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- Jul 19, 2011
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Forbidden Peak West Ridge — A Spectacular Challenge!
MM guides Ian Nicholson and Tino Villanueva took four returning clients to climb the beautiful West Ridge of Forbidden Peak last week. The conditions were great and the views were incredible! Ian shares his report and photos.
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0003.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=53845adf432c3303863686665279d7c0 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0003.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=69c0bc15d83e5bbfbf19e8d0ec03b070 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0003.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=574b26147024476de2ebc03f852b251e 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0003.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=57b9348c457fb1821ea6919e8a85666b 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0003.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=7e05ae75f1255da15b22aedbaa5aa0ba 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0003.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=a0dca4f6f7c18c756573a7433b4a8923 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0003.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=bff8aa10ccf8e1ae901a1c98c3aa48c6 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0003.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=d12c0a65ef89aa6729040e8732d40b5a 1024w)
Forbidden Team. Ian Nicholson photo
“A seasoned group, this was my third trip with Joel, my second trip with Mark, Tino and Dan’s third trip together, and I had run into Robert on the Fisher Chimneys with MM guide Jason Broman last year. On Friday, July 8, we met at Second Ascent, performed our typical gear check and were on the road by 8:15 am. After checking in at the Marblemount Ranger Station, we drove up the Cascade River Road and parked 1.75 miles before the Boston Basin Trailhead. We ate a wonderful lunch with veggies, hummus and cheese, then started the hike in. The trail is notoriously known in the North Cascades National Park as a route that is consistently steep and usually overgrown. After some bushwhacking, stream crossings and log hopping, we made it to our camp at 6,600 feet, the Boston Basin High Camp, below Forbidden Peak’s South Face and the ironically named “Un-named Glacier.”
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0036.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=3f0bafec8dac54a68c23dc8e53e6f1b4 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0036.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=f8dbd2d1e89c4576d2c4fd43f364b7f7 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0036.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=f0dce307d5bbedb15b1bcbad75053b34 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0036.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=7a812bc8ac1e74b6750b3e4876367455 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0036.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=2b0dd30372fe2f46dc13a98277988379 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0036.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=5b87355a1892a2ff18a659d2c65c6a17 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0036.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=b2178b1f85bd320fac59a0fe0a6894aa 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0036.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=b98e3559093f03ba0d46cdbdb652e732 1024w)
Glacier travel below the peak with Sahale in the background. Ian Nicholson photo
“Joel had brought his new, extremely-spacious tent, affectionately deemed “The Condo,” which he generously shared with Mark, Robert, Dan, Tino and me. It was lightly raining with very low visibility. The rain turned to snow briefly during the night with an unbelievable mid-July 5,500 foot freeze level forecaster. Luckily, the whole group had plenty of Cascade climbing experience and were able to deal with poor weather in stride. It certainly didn’t effect anyone’s excitement!
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0044.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=a0d0f3e286a8faadff3525c651c0b1a6 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0044.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=b9ae86d70a6f3f0e0a348b3f140f48d0 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0044.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=11fe4c52d4d2b8b7ad69cae5c20f2fb5 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0044.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=6ae7cd466d253ec31637e841377a8bea 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0044.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=0b79017efefe0986126d4b3f5cf4bc0a 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0044.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=8f71b0b429a4720d84bb8b31a42a7d56 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0044.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=12fce3a92b388e75da64b16f52d3c6f4 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0044.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=43a1c65184a2a00cc385218ceb96ee2a 1024w)
On approach. Ian Nicholson photo
“We chose to get a later start due to the poor weather, snow on the route and the cold temperatures, and to our exciement, the weather improved as the morning wore on. We woke up at a later-than-usual 6:30 am. Mark had apparently been up since 5am, a habit he has kept since his days in the Marines. Right as we crawled out of our tents, the sky began to clear and it stopped raining/sleeting as we ate breakfast. We departed at 8:40 am and had a pleasant approach with views of Forbidden’s summit over half of the time. The approach gulley that gains the West Ridge notch is an often overlooked challenge, since the extreme exposure once on the ridge makes it easy to forget. The West Ridge gulley is 4 – 5 pitches of 50+ degree snow with a little full-blown mixed climbing to gain the col. Our group enjoyed the varied climbing the gulley addes to the route, and welcomed the views once we gained the ridge.
