Boston Basin-Torment Basin-Eldorado??

[Adam__S]

In an effort to avoid the standard Eldorado approach and to visit Boston Basin, where I've never been, I'm considering traversing from Boston Basin to the Eldorado galciers. I have two questions about this route:

 

1) what is the climbing like on the steep section(s) getting over the ridge that separates boston and torment basins? I've read numerous tr's about people having trouble coming DOWN this area, but not about going up. I don't mind steepness and effort-- just trying to avoid sketchy stuff.

 

2) what would be involved in traversing from the top of the torment basin toward eldorado? (as opposed to the standard route dropping down to the basin draining eldorado and ascending the glacier) I camped on the ridge at the top of torment basin years ago, but don't have any decent photos or notes of whether it would be feasable to get from there to eldorado.

 

thanks a ton for any advice!

Edited July 15, 2009 by Adam__S

[Ziff]

two summers ago (in august) I and two others followed the ridge you mentioned from eldo to torment, we then dropped down into torment basin and continued to boston basin. there was nothing but a few moves of class two and the rest was pleasant hiking with beautiful views. any difficulties on the ridge closer to the eldo side are avoided by climbing snow on the eldo side (north). you might find trouble crossing from torment basin to the taboo glacier basin, but it is just an issue of route finding. it can also be easily rapped or belayed depending on the direction you are going or how sketchy you find it. I was up in the eldo area this past week and noticed quite a bit of snow on the traverse.

 

have fun

[MisterMo]

The rock step between Boston and Torment basins I remember as classic third class: exposed and neither difficult nor trivial.

 

I've only been down it, with a fairly big pack, never up.

 

 

[Ziff]

mistermo, you are correct, if referring to the step between the taboo glacier and boston basin. but there is another step between torment basin and the taboo glacier that is slightly more challenging and exposed.