Solo mountaineering route suggestions

[Bilbo]

Any suggestions for a New England climber who likes to solo and may find himself out in your area for a week or two this summer? I lead WI4 and 5.9 trad rock so I'm pretty solid on the basics. Most of my Cascades experience has been on the volcanos and a bunch of alpine rock climbs in the Washington Pass area... I'm looking primarily for routes where I can get on some snow & ice with minimal crevasse hazard, yet not total walkups. Time frame probably mid-summer. Any suggestions?

[faster_than_you]

Nisqually Icecliff, Mount Rainier.

[still_climbin]

Advising a New Englander to do NIC solo? Hope you have a good lawyer! I'd advise something WITHOUT serious cravasses anywhere on the route such as N.Face Maude, Eldorado, Daniels (easy), or something around Cascade Pass.

[mattp]

The N. Face route on Maude is a good one, technically casual for the soloist with the skills described but also a remote and beautiful climb with enough adventure component to feel like the real thing.

 

I have not done it, but I bet Triumph by the standard NE Ridge route would be a fair choice. The West Ridge of Prussik would be good, too, though you might want to bring a short rope and some gear for the "friction pitch." These are both rock routes, though; you'll have a difficult time finding an ice climb in the middle of the Summer in the Cascades - with or without a partner.

 

The NE Ridge on Kyes Peak might offer a "sort of" alpine climb, without real glacier travel.

 

The NW Ridge on Adams is a good non-technical summit route with a little steep snow climbing up high, as long as you have no objection to talus. The Lava Cleaver has a little less talus and more "ice" -- in fact, for 400 or 500 feet it might even feel like a moderate ice climb if the temperatures are cold.

 

The N. Face of Spider, too, is a snow/ice climb with only a little bit of glacier travel and might be OK. The S. side descent sucks, though, and the "first pitch" may be gnarly. It is in the heart of the North Cascades, and you'll feel like you are really out there.

 

 

 

[still_climbin]

Another Adams "lots of snow" climb is the Lava Glacier Headwall. Did it years ago and it was more 35-45 degree snow/ice that you'd want in a wet dream.

[Mos_Chillin]

Brokeback Mountain, bring ashes of lost love.

 

Excellent solo trip.

[Punter]

Glacier Peak via Disappointment Peak Cleaver.

[faster_than_you]

Advising a New Englander to do NIC solo? Hope you have a good lawyer!

 

As they say "ball up." Maybe you can't handle the excitment.

[ivan]

ne buttress of johannesburg (or the tamer east ridge)

west ridge of forbidden (or the east for that matter)

ne ridge of triumph

torment-forbidden traverse

[fishstick]

The N. Arete of Wedge (it's in SW British Columbia) offers a safe approach and an easy but asthetic ice arete/easy ice face. Reverse the route to descend to avoid problems with crevasses. Wedge is near Whistler British Columbia. Weart can be done from the same approach.

 

GB

[roboboy]

This year Ulrich's couloir on Mt Stuart may still have plenty of snow midseason and I think that you would find it to be a bit more than a walk up.

[Chad_A]

Haven't done it yet, but I hear Cooper Spur on Hood is a great solo.

[chucK]

If by "mid-summer" you mean June, you should check out the West Ridge Couloir of Stuart, or the already mentioned West Ridge of Forbidden. Both are steep snow couloirs dumping you at a notch below some fun rockclimbing on great rock in tremendous position with cruxes of ~5.6. Forbidden is the more difficult of the two. Stuart has an easy walkdown.

 

I tried soloing the West Ridge of Prussik last summer and was turned back by the friction pitch. Though it's not too technically difficult, it is definitely a "trust your feet" slab; i.e. a few moves in a row without positive holds. Even though I had a rope, I figured that a fall would still have had good possibility of injury. Not something you want to happen when alone, halfway up a rockclimb and 10 miles from the road.

[Gary_Yngve]

Ulrich's will likely be melted out by July. And it's not an aesthetic route at all. It's a way down, not a way up.

 

I would think it would be too late for Cooper Spur in July?

[ivan]

the cooper spur will most likely be thin and unpleasant by mid-july - depends on how hot it gets before then of course, but i've done it on the 4th of july before - the sunshine route is an alternative if the spur's out but you're already on that side of the mountain - it is all glacier though, but the cracks are obvious by mid-summer - hell, some jackass climbed it w/ cowboy boots and a bowie knife a few years back...

