cam yarder Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 Hey all, Does anyone know what it's like getting from the summit of Buckner to Park Creek Pass? Looking for a direct alternative instead of dropping into the Stehekin Valley and joining the Park Creek Trail. Descending SE from the summit looks tricky on Google Earth, but sometimes the satellite view is deceiving. Would the east-trending ridge from the summit of Buckner to Park Creek Pass be a viable option? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonG Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 2 hours ago, cam yarder said: Would the east-trending ridge from the summit of Buckner to Park Creek Pass be a viable option? No. I climbed up this ridge to the summit from Park Creek pass in 1999. It was a full on choss-fest with lots of very, very loose 4th class. It is also quite long and took most of a day. We had a couple close calls with rockfall and counted ourselves lucky to have survived unscathed (we descended SW into Horseshoe basin and ultimately the Stehekin valley). Check out page 333 in the green CAG for a photo of the ridge from the south. "Much of the (east) ridge is knife-edge with very loose rock, and may be dangerous without a rope". I would add that it is still dangerous WITH a rope. You're not going to find descending to the SE any better.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cam yarder Posted July 10, 2018 Author Share Posted July 10, 2018 Thanks for the info. I’m thinking the Buckner-Booker col is the best option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blake Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 Descend from the Booker-Buckner col, or on snow close to it, to an elevation equivalent to the toe of the glacier and the toe of the SE ridge. Then you can start contouring under the more NE glacier portion and heading up to the pass. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.