Mt. Stuart (& Sherpa Peak)

Map & Approach Beta

The Approach-Exit Dilemma for a climb of the North Ridge of Stuart

Climbing the North Ridge of Stuart poses a bit of a strategy problem. The most nontechincal descent (snow slope in early summer, scree in later summer) is the Cascadian Couloir, which is on the south side of the mountain. But the climb is on the north side of the mountain. So this forces the climber to wrap half-way around the mountain before or after the climb, which can take several hours and for many parties necessitates a bivy before or after the climb. 

Another option is to use the Sherpa Glacier (accessed via a col between the summit of Stuart and Sherpa) as a descent route. Not only is the Sherpa Glacier on the north side, but it also provides the quickest and most direct way down. However, this descent route requires some experience with glacier travel and also is only a feasible route in the early summer.

In July 2016, my partner and I tried out a different north side descent route that ended up being quite straightforward and would provide a nice alternative to the Sherpa Glacier. Instead of going the Sherpa Glacier, we traversed 3rd class terrain around the south side of Sherpa Peak to Sherpa Pass on the east side of Sherpa. (We detoured briefly to climb Sherpa via its West Ridge.) From Sherpa Pass, it was an easy glissade down a snowslope to the headwaters of Mountaineers Creek which eventually brought us down to the approach path to the North Ridge. This descent route is slightly more time and foot travel than going down the Sherpa Glacier (there is quite a bit of terrain to cover between Stuart and Sherpa Pass), but it is less technical, should be mellow even in late summer, and allows a possible ascent of Sherpa if you have time. It is feasible for fast parties to use this descent option as part of a one-day car-to-car ascent of Stuart from the north.

No matter what approach and descent routes you choose, combined with the climb itself, Stuart is a big endeavor and covers a lot of terrain. But the athleticism required to climb Stuart is part of what makes climbing Stuart equally compelling and rewarding.

I have summarized the various approach and descent options (that I know if at least) in the map above.

When Clint and I climbed the North Ridge in 2006, we chose to approach from the north and then descend the West Ridge, go through Goat Pass (a high pass on the west side of the mountain, which you would have to come through if you approached from the south), and hike cross-country back to the Lake Stuart trail and trailhead. I probably wouldn't recommend this descent, since it took all day to do. 

When Jon and I climbed the North Ridge in 2016, the plan was to do a giant linkup of the entire ridgeline (Stuart-Sherpa-Argonaut-Colchuck-Dragontail) which would get us away from any of the standard Stuart descent routes. We climbed in late June, so most of the parties on the route with us were planning on coming down the Sherpa Glacier. We ended up cutting our grand plans short and coming down a snowfield on the north side of Sherpa Pass, which was an incredibly mellow descent and should be considered as a feasible descent option from Stuart, especially in the later summer when the Sherpa Glacier is in treacherous condition. 

Bonus! Below are some elevation profiles (courtesy of my friend Mark Thomas in August 2013, who was trying to decide which approach to take) of the north approach along Mountaineer Creek (blue) and south approach from Lake Ingalls (yellow), plus a comparison of the two approach profiles. In both cases the descent is via the Cascadian Couloir. For the north approach, less effort getting to the climb results in a relatively long slog getting back to the car, while for the south approach, more effort getting to the climb results in a relatively mellow descent back to the car. Hence, the south approach is probably a better choice for those planning to bivy at the base, while the north approach might be good for those trying to go car-to-car in one push.

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