Forbidden Peak - East Ridge, July 10-11

I first climbed Forbidden Peak back in July 2002. At the time, completing the classic West Ridge was a milestone for me - it was one of my first technical alpine rock routes and ultimately paved the way for the countless other alpine rock climbs that followed. The route was also the first of the few Steck and Roper "50 Classics" that I have climbed. Boy, I thought I was in the big leagues after that! What's not to like? An airy ridge with excellent granite, awesome position and sublime vistas of glaciers, peaks and lush valleys, and all in the heart the North Cascades. Nowhere else in the range perhaps does one find such a combination at such a moderate grade. Sure, it's easy by technical standards, but that in my opinion does not detract from the aesthetics of the route. The climb is just plain fun, and has a lot of what one wants and little of what one doesn't. If only it was longer. Little wonder then that many return to repeat climbs on the peak.

With memories of my 2002 climb now fading into obscurity, a trip to revisit what can arguably be considered the crown jewels of the North Cascades National Park was long overdue. I recruited Eli into joining me, and set my sights on Forbidden's slightly more challenging East Ridge Direct (ERD) this time. Longer and somewhat more committing, with multiple gendarmes that must either be climbed over or bypassed, the ERD presents a uniquely attractive alternative to the often-overcrowded West Ridge. Furthermore, with the mighty Boston Glacier as the backdrop, the position and setting is unsurpassed and easily tops that of any ridge route I have done.

Full report here.

Squamish, BC - July 5-7

With aspirations for alpine objectives in the area, uncooperative and slow-to-improve weather forced a change in vacation plans for us poor souls stuck in Squamish, BC. Tony and Dave had already high-tailed it back home to salvage what was left of their time off from work while Aaron and I shifted priorities and focused on the obvious. A seasoned Squamish climber; in my eyes anyway, Aaron gave me what amounted to a grand tour of greater Squamish over the course of several days. From dirt bag-style camping on the spit, breakfasts at Whitespot, 'reconnaissance' of the Squamish River cable tram (i.e. a doomed attempt on an East Ridge of Alpha) and of course rock climbing, I saw a side of Squamish that I'd otherwise never have had the opportunity to experience.

Full report here.

Mount Jefferson - Milk Creek West Ridge, June 28-29

Aaron and I paired-up for another go at an Oregon Volcano, this time Mt. Jefferson. I had wanted to revisit the Jefferson Park Glacier route, but given that Tom and I had essentially climbed the headwall above the glacier to the saddle on a previous attempt, I had a hankering to explore a different side of the peak and so we somehow convinced ourselves to give the Milk Creek West Ridge route a try instead.

It is a moderately interesting route...when covered in snow (I can't imagine what a horror show it must be when devoid of snow). Probably the most direct route to summit, the West Ridge has some of the character of a mini-Liberty Ridge climb - for the portion below Thumb Rock anyway. Unfortunately, the snow was warm, wet and very sloppy and only got worse the higher we got. It was 100+ degrees at the Detroit Ranger station the Saturday before the climb and it continued to remain uncomfortably warm at our 7000-ft camp that night. This did not bode well for the finish on the rimed-up summit pinnacle.

Full report here.