Trip Date: June 11-13, 2023
Mt. Shuksan Climbing Trip
Shannon Ridge
Sulphide Pass
Sulphide Glacier
Hell’s Gate
Mount Shuksan (9131′)
Trip Report Summary
Region: Northwestern Washington Cascades
Sub-Region: Nooksack Mountains
Area: North Cascades National Park
Starting & Ending Point: Shannon Ridge Trailhead (Elev. 2600 feet)
Way Points: Shannon Ridge Knoll & Sulphide Pass & Sulphide Glacier Flats (trail hike & snow hike & snow climb)
Campsites: Sulphide Glacier knoll (Elev. 6500 feet) & Sulphide Glacier Camp (Elev. 6200 feet)
Summit: Mt. Shuksan (snow climb & rock climb via Sulphide Glacier—Southwest Gully)
Approximate Stats: 14.5 miles traveled; 6700 feet gained & lost.
Related Posts
Mt Shuksan via Sulphide Glacier—Southwest Gully + Ski Descent – June 1999
Mt Shuksan via Fisher Chimneys—Curtis Glacier—Southwest Gully – August 1994
Full Trip Report
When a small window of good weather appeared in the forecast, Eileen, Yoko, Andrew, and I jumped at the opportunity for an early-season climb of Mt. Shuksan. Our plan involved a three-day schedule that would allow for a more relaxed summit climb as well as some training time for Andrew, an aspiring mountaineer. As it turned out, we needed every minute of that full summit day!
Day 1: Trailhead to Sulphide Glacier
Our quartet headed out from the Shannon Ridge Trailhead shortly before noon on a partly cloudy Sunday. The trail was in good condition for the first 2 miles, then we encountered an annoying blowdown zone for the next ¼ mile. Fairly continuous snowcover began at an elevation of about 4300 feet. Upon reaching the ridge crest, we turned northward and booted up to 5400-foot Sulphide Pass (4.5 hours + 2800 feet from TH).
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From Sulphide Pass, we made a rising traverse around a snow basin and across the lower fringe of the Sulphide Glacier. A steeper ascent took us up to the expansive glacial flats at 6400 feet. This remarkable “ice plain” could host a dozen Boy Scout Jamborees at once!
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After poking around a bit, we found a recently abandoned campsite tucked closely beneath Point 6531 on the southwestern rim of the flats (6.4 hours + 3900 feet from TH). There were two other parties camped down in the flats, and a third party arrived later in the evening.
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Our campsite provided a sweeping view of the Sulphide Glacier, Picket Range, and Lower Skagit Mountains, with Mt. Baker basking in the evening sun behind us. We particularly appreciated our ringside seat for the entire span of the Bacon-Hagan-Blum Traverse route. Unfortunately, this marvelous scenery was accompanied by a stiff, cold wind.
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Day 2: Mt. Shuksan Summit Climb
After a night of strong winds that created lots of tent flapping and prevented any quality sleep, we were rewarded with a stellar, cloudless morning. Our slightly revised plan for beginning the day was to pack up, haul gear down to the glacial flats, and leave a stash there. This would allow us to move our camp to a less windy location after our climb.
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We donned crampons, roped up, and headed across the glacier at 8:00am. The other three parties camped nearby had left ahead of us at various times between 5:30am and 7:30am, but we felt no need to hurry; after all, we had all day. Our ascent route generally followed the other parties’ tracks along a wide arc around the western edge of the Sulphide Glacier and over to Hell’s Gate at the top of Hell’s Highway.
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Mt. Shuksan’s summit pyramid was now standing directly in front of us. By coincidence, I had been at this spot on exactly the same date in 1999—a year when the Cascades received a monster snowpack. At that time, the summit pyramid was plastered with snow, such that I never even touched rock during my climb. In contrast, this year’s snowpack has been very average, and the summit pyramid has lots of exposed rock. The “then & now” photos below illustrate the dramatic difference.
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As we cramponed toward the intimidating summit pyramid, a climbing party of two descended past us. They reported having turned around at the base due to lack of time in relation to the task required. Farther upslope, we encountered three ski-mountaineers at a rock outcrop. They too were turning around upon seeing the steep summit pyramid up close. Both of these parties demonstrate that retreat is not an uncommon reaction at this location!
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In order to reach the major southwest gully on the summit pyramid, we had to climb a steep snowpatch, and this in turn required scrambling across a small but tricky moat. Here, we met a three-person climbing party on their descent. They had successfully summited after a 5:30am departure and were heading out, now leaving us alone on the pyramid—a good thing from a rockfall hazard perspective. We continued up the steep snowpatch, angling toward the upper left corner and placing pickets for protection.
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After ditching our crampons and pickets on the last bit of snow, we stepped around to the bottom of the southwest gully and headed up. It was mostly bare rock, but there were small lingering snowpatches and some flowing water within the invert. Eileen and I traded leads over four pitches of belayed simul-climbing on our 60-meter alpine rope.
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In the lower half of the gully, the gray schist forms down-sloping slabs with limited opportunities for rock protection. In the upper half, the schist is blockier and more featured—thus, more fun and better protected. Overall, I would rate the climbing as solid Class 3-4. Most skilled scramblers would likely be comfortable without using a rope, whereas many people would appreciate being roped for at least the more-exposed parts.
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The pair of “then & now” photos below again illustrates the dramatic contrast between 1999 and 2023 conditions in the southwest gully. Which one did I prefer? Hard to say.
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A short Class 2 scramble above the fourth pitch delivered us onto the summit in mid-afternoon (7.0 hours + 2600 feet from camp). Yoko, Andrew, and Eileen were all ecstatic to stand on this monumental peak located in the northwestern “bulge” (a strategic bump-out used to nab Shuksan) of North Cascades National Park. We soaked in the views for a half-hour.
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To descend the summit pyramid, we made five long rappels down the gully. Our 60-meter rope was barely able to reach the established rappel stations. Parties using a shorter rope would need to do more down-climbing and/or improvise some intermediate rappel stations.
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Once out of the gully, we made a belayed down-climb of the steep snowpatch, butt-sliding over the moat to reach the glacier. We then followed boot tracks back to our pack stash (4.8 hours from summit), collected our gear, and dropped a short distance to Sulphide Glacier Camp at 6200 feet. Here, we could enjoy bare ground and a composting toilet. It had been a long day, so these simple amenities seemed downright luxurious!
Day 3: Sulphide Glacier to Trailhead
The night had been completely calm, but dark clouds started to form by morning. We wore crampons to get back over Sulphide Pass and down to Shannon Ridge, then it was an easy hike down to the trailhead. Ours was the only car in the parking lot when we arrived at noon (3.7 hours from camp).
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Route Map & Profile
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Photo Gallery
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