Beta on Mt. Baker North Ridge route

[vaibhavb]

Looking for Beta on Mt. Baker north ridge route. Seems like the trail access is difficult.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Choada_Boy]

Access is not difficult, just long. Bring a bike.

[marc_leclerc]

Go as light as possible and do it in a day, bring bikes for the road. A single half rope should be good, depending on how comfortable you are on ice bring 3 or 4 (to simul) or 6 or 7 (to pitch out) the serac pitch. Its a nice route have fun.

[genepires]

Pack light and bivy on the ridge itself. A little bit below the serac band is a flat place to bivy on. In august, there are rock walls around a nice dirt patch with room for a 3 person tent if you wanted to haul that up there. Bivy sacks are fine or just sleeping bags. One day in and up to the bivy so you can negotiate the heavily crevassed glacier in the daylight. Then a early start on the technical parts the next day and out. A really good 2 day schedule if the packs are relatively light.

 

And yeah, the single half rope is good and if the thickness bothers you for the steep parts. Tie in the middle and use both strands for 30 meters pitches.

 

enjoy! I really like that route.

[pup_on_the_mountain]

Another vote for doing the route car-to-car. If there is extra road to walk (which seems to be the case now), one good option may be to bivy at the trailhead and go in one push from there. Plenty of TRs from previous seasons here (do a search) - Terry McClain's TR had some good beta (was from late July of 2007 though).

[AEM]

So how how far is the road closure from the trailhead? I've heard anywhere from 4-7 miles, quite a spread.

 

We are flying in from the East in September so bringing our bikes is out. I was thinking of 'borrowing' a shopping cart on the way out there!

 

How classy would that be? Starting a climb with all of your gear in a shopping cart!

[bcollins]

I usually try to grab one of those electric scooters from Wal Mart. If you get one from the back of the line with a full charge you should be good to go for the Baker road approach. Go light or you're milage will suffer.

Good luck.

[crmlla2007]

Is this just normal early-June snow closure or is something else going on - was going to head up in a few weeks but figured by then it would be melted out.

[JoshK]

I usually try to grab one of those electric scooters from Wal Mart. If you get one from the back of the line with a full charge you should be good to go for the Baker road approach. Go light or you're milage will suffer.

Good luck.

 

Haha, I had always pondered the idea of riding one of those scooters to a trailhead...

[northvanclimber]

We are flying in from the East in September so bringing our bikes is out.

 

The approach across the glacier to the bottom of the climb can get pretty chewed up by September. I've done it in both July and August and early/mid july was certainly easier, especically under the darkness of night.

[AEM]

Yeah, traversing the Coleman might be an issue. Looks like it gets done with some regularity at that time of year. I recall hearing about parties traversing below the glacier to gain the North ridge as well. We have some time, so hopefully it won't come down to navigating a crevasse maze in total darkenss.... I hear its also a low snow year.

[genepires]

Given that you are going in september, give my 2 day plan with a bivy on the ridge some thought. You would be able to do the glacier in the day and have an easier time with it.