Top 5 routes in PNW

[OlympicMtnBoy]

Allright, you guys are leaving the Olympics out (and you can stay out, I don't like crowds).

 

Mt. Cruiser - 5.0 route

[img:center]http://gallery.photo.net/photo/1275548-lg.jpg[/img]

 

Mt. Olympus - Standard Route

 

[img:center]http://www.cs.cmu.edu/%7Emcmahan/brendan_mt_olympus.jpg[/img]

 

Mt. Constance - West Arete - 5.4

 

(sorry I can't find a pic, my buddy's pic site is down right now)

 

[AlpineK]

Back when I was a kid my dad told me, "Crag climbing is fun, but it's only practice climbing for the real stuff in the alpine." He otter know.

 

In no particular order:

 

Complete NE Ridge of Slesse with the Crossover descent

NW face of Forbidden

South face of Prusik

Liberty Ridge (Ok maybe Ptarmigan)

North face of Viennese

Backbone Ridge on Dragontail.

 

One of these days I'll climb Thermogenesis and dump my other two Rainier choices. Ok maybe not.

 

 

[Alpinfox]

...North face of Viennese...

 

More info/pictures please? I have not heard of this peak.

[Off_White]

Are you unfamiliar with the Chehalis Range in BC?

 

pirated picture - not mine

[olyclimber]

cruiser and constance are two of my favorite climbs i have done too. i also never tire of mt. stone.

[TMO]

Liberty Ridge- Mt. Rainier

North Ridge- Mt. Baker

Reid Headwall- Mt. Hood

North Ridge- Mt. Stuart

North Face- Chair peak

[Winter]

aye, chest beating spray fest. i'll play.

 

S. Howser Tower, B-C

Slesse, NEB w/ Crossover sufferfest dumbassess

Grand Wall

Rainier, Liberty Ridge w/ near death dumbassness

Shoshone Spire, South Face (need some MT luv)

 

[marc_leclerc]

Some of my personal faves....

 

Waddington South Face (weissner/house)

Combatant- south buttress/'Belligerance'

Slesse - East Face

Serra 5

Steinbok - Edwards/Spagnut

[Pete_H]

Let us know when you've actually climbed any of those.

[Sol]

Having been 600 feet or so up steinbok it's hard to beleive there is anything classic up there.

[AlpineK]

Skywalk Buttress on Combatant is spectacular.

[marc_leclerc]

Skywalk Buttress on Combatant is spectacular.

 

sure looks it!

[marc_leclerc]

Having been 600 feet or so up steinbok it's hard to beleive there is anything classic up there.

 

Whats so bad about it? Flaky decomposing rock? It looks pretty nice....

[Sol]

shitty compact rock, lots of dirt, lichen, and vegetation.

[el jefe]

shitty compact rock, lots of dirt, lichen, and vegetation.

 

definitely sounds like a cascades classic!

[Blake]

shitty compact rock, lots of dirt, lichen, and vegetation.

 

And a couple new (retro) bolts from a subsequent ascent!

[G-spotter]

...North face of Viennese...

 

More info/pictures please? I have not heard of this peak.

 

 

See Alpine Select pp. 305-314

[Wakaranai]

I cant speak for the N. face but the south face of this peak is a vertical scree field. Book claims it to be a good early-season rockclimb. We found one enjoyable pitch, the crux pitch, which was the only pitch that had solid rock and gear. The rest of the time we spent pulling off holds, placing gear behind exfoliating flakes and cussing and spitting at the amount of choss on this shit pile. The approach was pretty heinous too, including a vertical tree/bushwack and a wonderfully loose talus/boulderfield with beachball size marbles that you just cant avoid.

 

I must admit that this was my first peak in the Northwest and at the time was accustomed to the casual alpine rock of the Sierras but I think even now after living here for 10 years that this S. face of the Viennese would take the cake for the biggest piece of crap that Ive done.....I hear the n. face is pretty good though

[AlpineK]

The North face is not like that at all.

[Blake]

It seems like there are various quasi "neighborhoods" in the cascades which feature several good climbs to represent the region.

 

I am thinking along the lines of the Hwy 542 trifecta of Nooksack Tower, NW Arayete on Mt. Shuksan, and North Ridge on Baker. Another might be the Cascade Pass: Torment-Forbidden, North Face Buckner, and NE Buttress J-Burg. I'm sure there are other examples too.

[eric8]

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

[marc_leclerc]

I cant speak for the N. face but the south face of this peak is a vertical scree field. Book claims it to be a good early-season rockclimb. We found one enjoyable pitch, the crux pitch, which was the only pitch that had solid rock and gear. The rest of the time we spent pulling off holds, placing gear behind exfoliating flakes and cussing and spitting at the amount of choss on this shit pile. The approach was pretty heinous too, including a vertical tree/bushwack and a wonderfully loose talus/boulderfield with beachball size marbles that you just cant avoid.

 

I must admit that this was my first peak in the Northwest and at the time was accustomed to the casual alpine rock of the Sierras but I think even now after living here for 10 years that this S. face of the Viennese would take the cake for the biggest piece of crap that Ive done.....I hear the n. face is pretty good though

 

I doubt its that bad... you're probably just a wuss

[marc_leclerc]

shitty compact rock, lots of dirt, lichen, and vegetation.

 

Sweet.... I'm trying it a.s.a.p

[Wakaranai]

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.

[mattp]

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.