A mountain climber waves from the rocky summit of Mt Ballard
Eileen standing on summit of Mt Ballard

Mt Ballard via Slate Creek—East Ridge—West Face (Upper Methow Mountains, WA)

Trip Date: August 14-15, 2010

Mt. Ballard Climbing Trip

South Fork Slate Creek
Northeast Ballard Basin
Mount Ballard (~8340′) 

Trip Report Summary

Region: Northeastern Washington Cascades

Sub-Region: Upper Methow Mountains

Area: Mt. Baker – Snoqualmie National Forest

Starting & Ending Point: Slate Creek / Chancellor Road #54-700 gate (Elev. 3800 feet)

Way Points: South Fork Slate Creek Bridge & Northeast Ballard Basin (road walk & off-trail hike)

Campsite: Northeast Ballard Basin (Elev. 4800 feet)

Summit: Mt. Ballard (off-trail hike & vegetation scramble & rock scramble via East Ridge—East Cirque—West Face)

Approximate Stats: 9 miles traveled; 5000 feet gained & lost.

Full Trip Report

Eileen and I hooked up with Mike T. last weekend for a climb of Mt. Ballard in the Methow Mountains. I had been coveting this fine peak ever since I first set eyes on it from the Pacific Crest Trail in 1976. Mike was equally covetous, after previously making three or four attempts over recent years. Eileen, in contrast, hadn’t even heard of Mt. Ballard before this, but she’s never one to miss out on a good time.

Day 1: Slate Creek Road Gate to Northeast Ballard Basin

We drove over Hart’s Pass and down Slate Creek (Chancellor) Road to the locked road gate at 3800 feet. From there, it was an easy hike up South Fork Slate Creek Road for 1.5 miles to the old vehicle bridge at 4000 feet, then southward through pleasantly dense but brush-free forest for another 1.5 miles to a 4800-foot scree basin (2.3 hours from car). We carved out a campsite here and enjoyed a balmy evening with sparse bugs.

Alpenglow On Mt Ballard From Basin Camp

Day 2 (AM): Mt. Ballard Summit Climb

In the morning, we headed up through tight forest and then open scree slopes to a 6200-foot shoulder on the east ridge of Mt. Ballard. Our route went up a super-steep heather & grass slot through the lowest cliff band. This “green slot” truly qualifies as Class 4!

Ascending to the east ridge
Climbing The Green Slot

We continued Class 2-3+ scrambling directly up the ridge and up the culminating scree slope and east cirque to gain a high saddle north of the summit.

Scrambling Up East Ridge
Scrambling Into East Cirque

From the high saddle, we traversed ledges (some quite exposed) to a narrow gully that led to the summit block.

Traversing West Face Of Summit Block
Scrambling up the summit gully

While Mike and I dutifully scoped out the steep block looking for a feasible route, Eileen simply pushed on up to the summit via a nice Class 3.5 slot/face. Uhh…OK…I guess that works! We were all on top before noon (4.8 hours from camp).

Eileen Climbing Summit Block
Eileen and Mike on the summit of Mount Ballard

Summit views were outstanding, due to clear air and favorable positioning. Especially remarkable are Golden Horn and Tower Mountain, which look like twin fangs, as well as massive Jack Mountain. The summit register was equally UN-remarkable—just a few papers stuffed in a plastic bottle. Signers included the Roper party, from their NEPA climb decades ago.

Tower Mountain, Golden Horn, and Azurite Peak
Crater Mountain and Jack Mountain From Summit
Silver Star Mtn To Azurite Peak

We descended our up-route back to camp (3.9 hours from summit), after which we all agreed that the overall crux of the climb was the super-steep “green slot”!

Day 2 (PM): Northeast Ballard Basin to Slate Creek Road Gate

We packed up camp and began hiking out. Our traverse back through the forest to South Fork Road was uneventful, and we reached the car by early evening (2.1 hours from camp). It had been a wonderful climb—many years in the making—and our only regret was not taking an extra day to stretch it out.

Click to enlarge…