Complete North Ridge IV 5.9

 
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Mt. Stuart


North Cascades, Washington, USA


Trip Report
Mount Stuart Direct North Ridge via Gendarme, WA, (2015)

by jaddles
Wednesday June 21, 2017 3:39pm
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Mount Stuart Direct North Ridge, WA.
Mount Stuart Direct North Ridge, WA.
Credit: jaddles
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Another retro report but I figured some might find it useful with the snow melting a little in this area.
https://jadelittlewood.wordpress.com/2015/08/30/mt-stuart-north-ridge-direct-with-gendarme/

  Trip Report Views: 3,103
jaddles 		About the Author
jaddles is a british trad climber living in vancouver.

Comments
survival

Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
  Jun 21, 2017 - 04:37pm PT
Nice TR!!

Haven't been up there in so long!

Actually, I've done a couple routes on Dragontail, but never been to Mt. Stuart.
So beautiful.
jaddles

Trad climber
Vancouver
Author's Reply  Jun 21, 2017 - 04:44pm PT
Hi Tami, I guess we hadn't heard of that as an approach people had typically taken and presumed that it could be a bushwack/slow going and figured that since we might be doing this at the end of a long day we'd stick with an option we had beta for. Good to know contouring to the West is also a viable descent option. Thanks!
Darwin

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
  Jun 21, 2017 - 07:55pm PT

Thanks for the TR! I've never done it, but I like to hear about ascents of DNR Stuart that don't involve an extraterrestrial (ok awesome, Tami!) car to car push.
neebee

Social climber
calif/texas
  Jun 21, 2017 - 09:59pm PT
hey there, say... jaddles... wow, thanks for the link...

i enjoyed this share... the notes, writing, maps, etc...

wow, and pastries, too, :)

thank you again, for caring to share...


edit: wow, tami, neat to hear your share on all this, too...
extra fun... :)
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
  Jun 22, 2017 - 02:12am PT
Faster to downclimb the West Ridge.
Ezra Ellis

Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
  Jun 22, 2017 - 03:48am PT
Really nice Tr Jade,
I've always loved the enchantment mountains,
Cheers!
Nick Danger

Ice climber
Arvada, CO
  Jun 22, 2017 - 05:53am PT
Wonderful TR, it just made the start of my day - thanx! Nice pics and quite informative. Oh to be young and strong again....sigh
jaddles

Trad climber
Vancouver
Author's Reply  Jun 22, 2017 - 08:57am PT
Thanks for all the kind words everyone. It was a great adventure.
Reilly, thanks for your comment. I think it may be faster to descend the West Ridge if you pull it off flawlessly but it seemed to us that there was definitely more room for error when tired and unfamiliar, see Steph's awesome trip report. http://www.stephabegg.com/home/tripreports/washington/northcascades/stuart#2006
The point is there are plenty of options with this route and everyone chooses what works best for them.
Tami, I think we have mutual friends as I'm pretty sure I know who you are from your profile picture. I would love to run into you one day in Vancouver or Squamish! :-)
jaddles

Trad climber
Vancouver
Author's Reply  Jun 22, 2017 - 09:04am PT
Darwin, I'm usually the one lobbying for the fast and light car-to-car style and I'd like to think that I'll go back for this thing in one push someday soon. But in all honesty, the experience of spending the night on Stuart was well up there with some of my all time. Hanging out with 3 of my best friends on a tiny bivi ledge in the beautiful mountains watching the sunset having jokes and banter - what's not to love?!...I guess it was key to keep the backpacks small enough that it didn't detract from the awesome climbing though.
Charlie D.

Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
  Jun 22, 2017 - 06:43pm PT
Awesome, beautiful line and rock in an amazing setting....thanks for the alpine rock summer stoke!!!
clarkolator

climber
Flatlands of Yolo
  Jun 23, 2017 - 03:33pm PT
Great TR! Thanks for all the pictures - I got rained off this around 1980 and since we were in a cloud I never was able to figure out how high we got. From your pics it looks like we rapped down from the top of the first, lower buttress, well short of the notch. It's a big ridge, took us 11 rappels to get down.

Back then there was a bong in the wide crack on pitch one, and it was thought to be 5.9. I guess there's reverse grade inflation up there in WA?

I do remember the Mountaineer Creek approach was arduous.
Alpinista55

Mountain climber
Portland, OR
  Jun 28, 2017 - 09:56am PT
Great TR on a classic. I've climbed the North Ridge 4 times over the years, twice from the mid-ridge notch, and twice from the base of the ridge; always doing the Great Gendarme. I've bivied at the base, the notch, below the Great Gendarme, and once in a thunderstorm on the summit wrapped up in an aluminized space blanket! For descents, I've done the Cascadian, Sherpa Gracier and descended the route. My favorite approach is the mountaineers route, with the Sherpa Glacier descent.

If you haven't climbed this route, you should! Most fun you'll have in the Washington Cascades. On the other hand, never ever climb Ice Cliff Glacier to the NE Face of the False Summit! Scary loose pile of choss. Watched a couple of refrigerator-sized block fall past just feet away.

JK
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Mt. Stuart - Complete North Ridge IV 5.9 - North Cascades, Washington, USA. Click to Enlarge
Photo: Joseph Puryear
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