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Stuart Glacier Couloir

WI2 M4, Trad, Mixed, Ice, Alpine, 1700 ft (515 m), 6 pitches, Grade IV,  Avg: 3.6 from 10 votes
FA: Helmy Beckey & Larry Strathdee (1944)
Washington > Central-E Casca… > Stuart-Enchantm… > Mt Stuart

Description

Conditions
This route is subject to changing conditions. The ice section could be snow and thin ice or just nice thick ice. The ridge could be covered in 2 feet of rime ice and snow or it could be mostly dry. Obviously the time of year as well as the snow pack and current temperatures will change the nature of the route significantly. In early season expect winter conditions with freezing temperatures, wind, and lots of snow and ice. Route finding can be very difficult when you can't even tell where the ledges are or what the rock looks like! When we climbed it in March it was 95% dry tooling after we uncovered buried rock....full on M5 climbing. Later season I suspect it would be easier climbing and route finding and might knock the grade down a point or two (M3-M4).

Route
The route starts at about 7,800 feet at the top of the Stuart Glacier. Enter the couloir and proceed up on 40-50 degree snow as it begins to narrow. After a few hundred feet the couloir steepens to a short 80 degree step. In later season there can be good ice, early season expect more snow and thin ice. A little bit above this first step is a 2nd shorter step of rock or ice. Then the couloir opens up to a wider snowfield. Continue up this steep snow (50 degrees) for another couple hundred feet to a notch in the West Ridge.

From the notch the typically route follows the ridge for 6 pitches to the summit. The first pitch drops down 10 feet on the south side and follows ledges along the south side of the ridge for a rope length to another notch. Pitch 2 goes up and right initially on easy 5th class terrain. Then once it gets steeper transition around the ridge crest to the north face. Pitch 3 works up diagonally across the north face through mid 5th class terrain until you reach a small gully that leads up to the crest. From here down climb or rappel down the south face for 20 feet to another ledge system. Pitch 4 follows this ledge system (class 3) for most of a full rope length. Pitch 5 turns up and follows a crack system towards the summit. Pitch 6 just continues up cracks to the summit. Both of the last pitches are mid 5th class.

Alternate route on West Ridge
As an alternate route you can do the ridge in 5 pitches. Follow the standard route until pitch 4. From the belay traverse the ledge system of pitch 4 for half a pitch. Then turn up the rock and climb a wide almost box like gully. Continue up this until you find a good belay at the top of the box like gully. From here the summit is only about 1/2 a pitch away and up to the right. This variation is shorter and theoretically faster however it is definitely harder climbing. Still nothing harder than M5 but much more sustained.

Descent
The descent is typically down the Sherpa Glacier as this route is down early season. From the summit descend the east ridge towards the false summit. Continue following the crest of the ridge or dropping down on the south face to bypass steep terrain. After about 500 feet descend down the south side for 100 feet or so and continue to traverse across the face. Your goal is to traverse around the false summit at the easiest point you can find. Once around the false summit you should find a snowfield on the southeast side. Traverse down and across this snowfield past the top of Ice Cliff Glacier until you reach the top of Sherpa Couloir. From here you cross the east ridge crest and descend down the couloir to Sherpa Glacier.

Location

Stuart Glacier Couloir is located on the northwest side of Mt. Stuart at the top of Stuart Glacier. Most parties approach the mountain from Icicle road and the Stuart Lake trail. From the summer trailhead follow the trail for 3 miles to the turnoff to Colchuck lake. Continue on the Stuart Lake trail for another mile before veering left to stay in the main valley as the Stuart lake trail switchbacks up and right. Follow this valley for about 1.5 miles to where it steepens. From here turn right and work your way up the steep slope to a small valley above. Good camping is located in this small flat valley (5,400 ft) at the base of Sherpa Glacier.

Protection

A couple of short screws are handy for the ice section in the couloir. In early season, pickets can also be used in a variety of places. The west ridge is protected with a typical alpine rack. We took 5 cams up to a BD #3, 8 nuts and 4 pins, and we used all of it. In retrospect we wish we would have taken a couple more small cams (BD .3 and .4).

