LEMKE CLIMBS
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    • Contact
  • Washington
    • North Cascades >
      • Sahale Peak, Boston Peak
      • Eldorado Peak, Klawatti Peak
      • Black Peak
      • Forbidden Peak West Ridge
      • Primus Peak Attempt
      • Big Snagtooth
      • Liberty Bell Beckey Route
      • Burgundy Spire North Face 5.8
      • Ragged Ridge - Katsuk, Kimtah and Cosho Peaks
      • Colfax Peak
      • South Early Winters Spire via SW Buttress
      • Chilliwack Mini-Slam
      • Mesahchie Peak
      • Inspiration Traverse
      • Mount Shuksan Ski
      • Full Pickets Traverse
      • Mount Goode NE Buttress & Storm King
      • Mount Baker North Ridge WI3
      • Snowfield Peak
      • Lincoln Peak
      • Silver Star Mountain
      • Mount Buckner & Horseshoe Peak
      • Azurite Peak
      • Tower Mountain & Golden Horn
      • Mount Logan
      • Custer Ridge & Easy Mox
      • Mazama Dome
      • Sherman Peak
      • Mount Ballard
      • Southern Pickets Traverse
      • Corteo Peak
      • Whatcom Peak
      • Castle Peak
    • Glacier Peak Wilderness >
      • Buck Creek Pass, Cloudy Peak, Spider Gap
      • Dome Peak, Spire Point
      • Mt. Maude and Seven Fingered Jack
      • Mount Formidable NE Face 5.6 Second Ascent
      • Dumbell and Greenwood Mountains
      • Glacier Peak Wilderness Mountain Massacre
      • Clark and Luahna Peaks
      • Sinister Peak
      • Chiwawa Mountain
      • Tupshin & Devore Peaks
      • Buck & Fortress Mountains
      • Glacier Peak
      • Snowking Mountain
    • Olympic Peninsula >
      • Buckhorn Mountain
      • Flapjack Lakes Hike
      • Grey Wolf Peak, High Divide Trail
      • Mount Ellinor
      • Mount Constance West Arete
      • Mount Olympus
    • Alpine Lakes Wilderness >
      • Chikamin Peak
      • PCT - Snoqualmie to Pete Lake
      • Necklace and Tank Lakes
      • Enchantments Day Hike
      • Granite Mountain (Snoqualmie)
      • Colchuck Peak
      • Cannon, Enchantment and Stuart
      • Ingalls Peaks
      • McClellan Peak
      • Dragontail Peak
      • Web Mountain
      • Mount Index Attempt
      • Snow Creek Wall Orbit 5.8+
      • The Tooth South Face
      • Eightmile Mountain
      • Argonaut Peak NE Couloir
      • Little Annapurna South Face 5.5
      • Snow Creek Wall Outer Space 5.9
      • Cashmere Mountain
      • Sherpa Peak North Ridge 5.8
      • Chair Peak NE Ridge
      • Lichtenburg Mountain
      • Mount Index
      • McClellan Butte
      • Chimney Rock
      • Alpine Lakes High Route
    • Pasayten Wilderness >
      • The Craggies
      • Tiffany Mountain
      • Pasayten Mini-Slam
      • Remmel Group
      • Jack Mountain
      • Robinson Mountain
      • Monument Peak Group
    • Mountain Loop Highway >
      • Vesper Peak
      • Mount Dickerman
      • Sloan Peak West Face 5.8
      • Mount Forgotten
      • Whitehorse Mountain
      • Gothic Peak
    • Lake Chelan Sawtooth Wilderness >
      • Star, Courtney, and Grey Peaks
      • Hoodoo Peak and Raven Ridge
      • Abernathy Peak
      • Mount Bigelow
      • Reynolds Peak
      • Oval Peak
      • Gardner Peaks
      • Chelan Sawtooth Trio
    • Southern WA >
      • Mount Adams
      • Mount Rainier - Emmons Route
      • Mount Saint Helens
      • Goat Peak
      • Lane Peak, Plummer Peak (Tatoosh)
      • The Unicorn (Tatoosh)
      • Little Tahoma
      • Liberty Cap
    • WA Rock and Ice Cragging >
      • Index Town Walls
      • Vantage
      • Mount Erie
      • Exit 38
      • Leavenworth
  • Colorado
    • San Juan Mountains >
      • Mount Sneffels Lavender Snow Climb
      • Uncompahgre, Matterhorn Peaks
      • Redcloud, Sunshine Peaks
      • San Luis Peak
      • Vermilion, Fuller Peaks
      • Stewart Peak, Baldy Alto
      • Jones, Niagara, American Peaks
      • Wetterhorn Peak, Handies Peak
      • Wilson Group
      • Arrow Peak
      • Mount Sneffels SW Ridge
      • Jagged Mountain, Chicago Basin
      • Teakettle Mountain
      • Dallas Peak
      • Vestal Peak Wham Ridge, Greystone Peak
      • Organ Mountain
      • Phoenix Peak
      • Half Peak
      • Point 13832 Group
      • Golden Horn
      • Mount Sneffels Snake Couloir
      • Pigeon, Turret Peaks
      • Trinity Peaks
    • Elk Mountains >
      • Four Pass Loop
      • Castle, Conundrum Peaks
      • Snowmass Mountain
      • Cathedral Peak
      • South Maroon Peak
      • The Pyramids
