Boston Peak -- How bad is it?

[goatboy]

Curious to know if people who have climbed this chosspile would recommend it in any way? Seems like things like this fall into a few categories, see poll.

 

Thanks -

 

GB

[KaskadskyjKozak]

 

I went quite far up it looking for the ramp to the Boston Glacier last year (for Buckner). It's pretty nasty below the false summit.

[Pete_H]

I wouldn't climb it for the rock quality but for the fact that its a moderate scramble with great scenery.

[klenke]

What Pete said.

[EastCoastBastard]

I agree with Pete - it's an easy scramble and kinda fun. If you're in the area, with nothing else to do, then it's worth doing.

[goatboy]

Will a 30 meter rope get me off the thing, or do I need to carry a fully 60 meter rope? Anyone know?

[klenke]

I did two raps with a 50. But that doesn't mean it can't be done with a 30. You could even downclimb it, if you wanted. But who likes to downclimb loose Class 4 sh*t?

 

Edit: now that I remember, on the second rap the rope was being restrained up above somehow. I tugged and tugged and almost brought down the whole mountain with the rope. If I had kept up at it, I might have removed enough mountain to take it off the Top 100 list.

Edited July 10, 2012 by klenke

[KaskadskyjKozak]

 

All this talk about Boston makes me want to go back and tag it. :-)

[curtveld]

All this talk about Boston makes me want to go back and tag it. :-)

Me too. Actually I need to climb it so I can come back and take the poll and see how bad it was....

[Lowell_Skoog]

I've climbed it three times. In 1978 I climbed it twice in a week. In 1985 I took my wife up it. There's a pretty easy route up the east face. But as I recall I always descended by rappelling the south face. Your mileage may vary.

[mughjie]

I went up last weekend (7/7/12). Getting over to Boston from Sahale was awkward, loose and had significant exposure. Loose rock piled on loose rock. Once at the last notch before actually climbing up, one has to find the "key ledge" off to the right. Last week, it was level with the notch (meaning that when the snow melts out later in the season, one may have to scramble up a bit from the notch to get to the ledge) and led to a small clear patch where the actual scrambling began. The 100ft-long ledge was snow-covered with wet, semi-consolidated slush with nasty rock-bottomed gaps in the snow only 20-30ft below (i.e. difficult to arrest before going in). The traverse over the 45 degree slush slope to the clear spot was the crux for us. Once at the clear patch, the rock was actually mostly solid, blocky and had good positive handholds. 75ft up and trending right, left for 50ft in a chimney-like dike, back to the right for another 75ft of face climbing and you're on the summit ridge (never more than easy 4th class). 50ft traverse to the summit. 3 raps got us back to the notch (good anchors in place). This time of year, the notch below Boston is a great bivy spot for doing NF Buckner the following day.

Edited July 11, 2012 by mughjie