What's next?

[Braydon]

(thought this might be a more appropriate place to post this)

 

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.

 

[DRep]

Check out the Cascade Alpine Guide volume I, II, III by Fred Beckey, I'm sure you'll find tons to keep you busy.

[Braydon]

What are some routes similar in difficulty to Ptarmigan Ridge?

[JoshK]

What are some routes similar in difficulty to Ptarmigan Ridge?

 

Pretty much any grade IV+? Obviously other routes of that difficulty won't have the extra challenge of higher altitude. Maybe some of the harder pickets routes would interest you? If nothing else the approaches will give you a good workout.

[Braydon]

what are some examples of good ice routes in the pickets? Fall alpine or Winter water ice.

[mike1]

There are plenty of long and difficult routes on PNW volcanoes that include ice climbing. The Cascades, Olympics and Alpine Lakes peaks can provide a lifetime of difficult rock and ice climbs but they aren’t as long as say something in AK, Canada, or Peru. My advice? Get out there and look for it. Do a Pickets traverse and recon some climbs. Make it up as you go. Leave your phone, I-Pod, PLB, and GPS. You want harder - make it harder. Hang it out there and feel alive!!! Ah crap... don’t listen to me, I’m a purest.

[ivan]

here's 3 solid grade V's for you, burgoening hard-man:

- ne buttress of johannesburg

- nooksack tower

- the index traverse

 

there are tr's on the board here for all of them, and beckey/nelson have all the beta you need

 

report back here when you've ticked them

 

btw, rainier really ain't shit!

[Buckaroo]

here's 3 solid grade V's for you, burgoening hard-man:

- ne buttress of johannesburg

- nooksack tower

- the index traverse

 

there are tr's on the board here for all of them, and beckey/nelson have all the beta you need

 

report back here when you've ticked them

 

btw, rainier really ain't shit!

 

agree on the hardman trifecta,

 

but not about Rainier, maybe just that it's in a different category,

 

try the Sunset Ridge in winter,

report back here when you've ticked it.

[Braydon]

what sunset ridge like in winter?

[plexus]

here's 3 solid grade V's for you, burgoening hard-man:

- ne buttress of johannesburg

- nooksack tower

- the index traverse

 

...and then there are the times that Ivan makes you say, "Right on!"

[Buckaroo]

what sunset ridge like in winter?

 

It's the longest approach and longest climb on Rainier. It can be miles longer depending on the snow level on the Mowich lake road.

 

the crux is the 3,000' 45-50deg face that tops out at 12,500' on the ridge, in winter it's usually topped by a big wind slab you have to go around on steeper ground.

 

It's also one of the only 2 safe solos, the other being Success cleaver. (no major crevasse crossings, winter only). If you solo it it's best to come down the same way.

 

It's very condition dependent, you really need a melt freeze so the snow gets hard, otherwise it can be an impossible slog.

 

Not sure if it's still true but it hasn't had a registered winter ascent, all other routes have. If it has it was the last route on Rainier to get a winter ascent.

 

Rainier in winter by any route can be a whole nother ball game. You get caught by a storm, you can be stuck in a snow cave for days.

[jared_j]

Introspect about what kind of climbing you enjoy; what is aesthetic to you. There are so many routes that receive praise from the Beckey, Nelson, and Kearney books that are also 'hard'. I ask myself what looks like a good line, what sounds like fun climbing, what receives praise from people who got on it. Taking this approach to selecting climbs has led me not in the direction of the scariest/poorly protected/loosey-goosey (e.g. Index, Nooksack) but surprisingly towards some climbs that are not as challenging technically but just hella fun. If fun for you equals hardcore all the time, well, then ignore this comment.

 

Also, there's tons of Pickets beta on the web if you google it. Check out Wayne Wallace's homepage, Steph Abegg's page, the big traverse trip report written by Theron Welch, et al. No shortage.

[mattp]

Introspect about what kind of climbing you enjoy; what is aesthetic to you. There are so many routes that receive praise from the Beckey, Nelson, and Kearney books that are also 'hard'. I ask myself what looks like a good line, what sounds like fun climbing, what receives praise from people who got on it. Taking this approach to selecting climbs has led me not in the direction of the scariest/poorly protected/loosey-goosey (e.g. Index, Nooksack) but surprisingly towards some climbs that are not as challenging technically but just hella fun. If fun for you equals hardcore all the time, well, then ignore this comment.

