Mt. Shuksan, North Face

Mt. Shuksan via the North Face (grade III-IV) is a serious snow-and-ice route of moderate steepness on one of the most beautiful mountains in the Cascades. The North Face route offers the classic Mt. Shuksan challenges: approach difficulties through a valley choked with slide alder, problems with route-finding on the complex peak, and the physical demands resulting from the sheer size of the mountain. But it is a rewarding and direct route to the summit with a satisfying feeling of openness and exposure, a sublime setting, and a view down to Price Lake, milky with glacier slit. The climbing is 40- to 50- degree snow and ice. As with all such routes, snow conditions can be a major variable. As with all routes on Mt. Shuksan, this route can be considered strenuous.