      • North Maroon Peak, Sleeping Sexton
      • Capitol Peak, Mount Daly
      • Malemute Peak
      • Hagerman Peak
    • Sangre de Cristo Mountains >
      • Blanca Peak, Ellingwood Point
      • Challenger Point
      • Mount Adams
      • Spread Eagle Peak
      • Humboldt, Obstruction, Columbia Peaks
      • Mount Lindsey, Huerfano Peak
      • Little Bear Peak
      • Crestone Needle Ellingwood Arete
      • California Peak
      • Crestone Peak North Buttress
      • Operation Dark Snake
      • Kit Carson Mountain
    • Sawatch Mountains >
      • Iowa Peak
      • Point 13,618 - Hunky Dory Lake
      • Gold Dust Peak, Notch Mountain
      • Mount Jackson
      • Mount Belford
      • Shavano, Tabeguache Peaks
      • Mount Antero, Cronin Peak
      • Twining Peak
      • Mount Massive
      • Casco Peak
      • Mount Huron
      • Mount Elbert
      • Mount Oxford
      • Mount Hope
      • Mount Yale
      • Lackawanna Peak
      • Mount Columbia
      • La Plata Peak
      • Rinker and Twin Peaks
      • Bull Hill, Mount Princeton
      • Missouri Mountain
      • Mount Oklahoma
      • French Mountain
      • Mount Ouray
      • Grizzly A, Garfield Peaks
      • Mount Harvard
      • The Three Apostles
      • Emerald Peak
      • Holy Cross
      • Mount Aetna
      • Deer Mountain
    • Greater Park Range >
      • Kneeknocker Pass, Piney Lake
      • Drift Peak
      • Sherman Peak, Dyer Peak
      • Gore Range Traverse
      • Quandary Peak
      • Pacific, Atlantic Peaks
      • Clark Peak
      • Crystal Peak, Peak 10
      • Fletcher Mountain
      • The DeCaLiBron
      • Loveland Mountain
      • The Mosquito Traverse
      • Mount Arkansas
      • Clinton Group
      • Eagles Nest, Peak C
      • North Star Mountain
      • Peak X
      • Wheeler Mountain
    • Front Range >
      • Mount Evans, Spalding
      • Mount Bierstadt
      • Mount Parnassus, Bard Peak
      • Cupid, Sniktau, Grizzly D Peaks
      • James Peak
      • Mount Silverheels
      • Grays and Torreys Peaks
      • Mount Edwards
      • Mount Flora, Longs Peak
      • Square Top Mountain
      • Petit Grepon South Face 5.8
      • Mount Meeker Dreamweaver Couloir
      • Santa Fe Peak
      • The Citadel & Pettingell
    • Colorado Ice Climbing >
      • Lincoln Ice Falls
      • Ouray Ice Park
      • Avocado Gully and The Drool
      • Hidden Falls
    • Colorado Rock Climbing >
      • Eldorado Canyon
      • The Flatirons
      • North Table Mountain
      • Colorado National Monument >
        • Independence Monument
  • Wyoming
    • Wind River Mountains >
      • Gone With the Winds
      • Union Peak - Solar Eclipse
      • Wind River Peak
      • Wind River Slam
    • Teton Range >
      • Grand Teton Owen Spalding 5.4
      • Mount Owen Attempt
    • Wyoming Absarokas and Gros Ventre Range >
      • Jackson Peak
      • Francs Peak
    • Yellowstone National Park >
      • Top Notch Peak
    • Bighorn Range and Great Divide Basin >
      • Boars Tusk
      • Loaf Mountain
      • Cloud Peak
      • Black Tooth Mountain
    • Devils Tower
    • Cody Rock and Ice Climbing
  • Montana
    • Beartooth Mountains >
      • Whitetail Peak Group
      • Beartooth Mountain
      • Spirit Mountain Group
      • Mount Peal
      • Granite Peak Group
      • Castle Rock Group
      • Castle Mountain NE Couloir
      • Mount Inabnit and Sylvan Peak
      • Mount Hague South Slopes
      • Mount Villard and The Granite Peaks Traverse - 5.4
      • Spirit Mountain NE Ridge - 5.4
      • California Ice WI 4
      • The Ramp 5.8
      • Linea Alba 5.10d
      • Iceberg Peak
      • Metcalf Mountain North Rib 5.8
      • Villard Spires HP West Ramp
      • Cairn Mountain
      • Snowbank Mountain
      • Mount Wood Group
      • Bears Tooth
      • Glacier Peak Catch-a-Sunrise FA
    • Southwest Montana Ranges >
      • Madison Range >
        • Koch Peak
        • Sphinx Mountain
        • Beehive Peak
        • South Sheep Mountain
      • Gallatin Range
      • Bridger Range >
        • Sacajawea Peak
        • Saddle Peak
        • Baldy Mountain
        • Ross Peak
      • Montana Absorakas >
        • Arrow Peak
        • Black Mountain
        • Mount Cowen
      • Tobacco Root Mountains >
        • Hollowtop Mountain
        • Belle Point
        • Noble Peak
        • Leggat Mountain
      • Crazy Mountains >
        • Crazy Peak
    • Glacier National Park >
      • A Taste of Glacier National Park