 

Also, there's tons of Pickets beta on the web if you google it. Check out Wayne Wallace's homepage, Steph Abegg's page, the big traverse trip report written by Theron Welch, et al. No shortage.

 

I agree that we should all select climbs that suit our particular taste, Jared, but I don't think Nooksak or Index are unduly "scariest/poorly protected/loosey-goosey" when compared to climbs of similar length and setting elsewhere such as the Canadian Rockies or Coast Range, or even maybe the Tetons. Yes, you can find solid cracks from bottom to top of some granite peak in the Bugaboos or the Sierra, but on the grand funkness scale these are not terrible or terrifying climbs. They are, however, Cascade classics. Big Four, North Face, in winter is another classic worthy of mention.

[ivan]

what matt said - index, j'burg and nooksack (particularily if you do the n face instead of the beckey route)are fantastic and fun and rarely difficult climbs in incredible settings - i'd repeat any of them just to enjoy the bivy ambiance all over again!

[Blake]

You can take your climbing to (several) next levels around here. These routes might be good choices for summer/fall alpinism. Most are grade IV or V and feature 5.10 or 5.11 climbing in beautiful locations, not to mention glacial issues, etc. Several are unrepeated. Beta exists for them all. Most are primarily alpine rock.

 

For Washington:

 

Stuart - Girth Pillar

Colchuck Balanced Rock - West Face, The Tempest

Dragontail - Dragons of Eden, Boving Route, Dragon Scar

Bonanza - NW Ridge via dark pk traverse, 3 summits traverse E->W

Gunsight Peaks - E Face, W Face, N->S Traverse

Buckner - Complete SE Ridge w/gendarmes

Silver Star - Gato Negro

Juno Tower - Clean Break

Liberty Bell - Freedom Rider, Independence Route, Liberty Crack

S. Early Winter Spire - The Passenger, The Hitchhiker

Goode - Megalodon Ridge

Swiss Peak - North Face Pillar

Fury - Mongo Ridge

SE Mox Peak - East Face

Shuksan - NW Arayete, to the summit via the Labor Day Route

Castle Peak - Colorado Route, Hirst/Herrington route (both on central buttress)

 

BC: Take a look at all the TD+ and ED routes in McLane's alpine guide.

 

Slesse - East Pillar, North Rib

 

Les Cornes - Springbok, Spring Cocks

 

Bardean - Hidden Pillar

 

Vienesse - N Face, Derektissima, Bohemian Rhapsody

 

 

I'd love to hear how some of these go, or see a TR and pictures if you give them a shot!

[layton]

Judging by your questions, you're probably not ready.

[G-spotter]

(thought this might be a more appropriate place to post this)

 

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.

 

If all you want to do is repeat routes, your first step is to actually go out and climb some of them. Once you've climbed a bunch of them here, you can start to visit other parts of the world. Within North America, The Coast Mountains, Canadian Rockies and Alaska as well as some more obscure locations, generally have longer and more demanding routes than the Cascades. Overseas you have all sorts of destinations in the Greater Ranges.

 

Some people however, aspire to not merely repeating routes but climbing first ascents. This is a complementary game and requires, amongst other things, better research skills on your part. If you can't at the moment find any beta on the Pickets or the north face of Sir Donald, you are going to have a whole heap of trouble figuring out exactly what things in the mountains are still unclimbed. You should start by improving your research skills - primarily by buying maps, journals, and guidebooks and reading all the trip reports you can online.

[DPS]

what sunset ridge like in winter?

Snowy and cold.

[ivan]

Judging by your questions, you're probably not ready.

 

or, alternatively, ready for some big suprises!

[John Frieh]

Swiss Peak - North Face Pillar

 

Has this seen a repeat yet?

[tvashtarkatena]

Climb with Ivan; everything becomes a Grade VI in full conditions.

Edited September 8, 2008 by tvashtarkatena

[layton]

Swiss Peak - North Face Pillar

 

Has this seen a repeat yet?

 

I don't think so, but there looks like plenty of new route potential there and nearby

[ivan]

Climb with Ivan; everything becomes a Grade VI in full conditions.

but it's all okay so long as the whiskey n' smokes hold out...

[Blake]

Swiss Peak - North Face Pillar

 

Has this seen a repeat yet?

 

I don't think so, but there looks like plenty of new route potential there and nearby

 

I haven't heard of any repeats. Any route description that features the phrase "pudding chimney" isn't exactly calling for repeats.

[Braydon]

thanks for the ideas/tips guys!