Goode NE Buttress - turning around

[obsydian]

We were the 4th team to turn around at the glacier underneath the NE Buttress of Goode (8/15), very broken up, very very hard ice, ice chunks falling down. Just a very hot summer on low snow year, would be a real serious ice climb for anyone thinking of an attempt. The group ahead of us had ice tools and still turned around. We had ice screws but the ice was too hard without real tools and stiff crampons. Maybe next year.

[klenke]

It's a wide glacier. I'm surprised you were not able to find at least one way onto it wide left or wide right. Once beyond the initial icefall apron, the glacier is less-steep and less crevassed (at least that's my recollection from last summer). Maybe you climbed something else while there. Logan goes easy from Bridge Creek. North Face of Storm King would be a wild climb (don't know how difficult the class 5). Or there's up to Black Peak. There are still others. After the long approach--whether by boat/shuttle from L. Chelan or foot by SR-20--I'd be making sure I did something in the area.

[Lowell_Skoog]

My recollection is that while the glacier is wide, there are few safe and easy entries, even in a good year. Late in a dry summer it can be very bad. Once you've climbed to the glacier you're not in a good position to try for either Logan or Black. Unless you've planned a very leisurely trip, switching to one of those objectives would probably make you overdue. And going for the north face of Stormking, if you haven't sussed it out, could be asking for trouble. No, after that long approach, I'd be making sure that I made it home safely to try another day.

 

Sounds like you did just fine, obsydian. Congrats.

[Alex]

Yeah this happened to me in 1998. Oh well, its a nicer than average hike so the weekend isnt a total loss.