      • Divide Mountain
    • MT Rock and Ice Climbing
  • Utah
    • Uinta Mountains >
      • Kings-Emmons Ridge Run
      • Hayden Peak
      • Iron Hayden Wall Rock Climbing
    • Wasatch Range >
      • The Sundial Eleventh Hour 5.8
      • Mount Timpanogos
    • San Rafael Swell >
      • Ramp, Cistern Canyons
      • Salt Wash, Black Mountain, Moroni Slopes
      • Ding, Dang Canyons
      • Little Wild Horse, Bell Canyons
      • Quandary Canyon
      • San Rafael Knob
      • Miners Hollow (Knotted Rope Canyon)
      • Temple Mountain
      • Chimney Rock
      • Bottleneck Mesa
      • Window Blind Peak
      • Lower Baptist Draw & Upper Chute Canyon
    • Capitol Reef National Park >
      • Cathedral Valley Tour
      • Sheets Gulch
      • Halls Creek Narrows
      • Brimhall Canyon and Strike Valley Overlook
      • George Benchmark
    • Moab Area, Canyonlands, Arches >
      • Maze District
      • Needles District
      • Maze District
      • White Rim Trail Biking
      • Elephant Butte, Bullwinkle Tower and Lizard Rock
      • South Six Shooter
      • Elephant Canyon
      • Parriott Mesa
      • Ancient Art
      • Castleton Tower North Chimney 5.8
      • Klondike Bluffs
      • Mount Peale & Tukuhnikivatz
    • Robbers Roost Country >
      • Horseshoe Canyon, Goblin Valley
      • Bluejohn Canyon
      • Happy Canyon Narrows
      • Shenanigans, Leprechaun Slots
      • Larry Canyon
      • Merry Piglet Slot
      • Lower Maidenwater Canyon, Turkey Knob
      • Morocco Canyon
      • Monkey Business Slot
      • Hog Canyon Slots
      • Upper Maidenwater Canyon Slots
      • Mount Ellen
      • Buck Canyon
      • Point 4906
      • Alcatraz Canyon
      • Hard Day Harvey Slot
      • Mount Ellsworth
      • Good Day Jim Canyon
      • White Roost Canyon
      • Upper Stair Canyon
      • Dragon Canyon
    • Escalante National Monument >
      • Phipps Canyon and Arch
      • Red Breaks Slot
      • Dry Fork Slots, Coyote Gulch
      • Little Death Hollow/Wolverine Canyons
      • Egypt 3 Slot
      • Egypt 1 Canyon
    • Zion/Bryce >
      • Ataxia Tower Ashtar Command 5.9
      • Mount Kinesava Cowboy Ridge
      • Birch Hollow
      • Aires Butte
      • West Temple
      • Mystery Canyon
      • Crazy Streak
    • Cedar Mesa Region/Valley of the Gods >
      • Eagle Plume Tower Eagle Feather 5.10b
  • California
    • High Sierras, Southern CA Ranges >
      • Telescope Peak, Manly Beacon
      • Tahquitz Rock Whodunit 5.9
      • Tahquitz Rock Long Route 5.9
      • Palisade Traverse
      • White Mountain
    • Yosemite National Park, Central CA
    • Northern CA Cascades >
      • Lava Beds National Monument
      • Mount Shasta
  • Oregon
    • Oregon Volcanoes >
      • Three Fingered Jack
      • Mount Scott
    • Blue Mountains >
      • Twin Peaks
    • Trout Creek Rock Climbing
  • Alaska
    • Eagle Peak and Mount Ewe
    • Jatt Peak and Portage Pass
    • Rainbow Peak
    • Mount Brooks Attempt
    • Arrigetch Peaks Trek
    • Ab Mountain Hike
    • South Suicide Peak
    • Mount Hunter West Ridge Attempt
    • Cantata Peak Attempt
    • East Twin Peak
    • Mount Alice
    • Crow Pass and Hope Point Hikes
    • Indianhouse Mountain Attempt
    • Lynx Peak
    • Harding Icefield Hike
    • Hatcher Pass and Grapefruit Rocks Climbing
    • Mount Sanford
    • Mount Hunter West Ridge
    • Mount Fairweather
  • Nevada
    • Ginger Cracks 5.8
    • Mescalito Dark Shadows 5.8
    • Birdland and Olive Oil
    • Frogland 5.8
    • Johnny Vegas 5.8
    • Schaeffer's Delight & Triassic Sands
    • Solar Slab - 5.6
  • British Columbia
    • Mount Matier
    • Taiya Peak
    • Bugaboo Spire NE Ridge
    • Mount Sabine Easy Honey 5.10b
    • Mount Sir Donald NW Ridge Attempt
    • Black Tusk
    • Slesse Mountain NE Buttress
    • Warden Peak
    • Triple Peak
    • Gimli Peak
    • Mount Waddington
  • Alberta
    • Mist Ridge Hike
    • Mount Temple Attempt
    • East Wendell Peak
    • Loder Peak
    • Tower Mountain Attempt
    • The Rimwall
    • Mount Yamnuska Directissima 5.9
    • Mount Lawrence Grassi
    • Mount Lorette
    • Roche A Perdrix
    • Mount Edith Cavell East Ridge 5.3
    • Mount Louis Kain Route
    • Eiffel Peak
    • Mount Alberta
    • Canadian Rockies Ice Climbing
  • Other States
    • Arizona >
      • Grand Canyon Bright Angel Trail
      • Beanfest at Cochise Stronghold
      • Baboquivari Peak
