Top 5 routes in PNW

[Alpinfox]

 

Dru, thanks for the info on Viennese.

 

I don't have the Alpine Select book. Need to remedy that.

[marc_leclerc]

Your probably right. Probably off route too, but I think Ill stay with the "A" climbs from the Alpine Select book anyways. Too many clean classic lines to do than to waste time with rubble. Springbok Arete looks cool.

 

I was just being facecious.... dont take it seriously at all. I just hear too much b.s from crag climbers about quality routes like 'Yak Check' and Slesse NEB being 'shit chosspiles' with mank gear and so on.

 

Sprinbok arete looke awesome... Voodoo Child looks better though, no decomposing ramp to start.

[RuMR]

Did you lead Pipeline? Stout.

yeah...i was worked topping out...VG#9 was the ticket though...

[Pete_H]

colchuck balanced rock-south face of prussik, girth pillar or north ridge of stuart

 

I mean no disrespect here, Eric, and maybe I am missing something ... but have you climbed Girth Pillar? I can well believe it is a cool little feature in a neat place but it has a pitch and a half or two pitches of hard climbing on an otherwise moderate alpine ramble. And it is a big ramble.

 

Have you climbed it Matt? The route has a lot to offer. Its a long climb with a lot of variety and that makes it challenging. Snow and ice, some objective danger. Interesting, somewhat spicey mixed leads getting off the glacier onto the rock. Some route finding. Nearly 150 meters of the finest granite you'll find anywhere with unparralled alpine ambience. A true classic.

[ivan]

no shit about GP's ambience - what a wild cirque - the route could be pretty much dogshit climbing and it'd still have a shot at the vaunted big 5 list just b/c of how it feels to be in that little bowl of icy hell

[eric8]

colchuck balanced rock-south face of prussik, girth pillar or north ridge of stuart

 

I mean no disrespect here, Eric, and maybe I am missing something ... but have you climbed Girth Pillar? I can well believe it is a cool little feature in a neat place but it has a pitch and a half or two pitches of hard climbing on an otherwise moderate alpine ramble. And it is a big ramble.

 

 

 

 

I really hated those split cracks and its not on my list of routes to do again this summer before I move away.

Edited April 30, 2009 by eric8

[mattp]

Pete:

No, I have not climbed Girth Pillar. That is why I ask. It has always been one of those routes I thought I might like to do but wasn't going to head up there just because it was in a select guidebook. Where somebody suggests it may be in the top 5 NW climbs, that piques my interest.

[eric8]

I was just doing Blake's theme of an area with those routes. If I had to chose a top 5 I would pick something like.

 

1. West ridge of forbidden. Snow coulior to an nice ridge in an awesome setting, hard to beat it for the grade. I guess people prefer the nw face but I haven't done that.

2. Colchuck balanced route feels like your climbing in the high sierras

3. Heavens Gate or Japanese Gardens not sure which one I like more

4. New York Gulley the best mixed climbing I have done in the pnw but I haven't done pineapple express

5. and for pure ice banks lake, when its in there is no reason to drive to Canada if you steep pillars.

 

runner up that I haven't seen mentioned Rebel Yell Chanti, I really like that route. Nice setting and variety of crack climbing topped with a cool summit.

[eric8]

oh and the best sport route I have tried is Whitewashed at the south fork of Tieton but I didn't redpoint it

[Pete_H]

Another cool thing about GP is that it presents some logistical issues since you need gear for some reasonable difficult snow and ice as well as 5.11 rock. Its gotten a lot of hype recently, but I think its well deserved.

 

Your description, Matt, I think, is more fitting of the Northwest Face of Stu - a lot of crap for like one good pitch.

[dberdinka]

Five is hard. There is far to much climbing diversity in the Cascades. Here’s my list of technical climbs that are relatively moderate in nature (<= 5.10) that offer absolutely classic climbing without to many headaches.

 

 

Cathedral Peak - SE Buttress Pitch after pitch of stellar crack climbing in an idyllic setting

 

 

Gunsight - East Face The best rock in the range in a remote and beautiful location

 

 

Goode - Northeast Buttress Classic North Cascades mountaineering adventure

 

 

Slesse - North Rib 25 sustained pitches of high quality rock on a classic peak. It's really, really big!

 

 

Colfax Peak - Cosley/Houston Aesthetic technical ice route that actually forms most years.

 

 

Runner ups would be

 

Nooksack Tower – Bertulis Route

Chianti Spire – Rebel Yell

Mount Olympus – Blue Glacier

Mount Challenger – Challenger Glacier

Early Morning Spire – whatever the IV 5.9 is called

 

Edited April 30, 2009 by dberdinka

[Alpinfox]

 

That is a great list Darin. Especially since I haven't climbed any of those.

