The North Cascades provide a broad range of trad climbs on quality granite, on Washington’s sunnier side.

Washington

NORTH CASCADES

RECOMMENDED BY Larry Goldie

Larry Goldie discovered the North Cascades because he wanted to get out of the rain. “Twenty-five years ago I lived in Bellingham, on the west side of the Cascades on the coast of Washington,” he began. “I started making forays to the east side of the mountains. I found that when it was pouring down rain in Bellingham, it would often be warm and sunny on the east side. There was also some very high-quality granite.”

With more than two million acres to their name, the North Cascades are perhaps the largest wilderness area in the continental United States that you’ve never heard of. They extend from Lake Chelan in the south to the border with British Columbia in the north, and encompass a large swath of the Cascade Mountains in between. The nexus of rock climbing in the North Cascades is Washington Pass, on Highway 20, just outside of North Cascades National Park in the Okanogan National Forest. “One of the reasons that the pass is the epicenter is that it’s the high point of the road,” Larry continued. “You’re in the mountains as much here as anywhere on the highway. Another reason is that you have easy access to a huge exposed chunk of granite, the Liberty Bell Massif, which includes Liberty Bell, Concord Tower, Lexington Tower, and North and South Early Winters Spires. They are just a short hike away.”

Larry recommended a few trad climbs for Washington Pass newcomers of different abilities. “For folks with little climbing experience, there’s South Arête on South Early Winters Spire, the tallest spire here. There’s a little bit of technical roped climbing at the bottom; but the rest is mostly scrambling—though it’s very exposed at spots. Most climbers will use a rope the whole way, but you don’t need a ton of experience to do the climb. One of the classic intermediate climbs is the Beckey Route [5.6] on Liberty Bell, one of many first ascents Fred Beckey had in the North Cascades. He had a knack for establishing some of the best climbs. There are four pitches, and each requires a wide range of climbing techniques. Another very good intermediate route is Southwest Rib (5.8) on South Early Winters Spire. It’s nine pitches—hard enough to feel like you’re really climbing, easy enough that most people can do it. There are beautiful belay ledges at the top of each pitch to break up the climbing. A few pitches put you in unique aesthetic positions. One, near the top, puts you right at the crest of an exposed spine. On Beckey and Southwest Rib, you’re looking out at the heart of the national park, with big glaciers, Glacier Peak, and Mount Baker in the distance.

“More advanced climbers will want to tackle Liberty Crack [5.11a], a 1,200-foot sheer face on the east side of Liberty Bell—it’s what you see from the Washington Pass Overlook. Liberty Crack is a continuous crack system that works its way up the areas’ biggest wall. It requires a few pitches of aid climbing early on—it’s not difficult if you have some aid climbing experience. The free climbing is outstanding. It’s definitely a jump up in difficulty from Beckey and Southwest Rib, but still within the realm of possibility for many climbers. If you don’t have aid climbing experience, it’s a 1.5-day affair. Hitchhiker [5.11] is another great advanced climb, on the southeast face of South Early Winters Spire. It’s sustained, but the rock is high quality. Looking east from either climb, you’ll see the craggy massifs of Wine Spires and Silver Mountain. These are also great climbing destinations, but it takes twice as long to approach them.”

If you have a yen for a multiday backcountry trip, Larry might point you to West Ridge on Forbidden Peak in the national park. “There’s a bit of everything involved,” he described. “An arduous approach on a climber’s trail over logs and raging streams, a small glacier and snow couloir to navigate, and then a long exposed fourth and low fifth class ridge up to a dinner table–size summit. The climbing isn’t too complicated, but it’s a difficult descent. For variety and positioning, it’s tough to beat.”

Post-climbing, many retire to the nearby hamlet of Mazama. “The Mazama Store has an unbelievable bakery and deli,” Larry enthused, “and great coffee and beer on tap. In the summer, there’s live music. There’s also a great gear shop, the Goat’s Beard. If you live in a rural place and can only have one store, this is the one you want.”

The North Cascade’s remoteness—one of its defining features—speaks to one of Larry Goldie’s fondest climbing memories. “There are some climbs I do every year,” he ventured. “They’re so good and so fun. A buddy and I were going to tackle one of those climbs. As we were driving, we passed a spire, one of the smaller peaks in the area. I’d driven by it many times, and I’d recently caught sight of a ridgeline that I didn’t think had been climbed. I mentioned to my friend that we should do it some time. My friend said, ‘How about right now?’ We spun the car around and we climbed it. It was a first ascent. And now it’s considered a moderately classic route. We named it Spontaneity Arête. In the North Cascades, there are still unclimbed lines, especially if you don’t mind hiking in a bit farther. It gives me comfort that in this day in age, you can still find a chunk of rock that hasn’t been climbed.”

LARRY GOLDIE, co-owner and lead guide for North Cascades Mountain Guides, has been making a living as a mountain guide for over two decades. He has climbed, skied, and guided extensively in the Cascades, as well as the Alps, Sierras, Rockies, Alaska, and Canada. An International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations licensed mountain guide and an American Mountain Guide Association certified guide, Larry is an instructor for AMGA and an instructor trainer and pro course instructor for American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education.

If You Go

▶ Getting There: Mazama is roughly 3.5 hours from Bellingham, which is served by Alaska (800-252-7522; www.alaskaair.com) and Allegiant (702) 505-8888; www.allegiantair.com), and 4.5 hours from Seattle, which is served by many major carriers.

▶ Best Time to Visit: July and August are the best times to climb here, though the season can extend a month on either side.

▶ Level of Difficulty: There are some routes suited to less experienced climbers, but more of the terrain here is better suited for intermediates and above.

▶ Guides: Several companies lead climbing trips in the North Cascades, including North Cascades Mountain Guides (509-996-3194; www.ncmountainguides.com). Fred Beckey’s Cascade Alpine Guides remain classic resources for climbers.

▶ Accommodations: There are several forest service campgrounds in the area, including Klipchuk. Mazama has several lodges (highlighted at www.mazama.org); there are more-modest motels just down the road in Winthrop (www.winthropwashington.com).