North Peak North Ridge route

[matbat17]

Has anyone tried this route ?
This is the North Peak near Saddlebag lake.
Thanks

[giantbrookie]

Do you mean following the ridge all the way from the saddle (ie btw Saddlebag region and McCabes) or are you thinking of this only as the final approach? The final part of this is very easy but I have not done the lower and sharper-crested part of this ridge rising from the saddle above. If dayhiking North Peak and if your goal is to summit by the easiest and most convenient route, then the best approach is from the SE. You climb to Conness Lakes then you can select a number of chute or spur combinations that aim higher than the Conness-North Peak saddle. Pretty much the entire SE flank is class 2 even though a lot of it looks class 3 from a distance. This allows you to pick and choose whether you want more solid rock and benches vs talus and scree. You top out on easy summit plateau and then finish with class 1 walking to the summit.

[ExploreABitMore]

Do you mean the NW ridge route? I have done that - it's excellent. One of the few times I used my GoPro, so it didn't turn out to be a total waste of money, haha

https://vimeo.com/98279096

[amghaderi]

Sorry if this is a tangential question, but given how recent this thread is it seemed appropriate to ask here before starting a new one:

Is anyone familiar with the descent going down the W then NW side of North Peak, down to the Conness Creek drainage (on the south side of Don't Be a Smart Pass), i.e. down to just north of Roosevelt Lake?

From the map it looks like it ought to be straightforward class 2, and the views both down from the summit of North Peak and up from Roosevelt Lake seem to suggest the same...but I can't find much information about it online, in Seccor, or elsewhere (maybe it's just a crappy way to that side compared to McCabe pass?)

This trip report from Bob Burd seems to confirm that it's easy going down to Roosevelt Lake, but I'd appreciate any information.
https://www.snwburd.com/bob/trip_report ... est_1.html

[matbat17]

Yes its the NW ridge route mentioned by exploreabitmore.
How difficult is the last part of the ridge (shown on your video I think) ?
I'm 73 and would be doing it solo. Any need for a rope ?
Thanks

[giantbrookie]

The last part of the NW ridge is super easy. North Peak's west-facing slope is like a tilted plateau. Totally non-technical (ie class 1 to 2) and no need for rope.

As for the other question about dropping down to Roosevelt. Very easy and non-technical (standard class 2). I did it twice on dayhikes from Saddlebag in the days before they killed the fish in Roosevelt. The descent is easy whether you're going through the gap or descending from the top of North Peak.

[matbat17]

Thanks for the info giantbrookie but you are not talking about the part of North Peak I'm interested in. I have been to the summit via the SE chutes.

Its the sharp ridge you mentioned in you first post and shown on exploreabitmore's video.
Its a climb (at least class 3 or 4 and may be more difficult). I'm trying to discover how difficult it is to estimate
if I could safely climb it solo.
Thanks

[giantbrookie]

OK I was am bit misdirected when you said "top of the NW" ridge which really is easy from the ~11600' elev up to the summit, whereas the sharp ridge I mentioned is the one that trends NNE-SSW from the saddle above McCabe which looks topographically iffy (ie class 3+ potential) up to about 11600 elev. I do not have any on-ground familiarity with that one. I may have some photos taken in 1992 when I crossed over to Shepherd Lake, and I will post if I find anything useful in them.

[MtnLion]

Hi matbat17, I have done the NW ridge, and agree with Exploreabitmore that it is an excellent route. The video that they posted is excellent as well, and shows what the route is about. It’s largely beautiful class 3 with a couple of class 4 moves, with some pretty exposed sections up higher on the ridge that are short lived. Don’t really know your tolerance for exposure/unroped climbing, but it’s not super difficult, and the rock is high quality. Hope that helps a bit, and have fun out there!

[levi]

I did the NW ridge of North Peak in Sept 2018, and agree with MtnLion and ExploreABitMore. There are a handful of 10-20ft notches (three?) on the knife-edge that must be negotiated. Downclimbing into the notches and then climbing out of them were the sketchiest parts of the ascent, but weren't actually that bad, class 4 with maybe one or two easy class 5 moves. Since I'm a n00b I was glad to put on my comfy rock shoes for those handfuls of moves, probably unnecessary.

The views and exposure from the ridge are stellar. Fun climb, but the class 3/4 ridge is over a bit too soon, and then you're slogging up the NW portion of the plateau that giantbrookie mentioned