Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Mount Shuksan, Sulphide Glacier
Technical Information
- Mountain: Mount Shuksan
- Elevation: 9,125ft
- Route: Sulphide Glacier
- Grade: II+, 4th
- Length: 6,600ft
NORTH CASCADES
Wanting to squeeze in one last hoorah before shoulder surgery, Trent and I decided a climb was in order. We wanted to branch out from the non-technical volcano climbs we’d been doing, so a North Cascades objective was very intriguing. The sheer quantity of peaks to choose from is a bit overwhelming, so we just picked on an all time classic: Mount Shuksan. (More North Cascade peaks to come now that Trent and I are tackling the Bulgers list)
Heads up this is a retro-report. (finally caught up!!)
FLASHPOINT AND VIEWS
After waking up at Trent’s place, we packed and headed towards Seattle to pick up another buddy on the way to the trailhead. The drive was easy, and we stopped once to grab snacks and impulse buy a bottle of flashpoint. We also got a couple glimpses of Shuksan and WOW that summit pyramid is wicked.
APPROACH
The approach to Sulphide is a relatively easy hike, and the only annoyance was how overgrown some of the sections were. Walking through brush on a hot day and having all the leaves and grass kind of stick to you is itchy as hell. Good ol’ bushwacking (not). After breaking treeline, Baker came out of nowhere. Stunning.
We got to camp at the edge of the Sulphide Glacier pretty early in the afternoon, so we had our pick of spots. Coen and I decided to cowboy camp on the rock ledges at the base of the glacier while Trent pitched his tent nearby. Coens setup was absolutely diabolical. Man thugged it out with the bare minimum. I’ll include a picture below.
Besides setting up camp, we passed the rest of the day scrambling around and indulging in some flashpoint. Coen and I also cold plunged in a bathtub shaped rock formation. Super sick.
3AM
Alarms ringing, we all rolled out of our bags. The night was colder than expected, and my hands were freezing. When buying gear, I’m always reluctant to splash out on gloves, but I really need to reconsider… The $20 Showas can only take me so far. Besides the usual cold hands, the morning went smoothly. We got kitted, and hit the glacier by 3:45am. I took lead with Trent on the other end and Coen in the middle. On the way, Trent and I both noticed evidence of crevasses, but the snow quality was super good enough.
Once the sun crested the horizon, our surroundings finally came into view. It was pretty rad. The undercast made it feel like we were climbing a remote island suspended in sea of clouds. So so cool.
SUMMIT PYRAMID
Ater a bit of moderate snow, we hit rock. There was a good spot to cache gear, so I ditched my crampons and axe. Trent held on to his stuff which was definitely the right call. There was one last section of steep snow, and I was pretty gripped without my spikes. After that last bit of snow, the gully became more obvious, and we followed it all the way up. The rest of the climb went smooth, but I was definitely complaining in my head about the 70L pack I was toting (empty, but still massive). The route is 4th class with one or two 5th class moves depending on where you go. Super fun climb with some good exposure!
CUMBRE!
We topped out a little before 9am and chillaxed for a little on the tiny summit. It’s a bit bigger than Thielsens summit but definitely not roomy. A duo was up there too, and they turned out to be in a not so great situation. They were afraid to downclimb, and had only brought a 30m rope, one belay device, and no tat. I’m pretty sure they were just waiting at the top for another team to rescue them. We helped them out, and chatted all the way down. Always fun meeting new folks in the alpine. The rest of the descent was a breeze. First North Cascades climb in the books! (Bulger’s 4/100)
BETA
Sulphide Glacier plus the 4th class gully is the easiest way up Shuksan. The route is very straightforward. If you’re cool on exposed 4th class terrain, then this is an super worthwhile climb. Just familiarize yourself with the gully (google search some photos), and watch the weather as always! A few raps on a 60m rope will get you down the gully, but I’d recommend a tagline to speed things up. Much of it is also easily downclimbed.
