What's next?

[Braydon]

So say someone has completed many of the hard routes in Washington (ptarmigan ridge, stuart razorback, etc.) and still wants to take his climbing to the next level. Where should he go? Are there many routes in the Northwest above these in difficulty and length? If not where is the next place to go...Waddington range, alaska, peru? The Pickets seem like an obvious destination but I just can't find any beta on the climbs there. Any tips, ranges, and routes ideas in washington would be appreciated

 

I'm not at this level yet but have been curious as to where to go next once you're climbing these routes.

Edited September 6, 2008 by Braydon

[kevino]

free the aid routes

[Alex]

It really depends on what you are shooting for. For qualifiers, though, I wouldn't call the routes you've mentioned hard. There are alot of very committing routes in Washington, but I am not sure there are alot of hard routes in Washington. Here are some things I guess I would consider more representative

 

* Complete Bonanza traverse - (http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=2&Number=233768&Searchpage=4&Main=15957&Words=bonanza+&topic=0&Search=true#Post233768)

* N Face Colonial in Winter (Watusi Rodeo)

* N Face Index in Winter (choose any route)

* The complete Silverstar Ridge Traverse including Wine Spires that Mark Allen and Mike Layton did a few years back

* Dolomite Tower on Baring

* Walking the Fence (Southern Pickets)

* Mox Peak routes recently done and reported here

 

There is alot more in southern BC, too

 

"The Pickets seem like an obvious destination but I just can't find any beta on the climbs there."

 

Not sure where you've been looking, but the Beckey guide is full of beta on the Pickets, and this site has a very large amount of info as well.

 

But moreover, what kind of climbing do you think you'll be interested in once you've ticked whatever Washington has to offer you? There are some obvious and easy destinations, depending on your tastes, that can serve up higher difficulty routes:

 

Granite? Wind Rivers, Bugaboos, Valhallas

Snow and Cold? Alaska range.

Granite, snow, and cold? Waddington, Ruth Gorge, Little Switzerland

Often nervy, high-standard "normal routes"? Canadian Rockies.

 

In my own limited evolution, I went to Alaska Range first, Wind Rivers and Bugaboos next, then the Canadian Rockies later. I still haven't done much worth mentioning in those places, but those ranges definitely give you perspective on the Cascades.

 

Given a choice today and some time (with 2 small kids though, uh....time...yeah...), I would head back to the Canadian Rockies on a heartbeat. My own goals are more "all-around" than Alaska-stylee or Bugaboo-stylee climbing.

[marc_leclerc]

The Pickets seem like an obvious destination but I just can't find any beta on the climbs there.

 

If you are truly taking your climbing to the next level you shouldn't be dependant on guidebooks an beta for everything. Exploration and routefinding is a big part of hard and commiting alpine routes.