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0050.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=c586022b8c5143f1e96a12321a7edab2 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0050.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=6ceaf942bcbb49689473067ffa22273b 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0050.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=ae988ce10dd863c1e9637c985c131d55 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0050.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=cfdebcb678f44f40110dc4620531263f 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0050.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=3fb81bcba41eb215d98444e05fca32f4 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0050.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=96a220e3a17a0c2641f8b9291e69150f 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0050.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=8e31a8867af071efc1a386eba519c4a9 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0050.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=e7d41d0abcd4451f33d3d8fde7b15df6 1024w)
High on the route with Eldorado in the background. Ian Nicholson photo
“Once on the ridge, everyone kept shouting out how cool the climbing was, and how extreme the exposure felt. Our teams cruised the crux “friction pitch” and enjoyed constantly looking down 1500 – 3000 feet of exposure on either side of the true knife-edged ridge. The West Ridge is never wider than 10 feet for its entirety and is regularly only a few feet across. This, plus the sound rock and excellent climbing, is why the West Ridge of Forbidden Peak is one of “The 50 Classic Climbs of North America.”
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0066.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=d6eb29979093c72be68c45a28cb667d5 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0066.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=3faa8c9ad06706802a11d4917ff484c6 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0066.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=79ed08718bfe74754fe096ddbf468c54 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0066.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=8104fbdcec3fa7f953f1ce6a5ee625ea 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0066.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=034362881d3395588aad6436cbe39402 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0066.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=d8b398c573fe3f634da296cc4eda25d3 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0066.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=05c1af6bc69c7671f5fd56a922bedc40 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0066.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=d99fe9c588ceaefe805fea91b2d8177a 1024w)
Airy ridge climbing. Ian Nicholson photo
“Mark, Joel and I made the summit around 3:00 pm, with Tino, Dan, and Robert not far behind. The West Ridge is more challenging than many climbs since climbers have to down-climb a majority of the route; an often heavily, time-consuming effort that our groups executed fantastically. We dropped into the steep snow gulley and were forced to put our headlamps on for the final few rope-lengths. This was a pleasant change in atmosphere that allowed us to see the stars and beautiful Milky Way. We all descended the Unnamed Glacier in the dark as a group and walked back to camp exhausted but extremely satisfied.
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0076.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=f7d10ca133427ca78f6800dabfdaccf3 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0076.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=c7da3ef8b915e75a196328592ecd6bd3 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0076.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=9dc010d55f01f1d067d3e656183a3882 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0076.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=f15321b0e321c1965318a7e85e3ab3bf 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0076.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=cd0f0395d41cb025cb8df9806f5fa94d 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0076.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=46b495a548b237c43b10878d6f84a170 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0076.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=082a2bdcd3005f5108c0af71996c4942 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0076.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=fec6d15109dd8d1c69aa6e7490d86ab8 1024w)
Classic exposed climbing on the West Ridge. Ian Nicholson photo
“The next and final morning we woke up and hiked out among a mix of light rain and sun. The whole group agreed that this was one of the more challenging climbs they had ever completed, but also one of the best. Joel and Mark were already talking about next year’s adventure before we even hit the trailhead!”
- Ian Nicholson
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0095.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=9df2b30ae82cba2cdb4105360c2f3eb5 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0095.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=54b4085123d547c5ff83c0fce2cb9591 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0095.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=6ec27f8124d7142c6afef01ab0909b42 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0095.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=e98e8ec407da76250f98326d53a6e3a5 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0095.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=47e1f28714d437d3ffa6d84964c459af 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0095.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=21d95d20426a9324fa9ce7838b47b98a 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0095.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=f299f8915f56b6574c61efe7672b1f96 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_0095.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=4dba7f0ac433b26543c6f7b8cd08b5f9 1024w)
Back in camp with the 5,000 foot North Face of Johannesburg in the background.
Ian Nicholson photo