Goode NE Buttress

[Stefan]

Access to buttress is good. No problem with moat for several weeks. Glacier could be the problem though becuase it was breaking up fast. Some snow up high right now on route but not a problem at all.

DO NOT COME DOWN THE BEDAYN COULOUIR!!! IT REALLY SUCKS AND TAKES MORE TIME THAN THE STANDARD DESCENT!!!

[Climzalot]

Looking for beta on the NE Butt. Approach, deproach, route, etc. Current info would be great as well as past experiences on the mountain. What is referred to as the "standard descent"? Is that the SW Couloir?

Thanks

climzalot@hotmail.com

[mattp]

check out the discussion from a few weeks ago.

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000111.html

 

[Climzalot]

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Any other info on misc details like qality of the rock, the 5th class pitches at the bottom & halfway up the route etc. would be greatly appreciated. I am trying to assess the the feasability of a solo trip.

Thanks

[Stefan]

Route starts at mid 5th class immediately, followed by a short 4th class section and then goes to 3rd class to the halfway point. From the halfway point the climbing turns to low 5th class to mid 5th class and then goes back to 4th class/low 5th class all the way to the top. Rock was solid for me all the way with good holds. Not the best I have been on, but pretty darned good.

Good bivy campsite just below the entrance to the glacier at 5800 feet at the very top of the rock slabs.

Best approach is to WALK PAST the forested trees for about 150 meters (where CAG says to go), go across the North Fork creek, then walk downstream the North Fork creek for about 50 meters and then aim for the large talus runnout. You can see the large talus runnout when you are on the trail past the the forested trees. You will encounter brush, but IT IS MUCH LESS BRUSH than the approach route as described in the CAG. (Take off shoes for crossing the creek.)

On our return, we came around the Stormking Col by rapping down. Once again the glacier looked like it was forming a large bergschrund about 1/3 of the way down.

[mattp]

It is entireliy feasible as a solo climb, but it is big and remote and you better be both confident and competent. The hike itself may prove daunting by yourself, and then there is the glacier crossing which, while short, is not trivial. After crossing that glacier, I once climbed and descended the buttress entirely unroped except for one rappel low down on the route, but I had a partner on this outing and we gained a great deal of confidence from knowing that there was another guy there, and that we had a rope and gear in case we found something we weren't quite cool with. Have fun and be careful!

 

[Climzalot]

Thanks guys. That is just what I was looking for.

Happy & Safe climbing

[Mr._Blister]

When I went in there with a partner to do the N.E. Butt we learned at the ranger station from a reliable source that the river was running too high to be crossed safely. That was late July in 1995. This year I would not anticipate the same problem, but if you do encounter this difficulty, the N.W. Buttress (III 5.5 -- see Fred's book) makes a nice alternate trip. You can camp at Five-Mile Camp for that one. We came down the Bedayn Couloir, I think, and it was slow and dangerous. By any measure it is a serious mountain, but I'm sure you already know that.

Good luck and be safe,

John Sharp

[philfort]

Has anyone done the 2000ft 'ice face' just to the left of the NE butt? Does it look any good?