Middle Sister beta - N & SE ridges

[Adam Schneider]

A friend and I are planning to day-hike to the summit of Middle Sister this weekend from the Pole Creek trailhead; neither of us has been before. I assume that with the weather this year, Hayden Glacier's crevasses will be laid completely bare. So the good news is we'll be able to see them, but will they be so numerous that finding a route to the top will be tricky?

 

I've been gathering up people's GPS tracks from around the Web, and I found at least one that avoids Hayden's ice entirely by going up the north moraine and around the back of Prouty Point; anyone have any experience with that?

 

And then there's the south/southeast ridge: is it feasible to get there by cutting across the bottom of Diller Glacier from the Hayden climber's trail, or is it really only doable from Camp Lake?

 

(More GPS tracks would be welcome, if you have some to share!)

 

Edited August 11, 2015 by Adam Schneider

[Adam Schneider]

I summited Middle Sister yesterday, going up the north ridge and down the south/southeast ridge. To answer my own questions:

 

1) Hayden Glacier is currently impassible; at least one large crevasse (and maybe more) cuts all the way across. The only non-technical way to get up to the north side is to ascend the rocks and snowfields on the north side of the glacier to the saddle below North Sister, then go around the back of Prouty Point to the saddle between Hayden & Renfrew Glacier. (This route was actually pretty easy.)

 

2) Diller Glacier is also impassible, which means that are no sensible shortcuts from the southeast ridge back toward the Pole Creek area; you almost HAVE to go via Camp Lake.