The Eldorado Icefield - An Intro to Mountaineering

Phil and Kellen signed up for Pro Guiding Service's Intro to Mountaineering in the North Cascades.  I know I'm biased, but I think this is the best-value trip of its kind offered.  This year, I started exploring a zone I'm calling the Eldorado Icefield, where the Eldorado, Inspiration, Klawatti, and McAllister Glaciers all meet to form one of the largest glacial areas not located on one of the Cascade volcanoes.  I think it offers it all - thought-provoking glacial travel and rock routes from 3rd to 5th Class, all wrapped up in a 5-day itinerary.  Plus, once you get past Eldorado Peak you can usually count the number of other climbers on one hand.

Hiking up to the Eldorado Glacier is steep, and typically take most of the day.

This time I opted for a steep-snow variation to the summit of Eldorado Peak.

The West Ridge of Eldorado Peak is a good introduction to alpinism, with low technical difficulties,
a lot of physical difficulties, and fantastic views - like this sunset from camp.

Traversing across the Inspiration Glacier.  That's Glacier Peak on the left horizon, and Eldorado Peak on the right.  We stopped just a few minutes later to spend 1/2 a day practicing crevasse rescue.

Downclimbing the Klawatti Notch on our way to Austera Peak.

On the summit of Austera, with the 3rd/4th class ridge we had to
traverse in view over his right shoulder.  That's also Forbidden Peak in
the background - check out the weather photos coming up.

A cool surprise was finding a 47 year-old register from a traverse team,
presumably on skis.  We found this on the gendarme next to the true summit.

There were for sheets of paper and a pencil.  But it was late in the day, so we
didn't have time to reverse the last 70' of climbing to place the register on the
summit.

Funny how it looks different traveling in the opposite direction, eh?  Climbing
back up the Klawatti Notch on our way to camp.

Sunset.  Our camp is just off-frame left and about 10 minutes awa

Our last day out - we tried to get on the North, and then the Southeast, Ridges of Klawatti Peak.  But big overhanging moats between the Klawatti Glacier and the rock had us stumped.  We settled for four pitches on a lower ridge tower and a fun glacial circumnavigation.

That evening we watched the weather roll in.

The dark wall was heading for us, and the thunderstorm hit right at sunset.

Crystal clear skies in the morning as we left.  That's Klawatti Peak in the background.

We descended into a marine layer just as we exited the glacier, and then 45 minutes from the car:

Trips like this are available almost anytime.  Want to spend less time on snow?  Then we'll head over to Boston Basin.  Want to increase the rock climbing difficulty - we'll climb Triad Peak, the Dorado Needle, Early Morning Spire, or the West Arete on Eldorado instead.  Our Cascade summers typically last until the end of September, so grab a few friends and email me or contact Pro Guiding Service to book a trip.

Smash & Grab Special Edition!

Issue 8.1 - Special Edition!

CASCADE RIVER ROAD IS OPEN!!  The access road to Eldorado Peak, Boston Basin, and the Ptarmigan Traverse opened earlier this week.  There is still a huge blanket of winter snow at the upper elevations, making travel above tree-line and on the glaciers really straight forward.  The classic steep snow lines in Boston Basin will be gone in a month.  Right now is the time to grab them!

For the climbers:
Mt Buckner North Face, 40-45 degree snow.  3 days.
Mt Torment Northwest Glacier, 40 degree snow.  3 days.
Johannesberg Mountain, CJ Couloir and East Ridge, 3500' of 35-40 degree snow and 1500' of 4th class rock.  This is an advanced climb!  3 days.

The Massive Johannesberg Mountain, June 2012.  30 minutes from the car, the CJ Couloir is the long left-leaning snow line to the deep notch in photo center.  The East Ridge climbs up photo right to the summit.  That is a long 4000' climb!

For the skiers:
Sahale Peak Express.  1 big day.
Sahale Peak, Quien Sabe Glacier, Intermediate.  2 days.
Sahale Peak, West Face, Advanced.  2 days.
Ptarmigan Traverse.  Demands a full skill set, and be prepared for the hike out at the end!  5-7 days, depending on variations.

