Washingtons equivalent of the Bugaboos?

[mzvarner]

Im interested in finding an area that offers multiple rock routes up to 5.9 ish) that require glacier grossing from an area you can basecamp at relatively near by. only thing that comes to mind is Boston Basin, but I have been there already. Suggestions?

[ivan]

uh...nothing? kinda why the bugs are so kewl?

 

colchuck lakes's got a buncha great routes all from one camp, but no glacier - so too (awesome to boot!) does cathedral lake why out in the wayback of the okanagon (that ain't spelled right) - back to l-worth area, get a permit to camp on snow up in the enchantments and there's prusik and many, many other options - there just aren't really that many glaciers near decent rock in this here state, no?

[Buckaroo]

Washington Pass, no glaciers nearby but way better weather and a shorter approach

[Hall]

Maybe Sol could chime in about the Gunsight Range. From his presentation a few weeks back, it looks like big glaciers and solid rock. Also looks like a big approach to basecamp.

[montypiton]

If you can score the permit, camp in the moraines below the Stuart Glacier access Stuart N Ridge, Valhalla Buttress, Razorback Ridge...

 

or camp below the Ice-cliff glacier & access Stuart N Ridge, NE Face, Girth Pillar, Sherpa N Ridge...

 

used to be the norm before the "car-to-car-in-a-day" fad...

[Buckaroo]

the Stuart zone is the only zone in the enchantments that has a few open reservable spots other than the lottery

[kurthicks]

The bivies that are high on the north side of stuart used to be outside the permit zone. Has this changed?

 

here is the current map on the USFS website:

[kevbone]

If you can score the permit, camp in the moraines below the Stuart Glacier access Stuart N Ridge, Valhalla Buttress, Razorback Ridge...

 

or camp below the Ice-cliff glacier & access Stuart N Ridge, NE Face, Girth Pillar, Sherpa N Ridge...

 

 

Or come in from Ingalls pass (from the south) and you dont need a permit at all.

[montypiton]

kurthicks - please clarify, if ya can - on the map you've so graciously provided, does "outside the permit zone" mean no permit is needed? I've used those high sites many times over the years, but usually outside the permit season, when the moraines are under snow. Which reminds me to qualify my "suggestion" -- when not snow-protected, the "desirable" high camp spots on the north aspect of Stuart might be EXTREMELY fragile - best minimize impact by locating any bivvy/camp either on snow or on rock...

[kurthicks]

Indeed--'outside the permit zone' means that Enchantment permits are not required there as far as I have been told.

 

The USFS person in Ltown reaffirmed that for me the last time I was in their office. I believe you have to be above the meadows on the Mountaineer Creek approach for it to be outside the boundary. They were discussing implementing overnight permits for Ingalls and the remainder of the Stuart area going forward though.

 

Perhaps a call is in order?

[eric8]

Boston Basin- the rock is not as good as the stuart range but it has more glacier travel and a lot of rock routes under 5.9.

 

Another option would be the Eldorado glacier area.

[G-spotter]

Im interested in finding an area that offers multiple rock routes up to 5.9 ish) that require glacier grossing from an area you can basecamp at relatively near by. only thing that comes to mind is Boston Basin, but I have been there already. Suggestions?

 

You don't have to cross glaciers to climb in the Pickets but it helps.