      • Humphreys Peak
    • New Mexico >
      • Philmont Trek August 2008
    • Yukon >
      • Canyon Peak
  • International
    • Mexico & Central America >
      • Mexico - Pico de Orizaba, Izta
      • Guatemala Volcanoes
    • South America >
      • Chile >
        • An Introduction to Patagonia
        • Exploring Pucon and Lanin Volcano
        • Cerro Puntado & Palo
        • Cerro Colorado
        • Cerro Puno & Agudo
        • Cerro Trinidad Attempt
        • Volcan Quetrupillan
        • Cerro Placas
        • Volcan Puyehue
        • Cerro Conico
        • Cerro Barros Arana
        • Cerro Cordillerano
        • Ojos del Salado
      • Argentina >
        • Nahuel Huapi National Park & The Frey
        • Cerro Helio Azul & Tronador Attempt
        • Aguja Guillaumet Amy Couloir
        • Nevado de Acay
        • Chiaro de Luna
      • Peru >
        • Cordillera Blanca - Tocllaraju and Urus
        • Cordillera Blanca - Ishinca Peak and Artesonraju
        • Cordillera Blanca - Quitaraju & Alpamayo
        • Exploring Southern Peru
      • Bolivia >
        • Pequeno Alpamayo
        • Huayna Potosi
        • Illimani
    • Oceania >
      • Exploring New Zealand's South Island
      • Puncak Jaya
      • Mount McPherson and Talbot
      • Single Cone
      • Mount Cook
      • Mount Aspiring
      • Manakau
      • Mount Wilhelm
    • Central Asia >
      • Kyrgyzstan 2021
    • Europe >
      • Iceland & Faroe >
        • Snaefellsjokull
        • Kaldbakur
        • Slaettaratindur
  • Sorted by Year
    • 2008 Trip Reports
    • 2009 Trip Reports
    • 2010 Trip Reports
    • 2011 Trip Reports
    • 2012 Trip Reports
    • 2013 Trip Reports
    • 2014 Trip Reports
    • 2015 Trip Reports
    • 2016 Trip Reports
    • 2017 Trip Reports
    • 2018 Trip Reports
    • 2019 Trip Reports
    • 2020 Trip Reports
    • 2021 Trip Reports
    • 2022 Trip Reports
    • 2023 Trip Reports
  • Vanlife
    • Conversion Journal >
      • Floor Installation
      • Folding Bed
      • Coffee Table
      • Thinsulate Installation
      • The Couch
      • The Wardrobe
      • Bookshelf
      • Water System
      • Electrical System
      • The Pantry
      • Refrigerator
      • Tire Upgrade
      • Heating System
      • Composting Toilet
  • About
    • Whats New
    • 2019 Goals/Wishlist
    • Contact
  • Washington
    • North Cascades >
      • Sahale Peak, Boston Peak
      • Eldorado Peak, Klawatti Peak
      • Black Peak
      • Forbidden Peak West Ridge
      • Primus Peak Attempt
      • Big Snagtooth
      • Liberty Bell Beckey Route
      • Burgundy Spire North Face 5.8
      • Ragged Ridge - Katsuk, Kimtah and Cosho Peaks
      • Colfax Peak
      • South Early Winters Spire via SW Buttress
      • Chilliwack Mini-Slam
      • Mesahchie Peak
      • Inspiration Traverse
      • Mount Shuksan Ski
      • Full Pickets Traverse
      • Mount Goode NE Buttress & Storm King
      • Mount Baker North Ridge WI3
      • Snowfield Peak
      • Lincoln Peak
      • Silver Star Mountain
      • Mount Buckner & Horseshoe Peak
      • Azurite Peak
      • Tower Mountain & Golden Horn
      • Mount Logan
      • Custer Ridge & Easy Mox
      • Mazama Dome
      • Sherman Peak
      • Mount Ballard
      • Southern Pickets Traverse
      • Corteo Peak
      • Whatcom Peak
      • Castle Peak
    • Glacier Peak Wilderness >
      • Buck Creek Pass, Cloudy Peak, Spider Gap
      • Dome Peak, Spire Point
      • Mt. Maude and Seven Fingered Jack
      • Mount Formidable NE Face 5.6 Second Ascent
      • Dumbell and Greenwood Mountains
      • Glacier Peak Wilderness Mountain Massacre
      • Clark and Luahna Peaks
      • Sinister Peak
      • Chiwawa Mountain
      • Tupshin & Devore Peaks
      • Buck & Fortress Mountains
      • Glacier Peak
      • Snowking Mountain
    • Olympic Peninsula >
      • Buckhorn Mountain
      • Flapjack Lakes Hike
      • Grey Wolf Peak, High Divide Trail
      • Mount Ellinor
      • Mount Constance West Arete
      • Mount Olympus
    • Alpine Lakes Wilderness >
      • Chikamin Peak
      • PCT - Snoqualmie to Pete Lake
      • Necklace and Tank Lakes
      • Enchantments Day Hike
      • Granite Mountain (Snoqualmie)
      • Colchuck Peak
      • Cannon, Enchantment and Stuart
      • Ingalls Peaks
      • McClellan Peak
      • Dragontail Peak
      • Web Mountain
      • Mount Index Attempt
      • Snow Creek Wall Orbit 5.8+
