Stuart North Ridge Descent Route

[lepiolet]

Planning to climb the CNR this weekend. Our plans are to begin and end at the Stuart Lake TH, eliminating the two-car option, with our descent being via the Sherpa Glacier. We'll have lightweight crampons with approach shoes (worked great in the Bugaboos a month ago). Looking for some information about the current conditions of the Sherpa Glacier. Many thanks!

[AlpineK]

Descending the west ridge involves one or two rappels and scrambling. It's a good option. Route finding isn't too bad.

[Pete_H]

Sherpa Glacier didn't look like a very viable option to me last week. There was a big schrund and a lot of glacial ice. Another option is to descend from Sherpa Pass into Mountaineers Creek. Here's instructions:

 

http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1032472/Sherpa_Pass_as_a_Descent_from_#Post1032472

[boadman]

You can also drive in the Teanaway road to the esmerelda basin/lake ingall's trail head and only use one car. You hike up to ingall's lake, over stuart and goat's pass to the CNR. You descend the Cascadian and then hike up over longs pass back to your car. It's pretty straight forward.

[telemarker]

You have to pick the right gully all the way around Stuart Lake and thw swamp on the south end. Like Pete said, I would be shocked if the Sherpa were still in shape. it's actually kinda fun to summit Sherpa Peak them descend the east ridge to the Sherpa/Argonaut Col, then down into Mountaineers basin. Long day and lots of mileage!

[Pete_H]

Unless you have some particular desire to go via Stuart Lake, I would recommend using the Mtneers Crk drainage to access the north side of Stuart. Its a pretty direct and quick way to go with minimal schwacking.

 

Good bivying near the moraine at he base of Sherpa Glacier. But if you did descend from Sherpa Pass and wanted to come back to your bivy you'd have to backtrack a bit.

[Rad]

Buddy of mine did the Sherpa descent about a month ago and he said it was steep hard snow downclimbing and a PITA to get past the bergshrund. It has likely only gotten much worse.

 

Boadman has the classic late season option nailed.

 

Have fun! The 5.9 pitch on the lower NR is really fun.

[lepiolet]

Thanks all for the beta and info. I kinda figgerd the Sherpa would be out by this time of year. We have considered the Ingalls Lake option. Pete, I read your Sherpa Pass route and this sounds like a viable choice- if we can stay on-route! Do you have a marked topo of the route to Sherpa Pass from Stuart?

[telemarker]

Unless you have some particular desire to go via Stuart Lake, I would recommend using the Mtneers Crk drainage to access the north side of Stuart. Its a pretty direct and quick way to go with minimal schwacking.

 

Good bivying near the moraine at he base of Sherpa Glacier. But if you did descend from Sherpa Pass and wanted to come back to your bivy you'd have to backtrack a bit.

 

True. I never really considered approaching straight up mountaineers creek. It's funny how you get locked into a certain way even though it isn't the most efficient.