Mount Challenger via Eiley-Wiley

Ian and I took the Eiley-Wiley route to Mount Challenger. The only thing I'd add to Nelson's description in Selected Climbs in the Cascades, Volume 1 is that the south side of the "notch" route over point 7374 is potentially awful. Here is our experience with it.

From the 7240'+ notch (just SE of the summit block of point 7374) we descended a loose, rocky gully to a snowfield. Then we continued down the fall line into a narrow, steep, snow gully that had water pouring into it. We had to scramble down a creek in one section where the snow had completely melted out. While climbing down the snow some rock spontaneously broke off and fell into the gully, fortunately the rock stopped in the moat. Down climbing the gully was tedious and tiring and the rockfall hazard was bad.

On our return from the summit we took a longer route that traverses north around point 7374 and we were much happier with it.

  • Date:
    2007/07/14 to 2007/07/18
    Elevation gain:
    8,435 feet
    Trip type:
    intermediate climb
    USGS quad:
    Mount Challenger
    In:
    North Cascades
    Car-to-car:
    5 days
    • 8 hours 40 minutes ascending from Big Beaver dock to Beaver Pass camp
    • 8 hours 44 minutes ascending from Beaver Pass camp to camp above Eiley Lake
    • 2 hours 28 minutes ascending from camp above Eiley Lake to east end of Challenger Glacier
    • 3 hours 42 minutes ascending from east end of Challenger Glacier to summit of Mount Challenger
    • 1 hour 43 minutes descending from summit of Mount Challenger to east end of Challenger Glacier
    • 3 hours 7 minutes descending from east end of Challenger Glacier to camp above Eiley Lake
    • 4 hours 26 minutes descending from camp above Eiley Lake to Beaver Pass
    • 2 hours 30 minutes descending from Beaver Pass to Luna Camp
    • 3 hours 18 minutes descending from Luna Camp to Big Beaver dock
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  • Luna Peak from our camp above Eiley Lake
    Luna Peak from our camp above Eiley Lake
  • Northern Pickets from our camp above Eiley Lake
    Northern Pickets from our camp above Eiley Lake
  • Luna Peak from our camp above Eiley Lake
    Luna Peak from our camp above Eiley Lake
  • Mount Prophet from our camp above Eiley Lake
    Mount Prophet from our camp above Eiley Lake
  • Luna Peak from our camp above Eiley Lake
    Luna Peak from our camp above Eiley Lake
  • Sunrise on Mount Challenger from our camp above Eiley Lake
    Sunrise on Mount Challenger from our camp above Eiley Lake
  • Sunrise on the Northern Pickets from our camp above Eiley Lake
    Sunrise on the Northern Pickets from our camp above Eiley Lake
  • Luna Peak from Sunrise on Luna Peak from our camp above Eiley Lake
    Luna Peak from Sunrise on Luna Peak from our camp above Eiley Lake
  • Mount Challenger from the shoulder of peak 7374
    Mount Challenger from the shoulder of peak 7374
  • Mount Challenger from the east end of the Challenger Glacier
    Mount Challenger from the east end of the Challenger Glacier
  • NE ridge of Mount Challenger
    NE ridge of Mount Challenger
  • NE ridge of Mount Challenger
    NE ridge of Mount Challenger
  • Just before the bergschrund on Mount Challenger
    Just before the bergschrund on Mount Challenger
  • Whatcom Peak from the Challenger Glacier
    Whatcom Peak from the Challenger Glacier
  • Mount Challenger from the west side of point 7374
    Mount Challenger from the west side of point 7374
  • Traversing the NE side of point 7374
    Traversing the NE side of point 7374
  • Partridgefoot
    Partridgefoot
  • Indian Paintbrush
    Indian Paintbrush

  • Copyright © 2024 Gabriel Deal.