Sahale Peak, June 2012.  The Quien Sabe Glacier runs down the broad slopes on the photo left.  The West Face is the headwall in the center.  Look close, and you can see the ski tracks down the West Face.

I provide all of these opportunities with Pro Guiding Service.

Hope to see you in the mountains soon! - Chris

June's Smash & Grab

Below is an excerpt from my latest newsletter - Smash & Grab, which comes out monthly (more or less).  If you're interested in joining the cool kids' club, follow this LINK.  Come on, everyone else is doing it! I do know that there are some glaring contradictions between the newsletter and the website, but nothing that keeps us getting outside, so let's ignore those inconsistencies and get going, hmmm?

| sma-sh; and; grab | phrase. 1. A distinct form of burglary. It involves smashing a barrier, grabbing valuables, and making a quick getaway.

Issue 8 - We're back!!
On the first week of May, my plane landed in Sea-Tac on a late, late, drizzly night. I had an incredible trip to Europe - my first time on that side of the Pond. I skied the Haute Route and Mont Blanc, and road tripped to central Italy and back to Switzerland. I hope to go back next spring - want to join me? Since then, I've skied Mt Daniel (near Cle Elum off of I-90) and Mt Shuksan. My Shuksan descent of the White Salmon was likely the last one of the year - it featured steep bushwacking for 1000' from Chair 8 to the valley floor - oy! I've also started rock climbing again and during the rainy days trail running.

 One access note - Glacier Creek Road, which is used to access the northwest side of Mt Baker, is washed out at mile post 3. This adds a 7-mile hike or mountain bike ride up the road. If you want to climb the north ridge in solitude, this is the year to do it but be prepared to earn it!

What's happening next.
So much is starting to happen this month. Smash and Grab is going to turn into a monthly occurrence - I hope to send one out by the 10th of each month (I realize that this conflicts with the notice at the top of website - expect the S&G to come out again on the 20th to a much, much bigger audience! -Chris) It will also be posted on my website. The website is also going through a serious redesign. I'm working with the folks at Squarespace to launch something a little glossier, little less blog-y. I'll still be posting stuff up, but it will be more thoughtful, informational, and less trip reports but still lots of photos.

 I'm working on the logistics for trips to China, Chile, and Antarctica. I hope to have material on the website next month.

What's good?
Its June - the snow is still up high, but the rock has dried out down low. So this month is the best time for some of the big tours and high mountain descents for ski mountaineering, and taking advantage of the sunny days to warm up your rock climbing skills. Here's what I recommend.

For Ski Mountaineering

• Mt Adams, Southwest Chutes - 2 days or "The Express", an extremely long day. 
• Mt Baker, Easton Glacier - 2 days or "The Express", an extremely long day. 
• Mt Baker Circumnavigation - 5 days. Features an ascent of the mountain from the east side via the Boulder-Park Glacier, and a ski descent of the Park Glacier from the summit. Not for the weak of heart! 
• Ptarmigan Traverse - 5-7 days. A tour through the heart of the Cascades, from Cascade Pass to the Suiattle River. Several side day tours possible if we bring a little bit of extra food and fuel. 

For Rock Climbing

• North Bend / Exits 32 & 38 - 1 day. The best thing about the Exits are their convenience to Seattle, and ease of access. Its a great way to spend a day or an afternoon warming up for the season. 
• Index - 1 day. A little bit of a farther drive, but trad climbing and a great intro to multi-pitch climbing. 
• Leavenworth / Icicle Creek - 2 days. The climbing at Icicle Creek is some of the best in the Pacific Northwest. Everything from single pitch to multi-pitch outings are possible. Really, to make the most of the time you should book two days, and either stay in Leavenworth or camp out on the Icicle. 
• What to work on? What do you want to learn? We can have instructional days based on anchor building and top-rope site management, full "what-if" rock rescue clinics, and pushing into lead climbing. 

