Solo Baker

[ChrisFreye]

If you were going to solo Baker what route would you do it by. Putting everything else aside such as length and time to summit, what do you think the safest route is. I done many a route on Baker and I was thinking the Easton since the route is always in a similar position and there isn't a large change of rock or icefall and the crevasses can be easily navigated.

 

Thoughts?

[DPS]

All about the same. Crevasses are pretty big on all the glaciers on Mt. Baker. On the Easton they are big enough to swallow snow machines every now and again.

[genepires]

I have spent a lot of time on the Easton at various times between March and October. Climbing on that thing in September gives one a very good idea as to the number of crevasses you casually walk over during the summer months. It would take a choice between soloing that glacier and a bullet to the head to make me solo that thing.

 

I have seen many people solo it, usually a close line of men with skiis on their backs in the afternoon. Call me nutz, but I feel like Baker has a kind soul and rarely punishes the disrespectful climbers. So many people get away with really bad glacier habits there that going by the stats, I wouldn't call soloing the Easton a death wish.

 

I have been on the coleman deming in mid September and found the crevasse situation very tame in comparison. With the exception of the shrund by the pumice ridge, it seems like much of the route is a compression zone or just devoid of rock rollers under the ice. The potential rock and ice fall danger from baker and Colfax onto the Easton is easily managed by being in the middle of the glacier or just hustling through the sketchy areas.

[ChrisFreye]

I was thinking the Coleman-Deming as well but the giant shrund crossing has me a bit nervous. It is a shorter route overall from parking lot to summit. However, last summer I had to go around the shrund in late June and it was effin huge. I can only imagine what I might encounter on it this year. Only way to cross it was to go near the roman wall and there was an obvious debris field of ice boulders from the cliff above. Needless to say we scrambled pretty fast through there. I've been on the Easton from early june until early August and the route didn't change that much over those months and the crevasses did get bigger in the middle of the glacier but not really near the route itself except at the very top near the saddle between Sherman and Baker

[ChrisFreye]

I should also add probably that I going for a marathon climb this weekend (3 volcanoes, 3 days). Baker should be the last one (if I make it) so I am going to be pretty tired at that point. So I will definitely be slow moving.