[pms]

interesting how Matt seems to prefer Nooksack Tower rock climbing to GP

[ivan]

interesting how Matt seems to prefer Nooksack Tower rock climbing to GP

nooksack sure has a more gnarly getaway than GP!

[AlpineK]

I think the approach/descent to Nooksack has GP beat.

[StreetBoss]

Good list so far! They all have merit.

 

Crossfire - Smith

 

Grand Wall - Squamish

 

Chianti Spire - North Cascades

 

Mt Baker, North Ridge

 

Dreamer - Darrington

 

 

 

[mattp]

interesting how Matt seems to prefer Nooksack Tower rock climbing to GP

 

Good one! The thing IS a piece of junk as far as rock climbing goes although in fact I thought there were quite a few very enjoyable pitches. Where Nooksack stomps, though, is in the location, the summit, and the whole package. Above, Girth Pillar is praised for the coolness of that awesome cirque and the fact that it involves a glacier and a variety of alpine skills. The Price Glacier cirque is at least as cool, the mix of alpine skills is at least as broad, and the top of the tower as compared to the top-out of the Girth Pillar route? A different league. You get to the top of the GP route and you can walk down. You get to the top of Nooksack Tower and you have a long way to go to get down.

 

After this discussion, Girth Pillar got a few more points in the plus column on my checklist, though.

[Pete_H]

I've been meaning to get that Nooksack route done for a while now. Maybe this is the year.

[Skeezix]

The Overhang on Spire Rock

Classic Crack

N Ridge Boys of Summer Spire

stoned at Rat Creek Boulder

Outer Space

[curtveld]

Leave it to Darin to do his in 'coffee table book' format - nice.

 

Here's mine:

Shuksan N face

Goode NE butt

Dreamer

Yak Check

Jack Mtn traverse (gotta have a dark horse)

 

Second tier:

Backbone on Dtail

Redoubt NE face

Baker N ridge

Paisano/Burgundy linkup

Slesse NE butt

 

 

 

[ivan]

interesting how Matt seems to prefer Nooksack Tower rock climbing to GP

 

Good one! The thing IS a piece of junk as far as rock climbing goes although in fact I thought there were quite a few very enjoyable pitches. Where Nooksack stomps, though, is in the location, the summit, and the whole package. Above, Girth Pillar is praised for the coolness of that awesome cirque and the fact that it involves a glacier and a variety of alpine skills. The Price Glacier cirque is at least as cool, the mix of alpine skills is at least as broad, and the top of the tower as compared to the top-out of the Girth Pillar route? A different league. You get to the top of the GP route and you can walk down. You get to the top of Nooksack Tower and you have a long way to go to get down.

 

After this discussion, Girth Pillar got a few more points in the plus column on my checklist, though.

not certain if you did it matt, but the rock on the bertulis route on nooksack is much more solid - just 1 scary bit that i can rememmber, as opposed to the interminably raps down the standard route, where i always went first, then immediately turned my pack into a shield above my head and cowered as my partner rained blocks down on me

[dberdinka]

Curt is right about the Northeast Face of Redoubt. That is one of the mega classics of the range. Sort of the snow & ice equivalent to the rock of Goode's NE Ridge. Absolutely stunning wilderness and scenery.

 

 

 

Getting off of Nooksack

~16 raps with route finding difficulty, plenty of sketchy anchors, a few hanging stations and multiple bergshrund crossing. It's the real deal and a lot more memorable than the climb up. Try and avoid tossing your crampons down the moat when you first reach the top of the ice couloir.

 

[billbob]

Get some.

 

[marc_leclerc]

I am a relatively new climber compared to most of you guys so ly list isn't that legit.. but here it is. In no particular order...

 

Yak Check - Despite complaints of crap rock and mank pro this route is truly beautiful, it starts off with 3 full pitches of splitter crack action but even that can't beat laybacking the exposed, flexing flakes of pitch 7!

 

Slesse Northeast Buttress - Even though the rock isn't splitter granite the climbing is still great! Great pro, steep climbing and decent exposure, the tense glacial approach gives it a real alpine flavour.

 

 

Crazy Peak Paymaster Couloir - This 450m couloir on the north face of crazy peak is similar in appearance to 'Supercouloir' on Mt. Deltaform but much easier. A nice approach and descent along with incredible views and a remote location make this a true classic.

 

Ensakwatch Enchainment - Easy but beautiful climbing along a sharp crest of spectacular granite. The straighforward climbing makes this route a pleasant, almost 'worry free' day out.

 

 

Harrison Bluffs, Falcons Crest Wall - This six pitch wall has two routes, both very enjoyable. The adventure is high on this wall, it isnt your usual crag route. Most belays lack bolts and bailing could be difficult. Don't go too early or you may be chased off by angry falcons.

 

 

 

 

 

[Dane]

I wanta go climbing with Leclerc!