JoshK Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Trip: Forbidden Peak - North Ridge Date: 9/5/2008 Trip Report: Late last week Dave K and I climbed the full North Ridge of Forbidden Peak. This is not the NW face of N ridge variation described in Jim's book, but rather the entire ridge route. I highly recommend the pure ridge as it features roughly 3x the climbing on the ridge proper. I had wanted to climb this route for years and it suited or goals of something fun and alpine but without a pickets-like approach, which I wasn't in the mood for. The route itself was great fun. Getting to it was a different story. We took a small notch just east of Sharkfin Col, which is one of the most god awful gullies I have ever climbed. We had new snow from the prior storm, so it was a mud/snow thrutch up. However, the 5.7 moves to get up to sharkfin would have been worse as running water was streaming down pretty much everything. One 30m rap got us down to the Boston Glacier, where a relatively short glacier slog got us to the beginning of our route. We stuck to the ridge proper, where it is mostly 4th and 5th class, with the hardest moves being maybe 5.6 tops. While the climbing is not hard, the narrow ridge has incredible views which made it a lot of fun. The wide open views towards Buckner, the entire Boston glacier, Moraine Lake, Eldorado, and the rest of the ridge itself are some of the best i have experienced. The weather threatened the entire day and we summited in thick clouds, but thankfully no rain fell. We went to bed under clear skies Thursday and unfortunately woke up to a total fog-out and rain. A few hours of skittering down slick slabs and then a wet brush-fuck out the Boston Basin trail brought us back to the car looking like we had fallen in a swimming pool. Thankfully crappy Mexican beer (seems redundent, huh) was waiting for us. All and all, I really enjoyed this climb. While not technically challenging, it makes for a great all-around alpine mountaineering trip. Included below are some photos. Gear Notes: Ice axe, crampons, small alpine rack, one 60m rope. Approach Notes: Standard Boston Basin trail is very fast and short for a NCNP approach. we used a small notch east of Sharkfin Col, which I highly recommend despite how crappy that gully is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshK Posted September 8, 2008 Author Share Posted September 8, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpine_Tom Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Beautiful photos, if a little small... Is that Buckner, the first photo on the second post? Looks like the n face routes are a bit past their prime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 must...use...giant...photos! dude, you got dave smoking now too? awesome, a full summer of climbing n' carcinogens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danhelmstadter Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 (edited) thanks for the shpecktackular pictures - truly. gotta luv the tecate. Edited September 8, 2008 by danhelmstadter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainmatt Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 Glad to see that you are Alive with Pleasure Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pms Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 pretty pics. that peak is over rated, and when is someone going to do some work on the lower trail, PLEASE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Off_White Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 Didn't someone from the general public do a little pruning last year and the NPS wanted their head on a stick? Damned vigilante trail maintenance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpine_Tom Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 Last time I was up there (a couple of years ago) the forest service had said they weren't going to maintain the trail because it was wilderness, or some such. But, they STILL required a Forest Pass, to help pay for all the maintenance they weren't going to do. Is there still a forest pass sign at the BB trailhead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pms Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 wilderness area's and parks I'm familiar with have trails. This one even gets a fair amount of use (probably enough to warrant a day of trail work once a year or 5). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Off_White Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 That trail is in the NC National Park, so I believe the NW Forest Pass requirement got dropped a couple years ago. It's the Park that won't maintain the trail, but as I recall they didn't want anyone else to maintain it either. This was a couple years ago maybe? Ring a bell for anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvashtarkatena Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 These photos make me feel like a fly on an IMAX screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshK Posted September 10, 2008 Author Share Posted September 10, 2008 The park service's stance on this trail is absolutely ridiculous. This isn't a climber's path, it's a full fledged trail that is as well established as most any decent trail. The upper part is damn near perfect, but unfortunately the brush down low is persistent. Their refusal to move obstacles and such has led to several spots where the trail simply winds around and causes further erosion. There is no reason why a subalpine trail in a previously logged (and mined) area should not be maintained by either park crews or willing volunteers. Not to mention the fact that it has an "official" parking area and a trailhead sign. Boston Basin is a great area worth preserving, but for them to argue that the brushy lower section is "wilderness" and shouldn't be touched is silly. Of course, this is my 2 cents... Would a petition to the park have even a slim chance of changing this, or would it be a lost cause? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 that peak is over rated you crack me up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skisports Posted September 10, 2008 Share Posted September 10, 2008 Josh everyone now is giving me shit because of my smoking habbit..... I guess I need to stay with cigars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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