[Off_White]

It's a sincere inquiry, let's keep the responses that way too please. It's only open season on new posters over in Spray.

[AOC]

I had some free time in the Cascades but no partners a few summers ago. Soloed Frostbite Ridge (Glacier Peak) - a fun route with WI2 and some steep snow near the summit. The approach glaciers were gentle with only a few narrow cracks (mid-Aug). Parts of the long approach were washed out a few years ago, however, and I don't know whether the trail has been re-established.

[mattp]

I would not recommend soloing the NE Buttress of Johannesburg. I have soloed it and found it to be quite scary. In fact, I found Liberty Ridge more comfortable as a solo climb and I have a friend who has soloed both of them who felt the same way.

 

By the way, I take back my Triumph recommendation. I recieved a private message stating that I was nuts to recommend a route I've never even climbed. That could be.

[Roscoe_M]

Mount Shuksan offers several great solo routs. North Face or the Northwest Coulior are both good fun. The north west rib also looks good from the base. Fisher chimneys would be probably be a good solo route, although I've never personaly been on it. If you have never been to Shuksan I would highly recomend it as one of the most beautiful mountains in the Cascades.

[ivan]

Mount Shuksan offers several great solo routs. North Face or the Northwest Coulior are both good fun. The north west rib also looks good from the base. Fisher chimneys would be probably be a good solo route, although I've never personaly been on it. If you have never been to Shuksan I would highly recomend it as one of the most beautiful mountains in the Cascades.

i think the glacier bits of the fisher chimney route might be kinda intimidating for a solo - it's a spectacularly scenic setting though and maybe worth getting swallowed for we did a lot of crevasse jumping when i was there and one of my boys fell in a crack just below hell's hiway

 

re: jo'burg solo - definitely a wierd route to be solo on - very brushy and mossy so you often lack that "solid" feeling you want while soloing - still, if you're in the parking lot and it looks too freaky, circling round to the east ridge is an option and that route is mostly 4th class (albeit chossy)

[Alpine_Tom]

NE Butt, Black Peak (mostly rock) Fisher Chimneys on Shuksan, Frostbite Ridge on Glacier Peak, Corkscrew route on Sloan, I've all done solo, and felt they weren't unreasonbly irresponsible. W. Ridge of Forbidden would probably be good too.

One real problem with soloing is routefinding, as you probably know, especially the approach. Except for Sloan, I think all these are probably manageable, as I recall. Except for Glacier, which the approach got washed away, as noted above.

[Mtnclimber]

My two favorite North Cascade solos have been the north face of Shukson in late July and NE ridge of mt. Triumph. The approach to the north face of Shukson can be a pain if you go up the drainage. Best approach is directly down from chair eight acrossed the shallow river and then trend east and directly to to the top of the approach ridge. Once at the top of the ridge take it until you reach the base of north face. The best descent is either down the north face which can have rock fall or around the pyramid down hell's highway and then fisher chineys. On second thought north face of Shukson may not be the best solo unless you are famular with the mountain. Lots of places to get in trouble.

[Rad]

A lot of routes mentioned above involve a good bit of glacier travel, which I thought you wanted to avoid.

 

Two routes with minimal glacier travel:

 

Sahale Arm on Sahale - arguably the best views/effort in the range. It has a tiny glacier near the top and some 4th/easy 5th rock.

 

The Sharkfin should be in good shape that time of year too. It has a little glacier travel on the Quien Sabe, but it's more mellow than some of the other glaciers above (e.g. Sloan). Spectacular views as well.

 

Enjoy!

[goatboy]

I personally would not recommend soloing T-F Traverse unless you're familiar with it.

 

I soloed 95% of the NE Ridge of Triumph, but did appreciate being roped up for the one 5.7 pitch which is kinda wide and very exposed.

 

I second SAHALE and Sharkfin as good things to solo....

 

I actually found N Face of Buckner to be a reasonable solo as well in good conditions (though I "soloed" it with a partner - does that count?)

 

Good luck!

[Bilbo]

Thanks for all the suggestions... I appreciate you sharing the local knowledge! I'll have to pull out the guidebooks and have a look at these routes. Fisher Chimneys on Shuksan is spectacular, did that last summer and really enjoyed it! Anyone have any more details about the "washed away" approach to Frostbite Ridge on Glacier Peak?