - SE Ridge II+ 5.10a
Roan Wall - Center Stage III 5.10d***
Salish Peak - Flight of the Falcon III 5.10c (5.9 AO)**
Tang Tower - Brush Humper's Delight III 5.10a
Tang Tower - Sine Your Pitty III 5.8+
The Gunsight Group
Dan Hilden on the East Face of Gunsight
All Four Summits - Complete North->South Traverse 'Gunrunner' IV 5.10**
North Gunsight - West Face Free III 5.11+***
Middle Gunsight - East Face III 5.10d***
South Gunsight - East Face 'Accidental Discharge' II 5.10*
South Gunsight - South Ridge II 5.8**
South Gunsight - West Face III 5.9
The Enchantments
Sol Wertkin belays Jens Holsten on Dragons of Eden - Dragontail
Mount Stuart - Gorillas in the Mist IV+ 5.11a***
Sherpa Peak - Rilikpa III 5.7
D'artanian Spire (Temple Ridge Area) - South Face III 5.10+ C1
Colchuck Balanced Rock - The Tempest Wall IV 5.9 C2 or ~5.12c***
Colchuck Balanced Rock - The Scoop III 5.11c
Enchantment Peak - Acid Baby III 5.10d**
Prusik Peak - Der Sportsman III 5.11c/d***
Prusik Peak - Solid Gold II+ 5.10d**
Dragontail Peak - Dragons of Eden IV+ 5.12a (5.10 Ao)**
Dragontail Peak - 20-Sided Dihedral IV 5.10 Ao (This begins just right of 'Dragons of Eden' and crosses left @ ~P3, meeting the NE Buttress 60' to the left of DOE.)
Dragontail Peak - Dragon Scar IV 5.11a R
Dragontail Peak - Der Dihedral IV 5.10b
Boola Boola Buttress - Black Velvet III 5.10c
Winter or Spring Ice and Snow Routes
Colin Haley on Chiwawa's Intravenous route
Mt. Outram - Ghost Passenger III WI3
Mt. Brice - Graveyard Shift IV AI3
Twin Needles - Thread of Ice III - Snow
Chiwawa Mountain - Intravenous IV WI4 M6
Silver Star Mountain - West Face Central Couloir III AI2 M4
Pyramid Mountain - NW Face 'It Aint Over Mother Fuckers' IV M4
Summit Chief - Alpine Chicken IV AI4+ 5.8 R
Summit Chief - North Face III AI3
Three Fingers - NE Face IV WI4+ M3
Mt. Stuart - Lara Kellog Memorial Route IV WI6 AO
Hall Peak - NW Face III 5.6 WI3
White Chuck - East Face Couloir WI3 5.8 R
Abiel Peak - Spindrift Daze III AI3+
Abiel Peak - It's Al-Der III AI4
Abiel Peak - North Face Direct III WI4
Snow Creek Wall - Swing and a Prayer IV WI5 M6 R
Lake 22 Headwall - NW Chutes IV AI4
Whitehorse Mountain - East Face III+ AI4
Mt. Index - West Face 'Murphy's Law' V AI3 M4
Blake Herrington has been one of the prolific new alpine climbers in the Pacific Northwest, with FA's throughout the North Cascades as well Alaska and Patagonia. He compiled this list and published it on his own blog, Travels and Tribulations. Its republished here with his permission.
