Fortress Mountain

[hendorama]

Hey, just wondering if anyone could share some info on Fortress and even Chikamin. I just saw that someone was asking about the glacier there, but I was more curious about Fortress though I think we'll cruise up around both. Our plan is climb somewhere on the North side and I saw two options in Beckey, so if anyone has a suggestion it would be cool to hear.

[klenke]

Pssst, you meant Chiwawa not Chikamin.

[JoshK]

Pssst, I am drunk.

[Alex]

http://www.mountainwerks.org/cma/2001/fortress/fortress.htm

[Off_White]

I did a route on the NE face of Fortress years ago, be forewarned that it's very incorrectly described in Beckey's most recent green guide. It was on the left side of the face (which is visible in the distance in some photo or other), several pitches up a rock headwall, then long snow slope with some rock islands. Nothing to jump up and down about, but it's kind of a cool place. There were some more impressive options to the right, rock and snow bands interspersed, but I wasn't really impressed by the look of the rock. On the otherhand, I don't recall being bothered by rock quality on the line we did, so it may be okay. The further right you climb on that face, the closer you'll top out to the summit. I don't recall Chiwawa looking that interesting, but it's been a long time, so I won't insist that impression is true.

 

I may have a picture or two, but it's probably in some jumbled box of slides somewhere. If you're in need, I might be able to find something.

[hendorama]

Yeah, Chiwawa, I'm a deusch.

[klenke]

Hey Josh: still drunk or hangover?

 

Hey duesch: I've heard the Lyman Glacier on the north side of Chiwawa is no longer much to sneeze at (it used to be an ice climb for the Mounties but was more or less taken off the list due to the shortness of the climbing for such a long approach).

 

Here's a TR on Sergio's site that might be helpful: Chiwawa -- Lyman Glacier.

[Off_White]

In this photo, pilfered from Alex's site, you can see the NE Face on the right. The rock headwall is below, then we went up the snow just right of the rock ridge with the snow arete on the top, topping out on the ridge still aways away from the summit. The wall further right has some possiblities, with the steepest ending on the subsidiary summit further right out of the photo.