      • The Tooth South Face
      • Eightmile Mountain
      • Argonaut Peak NE Couloir
      • Little Annapurna South Face 5.5
      • Snow Creek Wall Outer Space 5.9
      • Cashmere Mountain
      • Sherpa Peak North Ridge 5.8
      • Chair Peak NE Ridge
      • Lichtenburg Mountain
      • Mount Index
      • McClellan Butte
      • Chimney Rock
      • Alpine Lakes High Route
    • Pasayten Wilderness >
      • The Craggies
      • Tiffany Mountain
      • Pasayten Mini-Slam
      • Remmel Group
      • Jack Mountain
      • Robinson Mountain
      • Monument Peak Group
    • Mountain Loop Highway >
      • Vesper Peak
      • Mount Dickerman
      • Sloan Peak West Face 5.8
      • Mount Forgotten
      • Whitehorse Mountain
      • Gothic Peak
    • Lake Chelan Sawtooth Wilderness >
      • Star, Courtney, and Grey Peaks
      • Hoodoo Peak and Raven Ridge
      • Abernathy Peak
      • Mount Bigelow
      • Reynolds Peak
      • Oval Peak
      • Gardner Peaks
      • Chelan Sawtooth Trio
    • Southern WA >
      • Mount Adams
      • Mount Rainier - Emmons Route
      • Mount Saint Helens
      • Goat Peak
      • Lane Peak, Plummer Peak (Tatoosh)
      • The Unicorn (Tatoosh)
      • Little Tahoma
      • Liberty Cap
    • WA Rock and Ice Cragging >
      • Index Town Walls
      • Vantage
      • Mount Erie
      • Exit 38
      • Leavenworth
  • Colorado
    • San Juan Mountains >
      • Mount Sneffels Lavender Snow Climb
      • Uncompahgre, Matterhorn Peaks
      • Redcloud, Sunshine Peaks
      • San Luis Peak
      • Vermilion, Fuller Peaks
      • Stewart Peak, Baldy Alto
      • Jones, Niagara, American Peaks
      • Wetterhorn Peak, Handies Peak
      • Wilson Group
      • Arrow Peak
      • Mount Sneffels SW Ridge
      • Jagged Mountain, Chicago Basin
      • Teakettle Mountain
      • Dallas Peak
      • Vestal Peak Wham Ridge, Greystone Peak
      • Organ Mountain
      • Phoenix Peak
      • Half Peak
      • Point 13832 Group
      • Golden Horn
      • Mount Sneffels Snake Couloir
      • Pigeon, Turret Peaks
      • Trinity Peaks
    • Elk Mountains >
      • Four Pass Loop
      • Castle, Conundrum Peaks
      • Snowmass Mountain
      • Cathedral Peak
      • South Maroon Peak
      • The Pyramids
      • North Maroon Peak, Sleeping Sexton
      • Capitol Peak, Mount Daly
      • Malemute Peak
      • Hagerman Peak
    • Sangre de Cristo Mountains >
      • Blanca Peak, Ellingwood Point
      • Challenger Point
      • Mount Adams
      • Spread Eagle Peak
      • Humboldt, Obstruction, Columbia Peaks
      • Mount Lindsey, Huerfano Peak
      • Little Bear Peak
      • Crestone Needle Ellingwood Arete
      • California Peak
      • Crestone Peak North Buttress
      • Operation Dark Snake
      • Kit Carson Mountain
    • Sawatch Mountains >
      • Iowa Peak
      • Point 13,618 - Hunky Dory Lake
      • Gold Dust Peak, Notch Mountain
      • Mount Jackson
      • Mount Belford
      • Shavano, Tabeguache Peaks
      • Mount Antero, Cronin Peak
      • Twining Peak
      • Mount Massive
      • Casco Peak
      • Mount Huron
      • Mount Elbert
      • Mount Oxford
      • Mount Hope
      • Mount Yale
      • Lackawanna Peak
      • Mount Columbia
      • La Plata Peak
      • Rinker and Twin Peaks
      • Bull Hill, Mount Princeton
      • Missouri Mountain
      • Mount Oklahoma
      • French Mountain
      • Mount Ouray
      • Grizzly A, Garfield Peaks
      • Mount Harvard
      • The Three Apostles
      • Emerald Peak
      • Holy Cross
      • Mount Aetna
      • Deer Mountain
    • Greater Park Range >
      • Kneeknocker Pass, Piney Lake
      • Drift Peak
      • Sherman Peak, Dyer Peak
      • Gore Range Traverse
      • Quandary Peak
      • Pacific, Atlantic Peaks
      • Clark Peak
      • Crystal Peak, Peak 10
      • Fletcher Mountain
      • The DeCaLiBron
      • Loveland Mountain
      • The Mosquito Traverse
      • Mount Arkansas
      • Clinton Group
      • Eagles Nest, Peak C
      • North Star Mountain
      • Peak X
      • Wheeler Mountain
    • Front Range >
      • Mount Evans, Spalding
      • Mount Bierstadt
      • Mount Parnassus, Bard Peak
      • Cupid, Sniktau, Grizzly D Peaks
      • James Peak
      • Mount Silverheels
      • Grays and Torreys Peaks
      • Mount Edwards
      • Mount Flora, Longs Peak
      • Square Top Mountain
      • Petit Grepon South Face 5.8
      • Mount Meeker Dreamweaver Couloir
