NE Ridge McClellan Butte TR

[robertm]

With the good weather window but a short amount of time we decided to head up McClellan's Butte today. The snow conditions were excellent. We cramponed up the couliour that you can see from I-90 until we cliffed out and then climbed two semi-rotten mixed rock pitches (5.5) up and right onto the NE Ridge. You don't have to climb the rock... you can go right and enter the ridge up higher from another gully to the climbers right. The route once on the ridge stays on the crest for the most part at parts steep vertical tree climbing (don't be sucked back down into the basin the climbing looks harder than it is). At about 4900 feet we contoured NW into a bowl and then gained the ridge crest again with a cool ice pitch (50 feet) and mantle up and over a solid cornice-- you might be able to avoid this by going out and right up a snow ramp but there is a large cornice overhanging the ridge where it exits. From there it was class 3 to the summit on mostly rock. It was a fun way to spend a short day. (on trail at 0830 at car at 1600 -- wasted about a hour on the rock).

[scot'teryx]

Thanks for the TR Robert, Im gonna have to do that variation real soon

[Cpt.Caveman]

That's sounds pretty cool. I was looking at that thing Friday from the highway. Wet rock?

[robertm]

Not when we were on it. No water at all... lots of ice smears and great styrofoam snow. The last ridge pitches are actually really cool solid class three rock with lots of exposure. Good views... could see downtown seattle and puget sound and lots of clearcuts. I would make sure that before you do it the avy danger is low and the temps are freezing at 3000 feet. We didn't see anyother people... must have all been in the alpental basin.

[Cpt.Caveman]

Nice. I bet they were. I was rock climbing choss with my puppy.