Mazamas — For the Love of Mountains
Shuksan is located approximately six miles to the east of Mount Baker in the North Cascades. Mssr. Beckey has this to say about this route: €œIt is a clever and tortuous route, not technically difficult, but involving stimulating route finding.€ (Ahh, that €œstimulating€ Beckey route finding!) This route can be a challenge for those who find steep snow and class 3-4 rock with big exposure to be unnerving. There have been some L O N G days spent on this peak by the unprepared. Know the route as best you can and start early.
Activity Notes
**Prefer ICS-trained climbers!!
It will be helpful if applicants can list who your BCEP climb leader is/was, if you are new to climbing!!!! Will consider strong BCEP graduates, if I have strong recommendation from your BCEP leaders.
For non-ICS graduate, crevasse rescue training is mandatory, if you wish to be considered for this climb!
Be mindful this is a mixed glacier and 4th class rock climb/scramble, a bit more challenging than the Sulphide Glacier route. The route will join the Sulphide route on the summit pyramid. This route is the one most often seen on photographs of Lake Ann. The Shuksan summit pinnacle is known for rockfalls.
You must have good physical fitness to be active all day in the mountains, multiple days in a row. You should be comfortable at heights and with exposure.
You must be comfortable with loose rocks and multiple rappelling stations on this route. The decision whether to fix line or to do a 4th class scramble is dependent on our comfort level and risk appetite.
Times: Estimated 2-3 hr trailhead to camp, 7-8 hr camp to summit.
| Other Information | |
|---|---|
| Driving Distance from Portland | 320 miles |
| Driving Time from Portland | 6 hours |
| General Route Info | summitpost https://www.summitpost.org/fisher-chimneys/155674 mountain forecast https://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/Mount-Shuksan/forecasts/2782 USFS Glacier Public Service Center: (360) 599-2714 Located approximately six miles to the east of Mount Baker in the North Cascades, Mount Shuksan is the tallest non-volcanic peak in the Cascades. From Selected Climbs in the Cascades (Nelsen and Potterfield): "The massive and complex Mount Shuksan - whose handsome profile from Picture Lake has become a frequent photographic cliché - offers no less than five rugged faces, with four of them commonly climbed. Big, remote, interesting, and guarded by sometimes troublesome approaches, Mt Shuksan exerts a strong attraction for climbers drawn to its wilderness slopes and rugged beauty." Beckey writes about the route, “It is a clever and tortuous route, not technically difficult, but involving stimulating route finding.” (Ahh, that “stimulating” Beckey route finding!) The Fisher Chimneys is an interesting and demanding route, providing a serious challenge to those who are out-of-shape or who are nervous climbing exposed slopes on high angle snow or unbelayed through Class 3 - 4 rock chimneys in mountaineering boots. Many parties have had very long climbs on this route (20 hours+!) Clarence “Happy” Fisher pioneered the route in 1927. See Beckey’s Cascade Alpine Guide for more detailed look at this area’s geologic and climbing history. |
| Expected Duration | Car to car in two or more days |
| Interesting Features | Spectacular Views |
| Relevant Books | Selected Climbs in the North Cascades by Nelson and Potterfield Cascade Alpine Guide: Rainy Pass to Fraser River by Fred Beckey |
| Relevant Maps | USGS 7 minute series, Mt. Shuksan, Green Trails Map #14, and US Forest Service Mt. Baker National Forest map Google map https://goo.gl/maps/AE5tpQzsSUr |
| Awards Qualified | 16 Major NW Peaks |
| Useful Links | GPS Track GPS Coordinates Map |