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Stuart Peak from the north.  Stuart Glacier Couloir is the snow gully on the right hand side going up to the notch in the west ridge.  The descent is down the Sherpa Couloir and Glacier on the left.
[Hide Photo] Stuart Peak from the north. Stuart Glacier Couloir is the snow gully on the right hand side going up to the notch in the west ridge. The descent is down the Sherpa Couloir and Glacier on the left.
Sunrise over the enchantments as seen from up on the Stuart Glacier.
[Hide Photo] Sunrise over the enchantments as seen from up on the Stuart Glacier.
Mt. Stuart as seen from our camp at 5,400 feet.
[Hide Photo] Mt. Stuart as seen from our camp at 5,400 feet.
Looking down the constriction from where it opens back up
[Hide Photo] Looking down the constriction from where it opens back up
Easier mixed terrain on the North Face before reaching a higher small notch on the West Ridge
[Hide Photo] Easier mixed terrain on the North Face before reaching a higher small notch on the West Ridge
Joe descending the Stuart Couloir.
[Hide Photo] Joe descending the Stuart Couloir.
Entering the bottom of the Stuart Glacier Couloir.
[Hide Photo] Entering the bottom of the Stuart Glacier Couloir.
Feb 2003
[Hide Photo] Feb 2003
Feb 2003
[Hide Photo] Feb 2003
SGC constriction with thick ice 05/05/2019
[Hide Photo] SGC constriction with thick ice 05/05/2019
Looking down the Sherpa Couloir with Sherpa peak towering in the background.
[Hide Photo] Looking down the Sherpa Couloir with Sherpa peak towering in the background.
Joe leading out on the first pitch of the West Ridge across ledges.
[Hide Photo] Joe leading out on the first pitch of the West Ridge across ledges.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Marlin Thorman
Spokane, WA
  WI2 M5
[Hide Comment] Climbed this route on March 22, 2014. Wasn't much ice in the couloir, and what was there was super thin. Did find a place to put 1 stubby screw in. From the notch we followed the alternate route description which allowed us to climb the route in 5 pitches instead of 6. This variation though was definitely 5.9, M5 sustained climbing. Mar 29, 2014
Jeff Hebert
Seattle, WA
 
[Hide Comment] Thanks for posting your TR and adding the route here! We met when you guys made it back to camp that night (we were headed to the Ice Cliff Glacier the next day). Goran and I headed up this weekend and hit SGC in perfect conditions (firmer snow on the approach, a little more ice in the couloir protectable with a screw or two, and less rime excavation up top). Thanks for putting the idea in our heads! Apr 13, 2014
James C
Seattle, WA
[Hide Comment] Did this in relatively dry conditions. Past the notch, climbing mostly felt like class 3 to lower 5th scrambling.

Routefinding was unclear at P3. We ended P3 at a half rope and found a "small gully," from which we downclimbed onto the South face, but we couldn't find P4 as described. We believe we stopped P3 too short, and possibly it should be a full rope length. We quested back onto the likely route via an M5 slab that took us to a crest from which the summit was visible. There, we rapped from a horn to another ledgey area on the South face. At the rap base, a narrow right-running ramp takes one to more ledges, an easy crack system, and a chockstone, before reaching the summit.

This was a much longer climb than we expected. From camp to camp at 5,400', it took us (entry level mixed climbers) a bit over 24 hours. In total, it was a 3-day trip. The descent was grueling, and to get around the false summit we solo traversed 80° snow, far scarier than anything on the climb. Really recommend trying to finish well before sunset to make the descent easier. If you could plunge step the Sherpa in the warmer daytime that would make it faster; we had to downclimb the stiff nighttime snow for 3,000'. Apr 21, 2021
Alexander Gorobets
Redmond, WA
 
[Hide Comment] Climbed on April 24th, 2022.
Postholing through the snow crust to the couloir entrance. Then again knee to thigh postholing on snow powder all the way to the col. Spent 7.5 hours to reach the col. Hit by spindrift on ice steps.
After the col 2 relatively easy full pitches as in the route description. After transition to North Face things became more difficult. A lot of snow excavation to reach a rock hold or put a pro. Found some insecure slabs and decided to cut this pitch short and exit to the ridge earlier exactly like James Cho in the description above. Then climbed some variation with a corner and a fist crack, then a slab and a crack. This pitch was quite engaging, not sure about the grade. M4-M5? Rappelled from a big horn about 30 feet. Left our own red webbing and rappel ring. After some routefinding found some ledge that passed under a roof and ended after maybe 1/2 ropelength. From there climbed on flakes a pitch of about 5.6 grade and did a short sketchy traverse around a small buttress. The last short pitch was an interesting drytooling problem with tool camming in a crack and high feet on the same crack. Reached the summit ridge about 50 feet eastward from the true summit. I think we climbed some variation in 7 pitches.
Descend was straightforward. At one time we descended too low around false summit, but quickly corrected ourselves. On a Sherpa glacier firm snow up in the beginning, then soft snow with postholing.
Heads up! Fresh wet avalanches on Sherpa glacier apparently poured from sideways couloirs! We took some objective risk there.
Camp to camp in 17 hours. Walked back next day.
Gear used: 2 short screws on ice steps; 2 pickets to belay 1st ice step; single rack from .3 to 3 on rock pitches. 60 m single rope, 2 ice tools each. Also carried pitons, nuts, smaller cams, but did not use. Apr 28, 2022