      • Santa Fe Peak
      • The Citadel & Pettingell
    • Colorado Ice Climbing >
      • Lincoln Ice Falls
      • Ouray Ice Park
      • Avocado Gully and The Drool
      • Hidden Falls
    • Colorado Rock Climbing >
      • Eldorado Canyon
      • The Flatirons
      • North Table Mountain
      • Colorado National Monument >
        • Independence Monument
  • Wyoming
    • Wind River Mountains >
      • Gone With the Winds
      • Union Peak - Solar Eclipse
      • Wind River Peak
      • Wind River Slam
    • Teton Range >
      • Grand Teton Owen Spalding 5.4
      • Mount Owen Attempt
    • Wyoming Absarokas and Gros Ventre Range >
      • Jackson Peak
      • Francs Peak
    • Yellowstone National Park >
      • Top Notch Peak
    • Bighorn Range and Great Divide Basin >
      • Boars Tusk
      • Loaf Mountain
      • Cloud Peak
      • Black Tooth Mountain
    • Devils Tower
    • Cody Rock and Ice Climbing
  • Montana
    • Beartooth Mountains >
      • Whitetail Peak Group
      • Beartooth Mountain
      • Spirit Mountain Group
      • Mount Peal
      • Granite Peak Group
      • Castle Rock Group
      • Castle Mountain NE Couloir
      • Mount Inabnit and Sylvan Peak
      • Mount Hague South Slopes
      • Mount Villard and The Granite Peaks Traverse - 5.4
      • Spirit Mountain NE Ridge - 5.4
      • California Ice WI 4
      • The Ramp 5.8
      • Linea Alba 5.10d
      • Iceberg Peak
      • Metcalf Mountain North Rib 5.8
      • Villard Spires HP West Ramp
      • Cairn Mountain
      • Snowbank Mountain
      • Mount Wood Group
      • Bears Tooth
      • Glacier Peak Catch-a-Sunrise FA
    • Southwest Montana Ranges >
      • Madison Range >
        • Koch Peak
        • Sphinx Mountain
        • Beehive Peak
        • South Sheep Mountain
      • Gallatin Range
      • Bridger Range >
        • Sacajawea Peak
        • Saddle Peak
        • Baldy Mountain
        • Ross Peak
      • Montana Absorakas >
        • Arrow Peak
        • Black Mountain
        • Mount Cowen
      • Tobacco Root Mountains >
        • Hollowtop Mountain
        • Belle Point
        • Noble Peak
        • Leggat Mountain
      • Crazy Mountains >
        • Crazy Peak
    • Glacier National Park >
      • A Taste of Glacier National Park
      • Divide Mountain
    • MT Rock and Ice Climbing
  • Utah
    • Uinta Mountains >
      • Kings-Emmons Ridge Run
      • Hayden Peak
      • Iron Hayden Wall Rock Climbing
    • Wasatch Range >
      • The Sundial Eleventh Hour 5.8
      • Mount Timpanogos
    • San Rafael Swell >
      • Ramp, Cistern Canyons
      • Salt Wash, Black Mountain, Moroni Slopes
      • Ding, Dang Canyons
      • Little Wild Horse, Bell Canyons
      • Quandary Canyon
      • San Rafael Knob
      • Miners Hollow (Knotted Rope Canyon)
      • Temple Mountain
      • Chimney Rock
      • Bottleneck Mesa
      • Window Blind Peak
      • Lower Baptist Draw & Upper Chute Canyon
    • Capitol Reef National Park >
      • Cathedral Valley Tour
      • Sheets Gulch
      • Halls Creek Narrows
      • Brimhall Canyon and Strike Valley Overlook
      • George Benchmark
    • Moab Area, Canyonlands, Arches >
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LEMKE CLIMBS

mount alberta

mount alberta - 11870' - Japanese Route Class 5.6
July 2023

See full photo gallery here!
For a year or so Sarah and I made plans to climb Mount Waddington, which I had also made plans now to climb a few times before over the years but never was able to even make the helicopter flight in for various reasons. But since Sarah is going after all the 50 classic climbs in North America, and I really just want to climb Waddington, we started scheming it shortly after our climb of Mount Hunter last year. As the time drew closer we made our final preparations, only to get an email from White Saddle that they were unable to fly us in due to their helicopter being used to fight forest fires in an unusually bad fire season throughout all of Canada. So alas, another attempt to climb Waddington failed before we could even fly in. Dismayed, Sarah and I scrambled to come up with other plans, and apparently there are a few of the 50 classics in the Canadian Rockies (which I was unaware of) and one of them happened to be a climb I was also interested in. So, our plan B ended up being the Japanese Route on Mount Alberta. How this route is supposedly a 50 classic is beyond me though.

