Alternatives in the Bostin Basin Area

[sunnyseattle]

Heading up to bostin basin next weekend, quien sabe glacier to do a few peaks, wanting to have a backup plan if we're not able to get permits...any suggestions of whats close by thats worth while to head up. We are looking at doing sahale peak or the west ridge of eldorado, so something comparable to that...thanks!

[t_rutl]

if you get to the ranger station early enough (around opening which is at 7 on the weekends) you should have NO prob getting a permit.

 

if you camp at sahale arm you can do sahale, boston and the sw slope of buckner

 

camp at eldorado or klawatti col and you can do eldo's east ridge, one of the ridge scrambles on klawatti and austera

 

if you bail on that area there's always baker, shuksan or the twins

[sunnyseattle]

perfect...thanks

[Blake]

Climb the NW face of Forbidden, it's the best route in the area. You can get a pass for whatever XC zone is just north of Boston Basin, then bivy at the West Ridge notch (which is the border of the XC zones) and drop down the next morning to do the climb.

[JoshK]

Climb the NW face of Forbidden, it's the best route in the area. You can get a pass for whatever XC zone is just north of Boston Basin, then bivy at the West Ridge notch (which is the border of the XC zones) and drop down the next morning to do the climb.

 

I would also recommend the full N ridge (no snow cutoff) of Forbidden, though it is likely a bit easier than the NW routes. The E ridge direct is very short route that offers some nice moderate pitches, 5.8 or 5.9 iirc.

[Le Piston]

You could also check out peaks in the Ptarmigan Traverse area from Cascade Pass/Cache Col. I believe that is outside of the permit zone and has some great peaks...ie Formidable, Dome, Mix Up, etc. Check out some of the recent TR's. Good Luck and Great Climbing!

[AlpineK]

If you're set on Forbidden the NW Face is a really good route I can't speak for the N Ridge.

 

If you do climb along the Ptarmigan you don't need a park permit. You're out of the park once you either leave Cascade Pass or reach the other side of Cache Col.

[Alasdair]

I climbed the NW Face of Forbidden last weekend. We did not drop off of the West ridge col but went around the mountain via Boston and Forbidden glaciers instead. It was a very enjoyable way of going. Boston Basin was full our first night so we just dropped over Sharkfin Col. I have a trip report here:

 

http://alasdairturner.blogspot.com/

 

Edited July 27, 2009 by Alasdair

[johndavidjr]

If you go to Boston Basin and then take a left-hand turn, in about a mile or two of easy hiking, you reach a small glacier beneath Torment.

 

I wonder if you can camp here without a permit. It's perfectly nice.

 

I once tried to climb Torment from this angle, but the gully to right of a very moderate and attractive face on Torment was melted out at the bottom and inaccessible. We'd hoped to use this gully for access to face.

 

Piecing together an alternative access to this face may not be especially difficult, but we failed. There's probably other stuff you could do here. I remember passing an impressive & solid-looking (??) little pinnacle that I've never heard reference to.

 

I also did a pointless route on east face of Mix-up once, leading to one of rock points maybe 600 yds north of summit. Interesting, easy, pretty but not recommended.

 

We found a bolt from maybe 1960--- so our route both went nowhere and obviously wasn't an FA....

[Off_White]

I once tried to climb Torment from this angle, but the gully to right of a very moderate and attractive face on Torment was melted out at the bottom and inaccessible. We'd hoped to use this gully for access to face.

 

When melted out, there is a decent and solid rock alternative, I think its about 5.4

[johndavidjr]

I'm certain there is.........somewhere......"aid has been used" Becky says......This is a compelling objective (to little-old me).

 

Is camping without permit okay?

[johndavidjr]

Sure is like you say. An adventure assuredly.

 

What's with that little BS pinnacle?

[Gary_Yngve]

From my experience, it's harder to get a permit for Triumph than for Boston Basin!

[goatboy]

The party limits at Triumph are much smaller... like just a few parties at a time (which is great, in my opinion).

 

Sharkfin Tower is a really great objective up there but not as straightforward to approach this time of year when the standard gully has melted out...

 

Mixup is fun.

 

Anyone here climb Magic Mountain?

 

I am sure Boston peak is a forgettable pile of rubble, but maybe worth climbing just once?

[Le Piston]

I climbed Magic a few weeks ago (check TR Spider/Magic) It was a fun 4th class scramble. You could easily add Hurry Up or Mix Up depending on how much time you have...beautiful area. Enjoy!

[Off_White]

If you go to Boston Basin and then take a left-hand turn, in about a mile or two of easy hiking, you reach a small glacier beneath Torment.

 

I wonder if you can camp here without a permit. It's perfectly nice.

 

Nope, gotta have a permit there, I think it's considered the same area as Boston Basin. The next basin over, Torment Basin, might be a different zone and have different limits. It gets much less traffic, and the approach is decent steep forest. South Ridge, SW Face, NW Ridge, or the rarely done N face of Torment are all accessible from there. You might be able to get to the SE Face via the notch at the start of the S Ridge, but I recall the lower ridge shoulder being steep and scabrous, calling for a sketchy rappel. YMMV.

[tanstaafl]

Torment Basin is a different permit zone than Boston Basin. If you bivy *on* Torment, you're in the Torment Basin zone. Nothing to say you can't approach and descend through Boston Basin though; the permit is for camping, not for walking. However, if you bivy along the ridge between Torment and Forbidden, you're in the Boston Basin zone. At least this is my understanding from conversations I've had at the ranger station. We were asked for our permits once walking out from Boston Basin and we stuck to our (true) story that we'd bivied on Torment, and the ranger did not try to cite us or anything, although he clearly thought we were lying. Not to blame him, only an idiot would bivy on Torment.

 

[t_rutl]

I am sure Boston peak is a forgettable pile of rubble, but maybe worth climbing just once?

 

if you're obsessed with WA's Top 100 then it's gotta be...but yeah, worth mounting up on at least once

[goatboy]

Yeah - I am not at all obsessed with that particular list, but it does stand out as a point of prominence in the basin (for which the basin, and an enormous glacier, is named) and having passed by it twice en route to Buckner.... it kind of made me want to take the time to just go up there once. I have seen a million photos of Boston, but not nearly as many FROM it.

 

Two cents.