Trip Report
Basic Glacier Climb - Sloan Peak/Corkscrew Route
Very scenic one day climb via the Bedal Creek approach with optimal glacier climbing conditions and great weather.
Paul Wade
- Sat, Jul 13, 2024
- Basic Glacier Climb - Sloan Peak/Corkscrew Route
- Sloan Peak/Corkscrew Route
- Climbing
- Successful
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- Road recommended for high clearance only
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- Road to Bedal Creek TH is atrocious as advertised with limited parking and difficulty turning around or passing oncoming cars.
- Climbing trail is straightforward and easy to follow with pink flagging to mark the way.
- Multiple good water sources in the upper basin before getting on the glacier.
- Glacier in optimal climbing conditions with minimal open crevasses that are currently easy to bypass on the west side of the glacier and a high traverse to the base of the scramble.
- Scramble is essentially snow free with some loose rock in the gullies.
Single day climb of Sloan Peak via the Bedal creek approach and Corkscrew route. We left the TH just after 5 am and it took about an hour to hike down the Bedal Creek trail to the turn off for the climber's trail. The climber's trail is steep but minimally brushy with intermittent pink flagging tape to mark the trail. It took roughly 3 hours to ascend the climber's trail and go across the basin to the base of the glacier at 5900' where we roped up. There was intermittent snow in the basin starting around 5300' and multiple good water sources in the basin above a dirty tarn.
After roping up, we crossed the glacier, passing a band of crevasses on the west and taking a high traverse to the base of the scramble.
It took about an hour to scramble to the summit, arriving at 11:30 am. The scramble was snow free other than a small patch in one of the gullies. There was some loose rock in the gullies, requiring careful route finding. After a break at the summit, we started our descent, taking a little over 5 hours to arrive back at the TH, including a break to refill water in the basin after getting off the glacier, arriving back around 5:30 pm. A little over 12 hours car to car. It was a very enjoyable climb with stellar scenery, ideal climbing conditions and a great group of participants and assistant leaders!