This mountain has a reputation for being many things...heinous, difficult, dangerous and rarely climbed. I was not completely aware of the history behind this mountain until I took a closer look at Steven's trip report from his September 2017 climb of this peak, where the route was completely dry for possibly the first time in centuries. There is a lot of cool history for this mountain, of which a Japanese team reached the summit in 1925 for the first ascent. They had left a ice axe on the summit that was later rumored to be made of solid silver and was a gift to the team from the emperor of Japan, but it took over 20 years for that rumor to be dispelled when the second ascent party composed of two Americans found the wooden axe at the summit (partially encased in ice) and carried it down where it now sits in the mountaineering museum in New York City. This mountain even to this day still has some years where not a single party reaches the summit.

Now in 2023, I got word the route was completely dry again thanks to a very warm and dry winter in western Canada, so it made sense to go for this route. I doubt this route has ever been 100% dry in July before so we were stoked to get after it. Sarah and I made our battle plans but had to move fast since a 3 day weather window was ending just over 48 hours after her flight landed in Seattle. We immediately drove north after I picked her up at Seatac and and got to Hope BC late for a few hours sleep at a motel, then finished the long drive through Jasper. We continued south on the Icefields Parkway 88.7 kilometers from the junction with Highway 16 at the edge of the town to the pullout on the east side of Highway 93 where climbers park for the Wooley Shoulder approach. This pullout is large and hard to miss. We shouldered our packs and started fording the river right at 3pm. Wading through the water was fairly uneventful and since the temperatures had been very warm the past few days, the water didn't have that biting cold mane others have mentioned. There was only two larger channels that had thigh deep water but it was passable. On the opposide side of the wide river bar we located the climbers trail heading up the valley in a westward direction. ​The approach to the Wooley Shoulder is well documented and a very nice cairned path is easy to follow all the way to the Wooley Bivy at the glacial lakes with an elevaton of 7500 feet (2300 feet above the river ford). There are quite a few sections where boulder hopping is necessary along the moraines but the cairns lead the way. The only crucial piece to not miss is when you emerge out of the trees after a long section right along the river, an open talus field is crossed, and when you reach the terminus of the huge rocky moraine cut sharply right and traverse around the base to catch the trail that continues up the right side of the valley.

Once at the Wooley Bivy, we found the continuation of the path going west up the talus slopes towards the Wooley Shoulder. Another small glacial lake presented itself in the higher basin at 8250 feet before a long scree and talus slope continueed up. As the scree steepened and an impossible looking headwall loomed above, we ascended to the right to weave through the cliffs utilizing hidden scree slopes to gain the shoulder at 9500 feet. Evidence of other people was also found. From the shoulder, insane views of North Twin and Mount Alberta greeted us in the late afternoon sunlight. We were so lucky to have all the smoke get blown well off to the north and we had clear air to see everything. We then dropped down the west side and circled around the basin to the hut sitting at the north end of Little Alberta and arrived about 9pm. We were the only ones there and quickly settled in for the night as we had a 5am wake up call to hopefully reach the summit before the weather turned sour late the next day. Watching the evening sunset behind Mount Alberta gave us hope for a successful ascent, and since we could see the entire route was dry, we had a good feeling.
5am came super fast and after a quick breakfast, we started descending down along the ramps in a southwest direction along the base of the west facing cliffs on Little Alberta. It was a 1000 foot drop into the talus strewn valley below, but fairly easy walking. A few small ups and downs were required to cross the valley and reach the start of the Japanese Route on Mount Alberta. Steven has a very good description of the entire route on his trip report which was very helpful. The following text and images outline the mostly non technical part of the route up to the high bivy.
​1. Start up the lower scree slopes for about 300 feet to the angled ledge that runs south (left) above the low cliffs that drop down on the lower south face.
2. Begin traversing left and cross a very shitty section of darker colored rock that is hardpan dirt. Trekking pole really helps.
3. The scree ledge narrows up and eventually reaches a short but steep 4th class rock step with jagged looking rocks jutting horizontally out of it. Traverse the ledge to this point.
4. Climb this 25-30 foot step to the base of the upper scree cone.
5. Continue straight up talus and scree a couple hundred feet to the base of the cliffs above.
6. Traverse left ascending along the base of the cliffs on worsening loose hardpan scree until reaching a gully that allows passage to the next large scree ledge above.
7. Climb this class 3 gully on some more solid rock.
8. Traverse back to the right around a prominent buttress on more angled hardpan scree until reaching the base of loose but stepped class 2-3 terrain. 
9. Ascend this class 2-3 terrain for another few hundred feet or so until it narrows considerably and exposure increases on both sides of the rib.
10. Climb the first of three class 4 steps with huge exposure. Near the crest slightly climbers left is most solid but the drop to the south is wild.
11. Continue a short bit on the ridge and climb a second more difficult class 4 step to a large slung horn where a short rappel can be done to the north side on descent. 
12. Traverse around the largest and most difficult rock step on a narrow ledge on north side into a narrow gully and climb this loose class 4 to a tiny notch.
13. Climb 20 feet of 4th class (possibly low 5th) above the notch with absolte death exposure to the upper large scree ledge. A bolt anchor can be found 20 more feet up the scree for a 25m rappel on descent.
14. Traverse the upper angled shitty scree ledge right a couple hundred feet horizontally to the first rib where the upper bivy is found at about 10,400 feet elevation.