For Alpine Climbing

• Snoqualmie Pass - 1 day. The Tooth and Chair Peak are dry, and snow coverage allows for quick approaches. 
• Colchuck Peak - 1-2 days. 
• Washington Pass - Early Winter Spires, Le Petite Cheval, Cutthroat Peak. These are awesome day climbs, right now with a thick blanket of snow that makes the approaches really easy. Stay down in Mazama or Winthrop in the evenings!
• Boston Basin and Eldorado Peak - there is still a lot of snow, adding two miles to the approach into Boston Basin. Doesn't mean it can't be done - but you're going to earn every bit of it!

Interested?  Questions?  Email me at chris@chrissimmonsguiding.com.  Hope to see you again in the mountains!

Stoneman Couloir, Mt Herman

I was up at Mt Baker working at the Mt Baker Splitfest for Backcountry Access, looking up at the untouched Stoneman Couloir on Mt Baker.  I even did a solo tour on Saturday to the access saddle, and was philosophically disappointed when I saw a pair of skiers ahead of me booting up to the summit.  So I was really perplexed when I returned to the parking lot and there still weren't tracks in the Stoneman.  Where had they gone?  Who cared!

I called the two guys I thought were most likely to drop everything and join me - Day and Truc.  Sure enough, Day arrived that evening in time for beers and Truc met us in Glacier in the morning.

Skiing the Stoneman Couloir was one the highlights of my winter.

Rock - Mastiff Traverse

What do guides do on our days off?  We go skiing!  Special thanks to Erin Smart and Forest McBrian for joining me on this awesome day.  If you're interested in beta for this tour, feel free to email me at chris@chrissimmonsguiding.com.

Classic Mt Shuksan

Karen and Dave were back at it - again! - last weekend.  We met Friday morning and climbed the Sulfide Glacier and SE Rib on Mt Shuksan.  The trip, in Dave's words, was "classically Cascadian."  A heavily wooded approach with blue berries and salmon berries to the Sulfide Glacier.  Camp in a snowy saddle with views of Mt Baker, Glacier Peak, the Picket Range, and the summit pyramid towering above us.  A summit day of glacier travel, technical rock climbing, and a long hike back out.

He's absolutely right - the pictures prove it.

Entering the alpine and leaving the treeline at 5100'.

High camp at 6500'.

Sunset behind Mt Baker.

The Picket Range to the east.

An early morning start crossing and climbing the Sulfide Glacier.

Amazing rock.  Arguably classic 4th class or new-
school 5.4 on the SE Rib.

One last photo on the descent.  The SE Rib climbs the right skyline
from the notch 1/4th of the way up.

Statistics:  Pro Guiding Service, Mt Shuksan (9131'), Sulfide Glacier with SE Rib (III 5.4 snow, glacier).   7-8 June, with Dave and Karen N.

Torment and Sahale

I picked up Karthik at a hotel near Marblemount, for three days in Boston Basin.  Getting a permit for Wednesday-Friday was a breeze (mid-summer permits for the weekend are usually grabbed by the end of Thursday.  And we were quickly climbing through a low marine layer that had laid a thick coat of dew on the trail-side bushes.  I decided to minimize the wet by wearing my rain shell, and about 2/3rds of the way up we busted through the clouds and into the sun.

photo karthik j.

Karthik and I had talked on the phone a little bit and traded some emails, so I had a good idea of what he was looking for in the trip.  We reached Boston Basin's Low Camp, said hi to the guides I knew there on other trips, then continued up to High Camp, where we found one loan bivy site melted out.

Everyone seems to come to Boston Basin to climb the West Ridge of Forbidden - which is understandable, sort of.  It is classic.  But Karthik wanted something just a hair more technical, so I opted for the South Ridge of Torment, 1200' of mostly 4th class with a few 5th class steps lower down, and a great introduction to glacier travel on the Taboo Glacier along the way.  So we woke up early on Thursday, traversed over, and stood on the summit by lunch time.

photo karthik j.

photo karthik j.

