Looming dramatically above the town of Darrington, Whitehorse Mountain offers a stiff approach (a honest 6,000 feet), and a craggy, glaciated summit. It's best done in early season when the brushy approaches are covered in snow, but after avalanche danger has abated. The glacier can be close to impassible by late summer. it can be done car to car in a long day, but most parties opt for a high camp.

Activity Notes

Whitehorse Mountain is a rugged peak that looms 6000 feet over the crossroads town of Darrington, Washington. Look it up—it has a jagged alpine beauty comparable to Mt. Shuksan.

This climb totals just 12 miles, but the distance includes bushwhacking, ridge traversing, glacier travel, scrambling, and low 5th class rock, with significant route-finding challenges. A deep moat often foils parties just a hundred feet below the summit. Total gain: 7,000 ft.

Local groups do the climb in a grueling 12-14 hour day, but since we need longer to drive up anyway, we’ll spread the joy over two days: Day 1, drive up, climb 4000 feet, and camp on the ridgeline—possibly on snow. Day 2: alpine start, traverse the glacier, outsmart the moat, tag the summit, and return to camp. If we're back by 4 pm (and we should be) we’ll descend to the cars and drive home; if not, we’ll camp another night and return the next morning.

The team needs a few ICS grads, but this climb is open to adventurous BCEP grads with some steep snow experience, stamina, and a tolerance for difficult travel.

Other Information
Driving Distance from Portland 250 miles
Driving Time from Portland 5 hours
Expected Duration Car to car in two or more days
Relevant Books Climbing Washington's Mountains by Jeff Smoot Selected Climbs in the Cascades Vol. II by Nelson and Potterfield Cascade Alpine Guide: Stevens Pass to Rainy Pass by Fred Beckey
Relevant Maps USGS 7.5 minutes Series, Whitehorse Mountain, and Green Trails #110 (Silverton) <href="http: maps.google.com="" maps?f="q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Whitehorse+Mountain&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=40.732051,93.164063&ie=UTF8&ll=48.211491,-121.678176&spn=0.016787,0.04549&t=p&z=15&iwloc=addr"" title="Google map">Google map</href="http:>