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.
Photo Gallery
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