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South Sister, Climbing The South Side
Technical Information
- Mountain: South Sister
- Elevation: 10,358ft
- Route: South Side
- Grade: Easy Snow
- Length: 5,000ft
BIG SOUTH
While the southernmost peak of the Three Sisters sports the easiest summit route, it’s also the largest, home to several glaciers and at least nine established routes. It also offers Some of the best backcountry volcano skiing on the West Coast.
After getting the mountain itch from Adams, I set my sights on South Sister. Being another hikable peak, it felt like a good choice to gain more experience in the alpine without getting in over my head, so on September 21, 2023, I hit the road with with Max, Trent, and Jake towards the third highest peak in Oregon.
This is a retro report, so I’ll keep it short and sweet!
DEVILS LAKE
Starting from the Devils Lake trailhead, the approach is very moderate. A very well maintained path takes you the entire way. No need for cairns or wooden posts.
SITE #19
We reached Moraine Lake with plenty of time to spare. The lake has plenty of campsites and we had the entire place to ourselves. After scouting around, we found site #19 to be the most shielded from wind while still having easy acess to the lake for gathering water.
That night, we managed to play a couple hands of poker and destroyed Max’s Jetboil trying to heat up some chili mac before hitting the sack.
GOING HUNGRY…
4:30am, the alarm blared. It was a pretty late to be considered an alpine start, but thats no issue on a glacierless route with zero overhead hazard!
The morning was going smooth with the boys and I slowly getting out of our tents and collecting water from the lake. This smooth, stress-free morning was soon cut short when I turned the gas valve on the Jetboil and was met with silence. The valve had been left open all night… This incident made us consider turning back, but hell, who wants to eat freeze dried spicy pad thai for breakfast anyway. On we go.
The rising sun gave us an incredible view of the valley with Broken Top standing tall to the east. A fluffy layer of undercast clouds also added to the view.
ALTITUDE?
The rest of the trail is relatively easy hiking, especially with light packs. There was a thin layer of snow on the ground for the last mile, but we were fine without crampons or micro spikes. Even though the hiking was easy, I started to feel off in the last couple miles. I couldn’t tell if my vision was slightly blurry or if the speckled contrasty rock/snow ground-cover was messing with me. At the time, I thought it might be from the rapid change in altitude which was a little alarming. Looking back, I realize it was most likely low blood sugar from skipping breakfast and surviving off of a few hand-fulls of peanuts and jerky the entire day.
SUMMIT
After some more peanuts, I started feeling better and we finished the climb strong. The summit of South Sister offers one of the best views in Oregon, rivaled only by Broken Top’s summit. Next time I climb South Sister, I’ll make sure to reach the summit at sunrise.
From the top, you get views of Middle and North Sister, Broken Top, Broken Hand, Mount Baker, Black Butte, Mount Washington, Mount Jefferson, Mount Hood, and Mount Thielsen. Gotta love central Oregon.
After a short lunch of of peanuts and cliff bars, we took in the view one last time before starting our descent. I foresee a Three Sisters ski traverse in my future…
BETA
The South Side route is 13 miles round trip with 5,000ft of gain. In fair weather, this climb is incredibly straightforward. A well kept trail shows the way. If its snowy, bring an ice axe and microspikes/crampons, if not, trail-runners. Keep an eye on the weather; lightning storms are common in the area.
