NMS Sahale Peak Climb

While not quite 9,000 feet high, Sahale Peak rises over 5,500 feet from the parking area along the North Fork of the Cascade River. Many climbers first visit the North Cascades acustomed to evaluating mountains by their height and are a bit surprised to see how arduous peaks like Sahale can be. Over the years we have used Sahale Peak extensively to train people for other glaciated climbs and to give people a quick idea of what the North Cascades has to offer. A 3 to 4 hour hike gets us into Boston Basin and our base camp for the climb. The Quien Sabe Glacier is not overly difficult, but does require us to navigate through crevasses, and select a reasonable line, usually near the center of the glacier. The summit ridge involves a combination of 4th class climbing, and ridge traversing ending on the spectacular and very small summit. The view from the top of Sahale Peak is one of the best in Washington.

If you are new to glacier climbing, this is a nice spot to develop basic glacier mountaineering skills such as: roped glacier travel, use of crampons, use of ice axe, self-arrest, crevasse rescue, and ice climbing (in a crevasse). Programs with the more extensive training such as crevasse rescue will generally take 3 days instead of 2.

Itinerary

Most groups elect to take 2 or 3 days to climb Sahale Peak. Fit parties might consider trying to climb both Sahale Peak and Sharkfin Tower on day 2 of their climb. We usually camp in Boston Basin, but have the option of camping up on the Quien Sabe Glacier if planning to do additional training on the glacier.

Qualifications

No previous climbing experience required. Participants should be in very good physical condition and will need to carry a backpack weighing between 30 and 40lbs. The weight of your pack will vary with the quality of your overnight gear.

Additional Notes:

For strong hikers looking for the easiest route to the summit of Sahale Peak, we offer a climb that comes up from Cascade Pass. North Cascade National Park regulations prevent climbers from camping near ecologically fragile Cascade Pass and as a result the approach hike is longer and more arduous than the hike into Boston Basin. Once up to camp, however, the climb on the south side of Sahale Peak is less technical and much shorter.