N Face Forbidden/Buckner Enchainment

[IceScrewed]

N Cascade Junkies:

We're planning on doing a trip 7/13 to climb the N Face of Forbidden followed by the N Face of Buckner. Any thoughts on how you'd approach this? I was thinking of bivying at the N Ridge, doing the N Face and descending back to camp--taking a breather and traversing over to Buckner and bivying at the base of the climb then doing Buckner (and which way to go out is still unclear). Any thoughts on (1)best way to descend Forbiddent to get back tour camp (i.e. any of you ever descend either the N Ridge or do the E Ridge descent down to the glacier--that is keep descending at the point where you would normally start to traverse) (2)most efficient way in and out (3)any other thoughts?

As always your sage advice (yes, I know that's leading with my chin) is greatly appreciated.

[Off_White]

How about you bivy at Sharkfin Col? Adds somewhat to your morning on doing the N Ridge Forbidden, but an East Ledges descent along with some inventive traversing (and perhaps a couple rappels close to Sharkfin) would put you back at camp, and you'd be well set to do Buckner. Odds are you'll have to carry over Buckner. Bonus is that by camping on the far side of Sharkfin Col you can be in the Forbidden Zone rather than Boston Basin Zone and getting a permit will not be a problem, and you won't schlep your bivy gear back and forth across the northern portion of the Boston Glacier.

 

If you're dead set on the N Ridge bivy sites, you could just continue rapping down the NE Face to the glacier.

[goatboy]

I think Sharkfin Col is a pretty damn good suggestion.

[IceScrewed]

Thanks...yes, I considered that (and we'll probably cross over on the route just E of Sharkfin Col to avoid the rotten rock). Have either of you done the NE descent down to the glacier (i.e. how many more raps after reaching the traverse ledge...and existance/quality of rap anchors below the ledge)?

[ewhack]

Also curious about this descent to Boston Glacier. Thanks.

Edited July 12, 2006 by ewhack

[IceScrewed]

Spoke to Jim Nelson about the descent of NE Face to the Boston glacier...he's never gone below the traverse ledge that takes you back to the E Ridge (although he did say he now prefers to eliminate the raps and downclimbs the upper N Ridge and picks up the traverse ledge there). Also spoke to a climbing ranger up there and he speculates that the rock lower down is chossy and that there could be non-trivial 'schrund problems upon reaching the glacier.

As for us, we're leaving in a few minutes and I expect we're going to bivy at the top of the couloir on the W Ridge of Forbidden and do the two raps to the Forbidden Glacier doing the NW Face tomorrow and returning to our bivy. THe next day we'll cross Boston-Sahale Col and do the N Face. Not quite the circle I had hoped to do but some great climbing to look forward to.