Mt stuart CNR???

[letsroll]

I am looking at climbing this in the next couple of weeks. Do I need to get a permit for camping if I bivi on the ridge? ALso is the entire route devoid of water? Really looking forward to giving this route a go.

 

Oh, almost forgot. How hard is the rap off the buttress? Is it really that tricky?

[Alpinfox]

Permits are not required if you approach via Ingalls Lake.

 

The route is entirely devoid of water. You can get water on the traverse from Goat Pass to the base of the ridge. The next place to get water is from a little creek at the base of the Cascadian Coulior on the descent.

 

I don't know what rap you are talking about. The one to avoid the gendarme? Just do the gendarme. No rap necessary.

[chucK]

I don't think you need a permit for bivying on the ridge.

 

The entire route is devoid of water.

 

Are you planning on climbing the entire North Ridge, from the actual bottom as opposed to starting at the Notch? If you are competent enough to do the lower part of the ridge, then you are probably competent enough to do the Gendarme pitches and thus bypass the rap off the buttress. But anyway, I can't really fathom how rapping off of a fixed rap station could be that tricky. Perhaps I misunderstand something here.

[letsroll]

Sorry I did not write that correctly. The rap off is for the decent. After summit time. I understand there is a way to rap off rather than taking the cascade coulior.

My bad.

[goatboy]

You're talking, I believe, about descending the North Side via the NW Buttress, a series of many rappels back to the Stuart Glacier. Not recommended, probably, unless you're familiar with that part of the mountain (i.e. locating it by descending the West Ridge route). Just go down the Cascadian.

[chucK]

Here's some recent discussion involving the NW Buttress descent

linkage

more linkage

[joepuryear]

letsroll, I camped at the notch a few weeks ago and I was able to go down the couloir to the east (toward Icecliff Glacier) and collect snow from a snowpatch about half way down. It was a huge chunk of snow so I'm sure its still there. It's about half-way to the glacier and there is at least one tricky chockstone to climb around. Took about a half hour round trip to bring up a big stuff-sack full of snow.

[cluck]

Don't want to sound like a tool, but suggest you do a bit more research on this route before giving it a go. With the kind of questions you are asking, this feels like an epic looking for a place to happen. Maybe you should consider doing the West Ridge. Still fun but far more mellow and much less difficult/committing.

 

Food for thought

[Off_White]

It's a great route for an epic, plenty of bivy spots, good rock, etc. Everyone's right about the descent though.

[ashw_justin]

Yeah stop ruining the onsight-epic.

[cluck]

[Alpine_Tom]

If you do the "non-complete" North Ridge (up the couloir) and avoid the gendarme, the NR is much more moderate, and not so much an epic. It's a long-ass approach from Longs pass, though, and a longer-ass descent down cascadia couloir. Which, unless you're extraordinarily lucky, you can't do in the dark. There's a reason there are so many bivvy spots around the summit of Stuart.

Bring at least the rudiments for an unplanned bivvy -- space blanket, lightweight down coat, that sort of thing.

It's an easy route to follow up, but if you haven't been up there before, you might have trouble locating the top of the cascadia couloir.

[Sol]

we descended the NW buttress this summer. not so bad, but i definetly don't recommend it unless you are an experienced mountaineer. best characterized as loose, tedious, exposed, circuitous downclimbing with a few raps here and there. it took us 2 hours from the summit to our basin camp on the n side. a bit hard to find the start if you've never been on the W ridge.

[splitimage]

We did the complete ridge last week via the Stuart Lake trail / mountaineers creek approach. Don't need a permit for camping at the base of the ridge, and there's a nice flat spot with a windblock right at the base of the ridge below a big boulder. There's no water on the ridge, but good water to fill up on at the base. From the boulder-bivy spot, fill up from the stream to the right, about 70 yards away. It's nice and clean, coming off the Stuart Glacier. Don't fill up with the water to the left, coming off the Ice Cliff Glacier; its really silty. Not sure about the NW Buttress descent.

[letsroll]

Cluck I am touched by your concern. Just to set some things straight before I get this rep as a climber with a death wish. NF on hood, it was solid in the AM when I was on it. I had bail-out options, Cooper Spur. Torment-Forbidden, at least I asked questions before heading out so I knew what I was getting into and what to expect. I have stood at the base of climbs or at the cruxes and turned around for reasons ranging from not feeling the climb that day to I didn't like the conditions.

 

As for water on an alpine climb it is not out of the question that there might be water on route. Again at least I asked before I took only on liter on the climb and got screwed cause of dehydration.

 

The decent via NW buttress I had understood was tricky prior to post and was just looking for confermation on that info. Again at least I asked the question.

 

I have been getting ready for this climb all summer. Hitting the trad hard and getting my confidence to handle 5.9 trad and if need be pull through some 5.10. Then again I have no problem leaving leaving gear behind if I get over my head. Better that then pushing too far and possibly getting hurt, and being on the 5 o'clock news. I rather be safe and able to ask more questions on cc.com that makes other posters question wether or not I should be doing the climb.

[TeleRoss]

Dude...did you ever go do that thing?

[letsroll]

Not yet. Partnered up with a friend for the wonderland after hers cra@#ed out on her. Then got a cold. Darn kids!!! DOn't worry I will be posting a TR when it gets done.

[hawkeye69]

letsroll,

i am kind of new here but been climbing nearly 40 years but i have learned the following cc.com rules:

 

everyone here is an expert, unless

you ask a question

took too long to climb something (who tells this i have no idea)

carry one or more pieces than the cc approved rack.

 

you will only know what is too slow, or your rack too big once you post your TR.

 

then the experts come out and they will tell you.

 

if you ask too many questions, the experts will always ask you if you are really prepared and have the full range of expertise for the climb you are attempting. i havent quite got it figured out whether this is brotherly love for your own well being, or by insinuating your weakness it puts them one up on ya.

 

have fun up there, i know a little snow is on the north faces, i dont suppose it is melting up high either...

[chucK]

Jeezus, you do seem to have a burr up there hawkeye. I just looked through this thread and found 1 post where someone took a know-it-all/unhelpful/discouraging tone. Everybody else just provided information.

 

If you're hoping for better 9 out of 10, you're gonna be disappointed, a lot.