It took us 4.5 hours to reach the upper bivy from the hut.
Picture
Overview of approach to the high bivy (at end of red line); image from the edge of the columbia icefield.
Picture
First section of route showing the initial scree ascent and lower ledge traverse (1-4 described above). Notice the section of dark rock just below the left edge of the snow...this part sucks!
Picture
Myself climbing the 4th class step at the end of the lower ledge traverse
Picture
At least the scenery makes up for the shitty rock
Picture
Route up the upper scree apron; the foreshortening is real here
We did not rest long at the upper bivy and started the long traverse back to the right (north) along the upper angled ledge. This was probably the worst terrain on the entire route and had the most awful hardpan loose crap with huge cliffs right below so if you slipped you had to catch yourself real quick. We traversed across two scoops on the ledge and began ascending towards the base of a prominent buttress at the upper end of the ledge that looked like an oozing bulbous of blubber (aka a prominent buldge with a slight overhang at the bottom). The terrain along this traverse really was awful, but once we arrived at the buttress, a two nut anchor was found so we knew we were at the start of the climbing portion of the route. We took the variation that ascends two rope lengths of low 5th class to climbers left of the original start where the more difficult "Elephant Asses" alledgedly are located. The pitch by pitch overview of the route is outlined below. We soloed the first 3 pitches and decided to rope up on the 4th pitch. All of the pitches except for the last two I describe I rated as low 5th class. All pitches were also right about 50 meters long except for the last one, which was about 80 meters (we simul-climbed a bit to reach the ridge faster).
1. Climb from the bulbous buttress up low 5th class sandy ledges trending slightly right.
2. Continue up ledges and into a small chimney/scoop to a narrow and angled, exposed scree ledge. Carefully walk this ledge right a couple hundred feet to meet the original route. A slung boulder atop the end of the ledge indicates the route.
3. Continue up and slightly right close to but not in the main gully. Large rocks were bombing down the gully and you definitely want to minimize time spent in the gully. Stay to the left of the gully.
4. Climb a right facing angled corner/ramp just to the left of the gully then cut straight up on finally more solid rock to another anchor just a handful of meters left of the gully.
5. Move left a few meters from the anchor and climb straight up veering away from the gully a bit. This pitch had more decent rock. Another anchor is found on a ledge. Walk this ledge right back to the gully veering around a large boulder.
6. Climb up a series of loose looking blocks for 20 feet left of the fall line, then quickly cross the gully and ascend easier rock to the large white rope anchor. This is the crossover pitch and it is prudent to watch closely to make sure nothing bombs down as you cross the gully.
7. Climb up cleaner rock with good ledges more or less straight up to an anchor on a small ledge.
8. Climb slightly leftward then up towards a seam where the angle steepens to almost vertical for a few body lengths. This was the crux of the route. Above this the terrain mellowed significantly but the rubble also increased. A bit of simul-climbing was required to reach the ridge on this pitch and as the second on the rope I had to dodge rocks as I climbed the first 30 meters or so.


Once on the summit ridge, we followed the narrow and exposed ridge to the summit. There was a few steep 4th class steps to climb along the ridge, and even a short rappel to a crazy notch close to the summit but this turned out to be fairly straightforward to navigate. The west side of the notch though was a black hole of darkness which got the blood boiling! We reached the summit at 2:30pm, 9 hours to make it up. The summit register was soaked as it was not in a waterproof container, but the Japanese umbrella was still there. After a fair amount of research, I couldn't determine when it was placed on the summit. The views were breathtaking though, and although the clouds were starting to roll in more, our weather forecaster said we had precipitation free weather until about midnight so we felt we were still OK on time. Amazingly the winds actually died down during our time on the ultra exposed ridge making for a relatively comfortable stay on the summit. I doubt very many people stood on this peak with less layers on that I had, plus we had climbed the entire route in running shoes without touching any snow. The photos below barely do this justice, the scenery was unreal which made up for the choss. 
We began the descent and retraced the ridge, upclimbing back from the little notch using the rope as a handline. We also made one short rappel using an existing anchor on the ridge. Once we returned to the same spot we met the ridge, I added a sling around a large block on the ridge so we could rappel the same line we climbed. We made 9 double rope rappels utilizing all the anchors we passed on the ascent, then continuing down the original start back to the ledge system where we could traverse back to the high bivy. We made two more single rope rappels to descend the uppermost part of the climb to the high bivy (using the bolt anchor for the first drop down the narrow gully and ledge traverse mentioned in points 12 and 13 above. We then descended the remainder of the route as a beautiful sunset displayed. The red glow of the sunset was unusually intense since a front was merely just a few hours away. Right at sunset we got back to the valley floor and made the 1000 foot ascent back to the hut just as it was getting dark. That was a slow hike back up. At 11pm we made it to the hut to complete an 18 hour day and I went right to sleep. Barely an hour later at midnight intense rain with thunder and lightning woke me up, but I was happily dry inside the hut. The front that we were trying to beat came in right on time.
Picture
Summit Panorama
The following morning the air was clear and crisp, with some low clouds lingering on the summit ridge. It was however 20 degrees cooler and windy so after packing up we were off at 9am. We took about 4.5 hours to reverse the approach back to the car. The river crossing was quite a bit colder the second time around!​
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