jared_j

I think steep ski TRs are a decent starting point for sniffing out potential 'ice axe / snow scramble' ideas. Besides Jason's excellent list, I enjoyed this shorter one: The Easier Early Winter Spire Couloir is a pretty nice one that once the highway just opens up. A bit of a drive for most, but mellow and beautiful. Earlier the better, it melts out first near a big chockstone at the bottom that can be an annoying crux. Jason mentions McClellan Butte, which I second. If this had a clean / aesthetic summit finish, I think it would be on a bunch of must-do lists given its proximity and ease of access. Loren Campbell suggests exiting a bit early onto scrambly terrain here which I recommend. I like this one as a simple workout just finishing at the trees below the headwall. Not a couloir, but the face of Red Mountain (also at Snoqualmie pass) is a decent snow climb that is fine axe and crampon terrain in the right conditions (maybe not steep enough for what you're seeking?). This is highlighted in the older "Selected Climbs" guidebook by Jim Nelson and Peter Potterfeld. What forms as the snow summit is usually a cornice that you can't perceive when climbing it; a well-known member of the climbing community perished when it broke out from under her about 15 years ago. Exercise caution.

The variation Wayne is referring to is sometimes called the "Bocarde Variation" (this may help deciphering older TRs online); I know of a couple of parties that took this in the mid 2000s. When I planned a trip 15 years ago (which didn't go very well), the Joe Puryear Alaska Climbing Supertopo book had been recently released. I found it very helpful at that time, and it was relatively up to date at that point (with recently opened routes such as Freezy Nuts). It might not be worth the highway robbery prices on Amazon currently. I looked hard at the West Ridge of Hunter (though I didn't get on it). I was unsure about the Beckey Chimney (which is where the 5.8 rating comes from). I emailed Joe P (RIP) asking his thoughts on the Bocarde variation (which sidesteps the section of the route with the Beckey Chimney). He took the standard route, replying that he "... didn't feel like I was ever gonna fall out of that chimney...". Enjoy your adventure!

I too have rocked the Cascadias for a long time, and these days feel the sole is too soft for a lot of talus-hopping (or maybe I'm just getting older). I currently use the Scarpa Zen Pro which is a little slow to dry but provides a nice amount of stiffness / support. Back in the day I swore by the 5.10 Camp 4, and it fit the bill as "kinda burly" but still runnable; the Zen Pro feels very similar. I see more TX4s on the trail than anything else and my brother with a similar build / shape as me puts in high miles on his with no complaints, so there's probably some "there" there on that recommendation.

Snaffles chewing on your tires?

Thread necro - any thoughts on best way down if you get up to the North Brother and have a change of heart about the traverse? Just reverse course back to the notch of the South Brother?

Smoot has a dotted line in his book suggesting one could do a direct traverse from Big C to Snowgrass by climbing the snowfield, and I've considered trying it but haven't seen many pics online that made it seem doable. Looks like it'd be crazy steep no matter what season, like the north side of Sperry.

I've never been further back than Eldorado up this way, and am trying to assess my options if the walk-up permit situation doesn't give me the flexibility of getting a permit in the Eldorado backcountry zone. Is bivying somewhere in the "Inspiration" backcountry zone gonna totally suck due to the topography, wind exposure, etc? Maybe somewhere near that col at the end of the Eldorado's North Ridge and Tepeh Towers (as it's labeled on the topo map I'm looking at, the "southwest-most" Tepeh Towers immediately ESE of the Dorado Needle). Is this gonna suck? The goal is to spend a couple of nights and wander around (Eldorado, Dorado Noodle, Austera, Tepeh Towers, Klawatti, maybe Austera).

Do tell...?

Thanks @JasonG and the Cascadeclimber lords for facilitating this. I'm hoping to pluck a couple of interesting / different outings from this book as new workouts when conditions permit but time does not. This thing is halfway between a "select" style book and the encyclopedic Beckey books. To use a metaphor that is drastically losing relevance in a digital world, I implore you all to share your favorite "deep cuts" from this slightly rough Cascade "box set". This book is like some thrift shop vinyl.

I want a hard or soft copy of this book. I appreciate any help.

The three times I've been up there, the snow melts out on the northern (skiers left as you descend eastward from the col) aspect first and there's been a way to avoid the snow hugging that northern aspect. Snow is only mandatory if you're heading south (e.g. to Rebel Yell).

If you don't mind camping on snow (since it'll be snowy as a MF around Wing Lake during your timeframe), then one of the ridge routes on Black Peak would have nice ambiance and views if weather allows. On paper this doesn't look like a huge / difficult mountain but I feel like it's a good "toe in the water" alpine environment in the way that Sahale is. Another pretty cool place is Gothic Basin. On paper not as ambitious or high altitude as a lot of the options described here, but there's aesthetic scrambling on Del Campo. This could be a good back pocket alternative if you want something that has less snow or a lower level of effort than some of the bigger alternatives.

Thanks for the thoughtful and thorough reply.

What is the scoop? I haven’t hiked in to see the aftermath of the rockfall incident from awhile back. Are people climbing there again? Categorically avoiding the area? Which route(s) were affected? I don’t know how to think about the risks beyond the generic quip about geologic time including now.

There's faces and couloirs all over the range, some with easy access, some not. I've been on a lot of the standards, and want to hear from the experienced pros on this site about your favorites that aren't necessarily in the "Selected..." books/lists. I'm not a good skier so I'm asking more from the perspective of having a fun climb experience.