For Friday, we wanted to do more of a glacier and steep snow climb but we also needed to hike out, and so I hatched up the idea of climbing Sahale's Quien Sabe Glacier with full packs, then down-climbing the Sahale Glacier and hiking out the Sahale Arm to Cascade Pass and the trailhead.  This is twice as long as the normal descent from Boston Basin, but we were rewarded with a beautiful sunrise, a summit all to ourselves (again!) and amazing alpine scenery as we hiked down.  To be honest, when we got to Cascade Pass we were ready to be done, but we still had 3.5 miles of gently switch-backed trail to keep hiking on.

photo karthik j.

Still, we made it out by 2:30pm.  And during the drive home, we talked about next year's plans.  Perfect!

Statistics:  Pro Guiding Service, Boston Basin.  Mt Torment (8120'), South Ridge (II 5.5, 1200'); Sahale Mtn (8680'), Quien Sabe - Sahale Glaciers Traverse (II+ 4th class, steep snow, glacier).  8-10 August with Karthik J.

Traversing Forbidden Peak

It rained the day after my adventure on Mt Baker with Kia, so we took advantage of the poor weather to rest and recharge.  Wednesday and Thursday looked like a second warmer clearing would be rolling through, so we repacked for an alpine rock climb and met again at Marblemount.

The hike up to Boston Basin was a little disconcerting - Tuesday's storm had blanketed the mountains in a layer of fresh snow, filling in and emphasizing every ledge and crack.  But I had seen photos from the weekend before that showed the mountain was snow free, and it was clear, sunny and warm for our approach.  So I was confident that the sun would melt away all the fresh snow, and that the warm temps still made a rock route more preferable to a snow line.  So we talked about our options and kept going.

Originally I had hoped to show Kai the Torment-Forbidden Traverse over the span of 3 days, but the poor weather forecast for Friday convinced me to change my plans:  I didn't want to be caught on the traverse in a storm.  So I opted for a traverse of Forbidden Peak instead, by climbing up the classic East Ridge and then descend the equally classic West Ridge.  If the weather looked too threatening to commit to a full day climb, we'd switch to Plan B - the South Buttress on Torment Peak, from which we could bail at any point since the descent is to rappel the route.

We woke up to blue skies with no clouds, so Plan A was happening.  But it had remained warm through the night, and I had to punch through some very evil post-holing snow to reach the ridge and the start of route.  A cold wind blowing out of the southwest kept us looking for sheltered belays on the northeast side of the ridge, and kept us in our extra jacket for much of the climb.  We dispatched the 1500' ridge route handily, and the wind started to die down as we reached the summit.

Descending the West Ridge was a matter of a lot of down-climbing, and a couple of lower/rappel scenarios, until we reached the col and the West Ridge Couloir.  Four rappels down the soft snow went without incident, but we noticed that the weather front that had been moving so slowly towards was suddenly right on top of us, and weak attempts at a drizzle was starting.  The last place I would want to be is in the West Ridge Couloir or under the Torment-Forbidden Ridge in the rain, so we put some pressure on ourselves to move faster and stomped out of the couloir and past the remnant pocket glacier, safe from any rockfall.

The weather was clearly failing as we hiked and glissaded back to camp, so rather than spending a wet night out we opted to pack up quickly and hike, following the tracks of a NOLS course that had left the day before.  This reached some mandatory bush-wacking (our uphill had ascended through the less-brushy forest until we reached snow), and it started to rain for the last hour of our hike out.

Continued rain on Friday and Saturday convinced Kai to call the trip a success, so we met for a celebratory lunch and started plotting for future adventures.  Two classic climbs ticked off in the only two weather windows of the week was well done.

Statistics:  Pro Guiding Service.  Integral Traverse of the East Ridge (III 5.8) to the West Ridge (total, IV 5.8), of Forbidden Peak (8810'), Boston Basin, North Cascades National Park.  27-28 June 2012, with Kai L.

Photos:  My camera was still suffering from condensation so every photo except for the ridge traverse and the summit images are courtesy of Kai and used with permission.  Check out his perspective of the climbs at the Mediocre Mountaineer.

Forbidden Tour Slideshow