Headed out to do the Standard route. Made it to the lake and then started the bush-wack up the saddle. Very, very thick brush. No actual trail, just guessing on the direction up. Found a couple pieces of webbing and an old rope that has been left to help climbing. Very steep, about a 60-70 degree angle on the saddle rib. Got to where the saddle leveled out but clouds rolled in and it started raining. Lots of fun, need to return and start earlier in the day to make it.
I went up via the Persis-Index traverse, and came down the West Ridge route in one (long) day. The traverse was much better, despite some exposed sections on the way to the 4900' saddle. The West Ridge, and first mile of the old logging road, were overgrown and truly unpleasant.
Matt Lemke - Mar 9, 2019 9:24 am Date Climbed: Mar 3, 2019
Hourglass Gully in Winter
Excellent snow conditions and a beautiful winter weather window allowed many climbs around the state to happen. We hiked in via Lake Serene and climbed the Hourglass Gully.
tcingrum - Aug 24, 2017 9:50 pm Date Climbed: Aug 16, 2017
Index
Persia index traverse.
Mike Lewis - Sep 29, 2014 11:33 am Date Climbed: Sep 27, 2014
via Persis-Index Traverse
Done from Persis with a buddy of Josh Lewis as a 15 hour day hike. Very tough and would have preferred more snow. Beautiful day.
Long day out. Decent bike ride. But the brush on the old logging road...I think those slide alders are growing, and it's just getting worse! I think this goes down as my most undesirable bushwhack experience, for being on the actual route.
Something like 4 failed attempts on three routes and I finally got it via the traverse from Persis in 1.5 days solo.
relic - Jan 26, 2013 8:58 pm Date Climbed: May 1, 1991
The easy way to main peak
Date is a wild guess. Used mtn bike up the old logging road (since it was gated near Hwy 2) around to south side, then easy snow scramble to summit. Spectacular view of the Hwy 2 corridor and surrounding mtns!
kevinsa - Sep 18, 2012 12:27 am Date Climbed: May 31, 1993
Mt. Index
Came up from logging roads high on the south side. Not sure about the date, but I think I'm close.
fjes6 - May 7, 2012 11:26 am Date Climbed: May 6, 2012
Spring!
A good climb with great people, not a bad trip!
Redwic - May 6, 2012 8:58 pm Date Climbed: May 6, 2012
A Great Trip, A Great Peak!
After Gimpilator and I timed-out last year, we did this as an overnighter this time. And for this trip, five other guys joined us. It was a great team, with everyone working together for the common goal. Due to the snow conditions, having such a big summit team was a blessing in disguise because everyone in the group contributed to the trailbreaking and success of the climb. We hit all of the terrain at the right moments, in regards to weather and conditions. What a fun trip! My 70th Washington P2K. My 98th USA P2K.
jacobsmith - Jan 28, 2012 2:22 pm Date Climbed: Jan 28, 2012
Hourglass Route Attempt
Lake Serene trailhead was accessible but the road-grade section was hellish, dozens of downed trees to climb over and several bridges gone, all while wearing snowshoes, progress was slow until the actual trail, which despite the several feet of snow could be followed fairly easily. signs of massive avalanches at the lake but none seen or heard that afternoon, lake can be walked across. ascent to ridge fairly easy but after that impossible. upwards of 4 feet of powder under a 2 inch crust on nearly vertical snow slopes. I turned around about 500 feet up the ridge and still barely made it back to the trailhead by dark. new plan is to camp on the ridge above the lake and make the summit attempt either that afternoon or next morning, also maybe traverse to south-east side of ridge, snow seemed more solid on those slopes.
Redwic - Jun 20, 2011 1:29 am Date Climbed: Jun 19, 2011
A Wet Failure
Gimpilator and I made an attempt of Mount Index together, via the west/southwest route, but were stopped ~1200' elevation short of the summit due to a mixture of drizzle, sloppy snow, delays, timing-out, and a whiteout-like upper ridge. It was still a fun experience, albeit a very long day.
gimpilator - Jun 20, 2011 1:28 am Date Climbed: May 6, 2012
West Ridge
For our first attempt on June 19, 2011, Redwic and I made it to the saddle at 4900 feet, NE of Point 5212 before running out of time.
For our second attempt we returned to the west ridge with 5 other friends and climbed Index as a 2 day trip.
Josh Lewis - Feb 19, 2011 11:22 pm Date Climbed: Feb 19, 2011
No Summit
Got turned down from lack of time. We got up at 4:45 which it was dark when we arrived but with all the snow and such we did not have enough time. But it was still fun.
Nice route for a solo. When all the snow is gone the hourglass pitch is 5.6 and about 40 ft. Recommend to do this route first before trying harder stuff on these peaks because this is the normal descent but it's hard to find from the top especially when there's the all too frequent white out. Many top climbers have epic'd because of this descent.
Buckaroo - Sep 3, 2009 5:33 pm Date Climbed: Aug 22, 2009
Index Traverse
Solo of the Index traverse from N to S. Finally tagged this difficult climb after many tries. Took rock shoes and Guide 10's. One day to the tarns at the summit of Main, then 1/2 day back to the car. 20 pound pack but no sleeping bag so sort of a force bivy but it was okay. Partly cloudy but it had been shrouded in clouds for a couple of days so all the vegetation was wet on the N faces, but the rock was dry. Pretty tricky route finding the whole way and very exposed. Probably not one single place with enough room for a 2 person tent and only a few bivy spots.
