mfang

Thanks for the update, unfortunately I can't make it until August. I'll check back in a month and see how things look!

No way, thanks so much for your help! Obviously not your fault that all the routes are out this year - we can only hope for a better winter next year =)

That looks fun! I'll definitely post back if I can make it happen. This may be just the right thing, on a nice peak too

Bummer, next year then! Aside from Shuksan NF, I've been looking at these: South Early Winters Spire – SW couloir Eldorado Peak - E ridge Mt Buckner - NF Mt Stuart - Ice Cliff Glacier What do you think of these for "easier" technical solos?

Thanks for the info - I'll check out the Ruth-Icy traverse! I'm looking to get more experience on snow and ice (AI2 - 3) but with the drought the window is very narrow in CA. My brother works in Portland so when I visit him it's hard to resist a diversion to the Cascades =)

My first post here, but have lurked on the forums and trip reports for beta. This site is a great resource! I would like some advice on a solo trip to the North face of Shuksan in early-mid August. I live in CA and have not climbed much in the Cascades and am unfamiliar with the range's conditions/objective hazards. I have done the U Notch couloir of North Palisade in the Sierra but don't know if the two are comparable in terms of steepness, snow quality, and commitment. I picked August hoping that crevasses will be in open sight, the snow will be consolidated enough to require only crampons and ice ax (though I do have tools), and there will not be exposed ice. Would this be accurate given the past winter/spring in the Cascades? I appreciate any help, including suggestions to scrap this idea altogether and try an easier snow route on another mountain!