Solo of this classic climb. It was very dry which is good because the rock is slippery when wet. Came back down the same way about 1/2 raps and 1/2 downclimb. The sketchiest climbing felt like the N face bowl even though that wasn't the hardest. Some of the rap anchors were manky so downclimbed past them.
Buckaroo - Sep 3, 2009 5:25 pm Date Climbed: Aug 2, 2002
West Route via Anderson Creek
Mostly slide alder up Anderson Creek then some snow gulley and faces at the pass and on Main Peak's upper slopes. Epic on the descent, couldn't find the start of the gulley then got off route where you have to gain the lower descent ridge above the lake. It's a long way from the top of the Anderson Creek drainage to the summit. Lots of false summits along the way.
ericnoel - Jun 28, 2009 12:46 pm Date Climbed: Jun 27, 2009
West Ridge
Kind of a dull approach but once we crossed over the ridge it is a very pretty area. We stuck in the trees on the ridge more than we had to just because the snow, while not steep, has somewhat poor runout. Spectacular summit views.
TraxFD - Jul 21, 2019 2:47 pm Date Climbed: Jul 15, 2019
Standard Route FailHeaded out to do the Standard route. Made it to the lake and then started the bush-wack up the saddle. Very, very thick brush. No actual trail, just guessing on the direction up. Found a couple pieces of webbing and an old rope that has been left to help climbing. Very steep, about a 60-70 degree angle on the saddle rib. Got to where the saddle leveled out but clouds rolled in and it started raining. Lots of fun, need to return and start earlier in the day to make it.
sorkinbr - Jul 8, 2019 2:00 pm Date Climbed: Jul 4, 2019
Independence DayI went up via the Persis-Index traverse, and came down the West Ridge route in one (long) day. The traverse was much better, despite some exposed sections on the way to the 4900' saddle. The West Ridge, and first mile of the old logging road, were overgrown and truly unpleasant.
Matt Lemke - Mar 9, 2019 9:24 am Date Climbed: Mar 3, 2019
Hourglass Gully in WinterExcellent snow conditions and a beautiful winter weather window allowed many climbs around the state to happen. We hiked in via Lake Serene and climbed the Hourglass Gully.
tcingrum - Aug 24, 2017 9:50 pm Date Climbed: Aug 16, 2017
IndexPersia index traverse.
Mike Lewis - Sep 29, 2014 11:33 am Date Climbed: Sep 27, 2014
via Persis-Index TraverseDone from Persis with a buddy of Josh Lewis as a 15 hour day hike. Very tough and would have preferred more snow. Beautiful day.
thundercloud - Sep 1, 2014 7:30 pm Date Climbed: Jul 12, 2014
West RidgeLong day out. Decent bike ride. But the brush on the old logging road...I think those slide alders are growing, and it's just getting worse! I think this goes down as my most undesirable bushwhack experience, for being on the actual route.
jacobsmith - Jul 26, 2014 10:49 pm Date Climbed: Jul 26, 2014
FinallySomething like 4 failed attempts on three routes and I finally got it via the traverse from Persis in 1.5 days solo.
relic - Jan 26, 2013 8:58 pm Date Climbed: May 1, 1991
The easy way to main peakDate is a wild guess. Used mtn bike up the old logging road (since it was gated near Hwy 2) around to south side, then easy snow scramble to summit. Spectacular view of the Hwy 2 corridor and surrounding mtns!
kevinsa - Sep 18, 2012 12:27 am Date Climbed: May 31, 1993
Mt. IndexCame up from logging roads high on the south side. Not sure about the date, but I think I'm close.
fjes6 - May 7, 2012 11:26 am Date Climbed: May 6, 2012
Spring!A good climb with great people, not a bad trip!
Redwic - May 6, 2012 8:58 pm Date Climbed: May 6, 2012
A Great Trip, A Great Peak!After Gimpilator and I timed-out last year, we did this as an overnighter this time. And for this trip, five other guys joined us. It was a great team, with everyone working together for the common goal. Due to the snow conditions, having such a big summit team was a blessing in disguise because everyone in the group contributed to the trailbreaking and success of the climb. We hit all of the terrain at the right moments, in regards to weather and conditions. What a fun trip! My 70th Washington P2K. My 98th USA P2K.
jacobsmith - Jan 28, 2012 2:22 pm Date Climbed: Jan 28, 2012
Hourglass Route AttemptLake Serene trailhead was accessible but the road-grade section was hellish, dozens of downed trees to climb over and several bridges gone, all while wearing snowshoes, progress was slow until the actual trail, which despite the several feet of snow could be followed fairly easily. signs of massive avalanches at the lake but none seen or heard that afternoon, lake can be walked across. ascent to ridge fairly easy but after that impossible. upwards of 4 feet of powder under a 2 inch crust on nearly vertical snow slopes. I turned around about 500 feet up the ridge and still barely made it back to the trailhead by dark. new plan is to camp on the ridge above the lake and make the summit attempt either that afternoon or next morning, also maybe traverse to south-east side of ridge, snow seemed more solid on those slopes.
Redwic - Jun 20, 2011 1:29 am Date Climbed: Jun 19, 2011
A Wet FailureGimpilator and I made an attempt of Mount Index together, via the west/southwest route, but were stopped ~1200' elevation short of the summit due to a mixture of drizzle, sloppy snow, delays, timing-out, and a whiteout-like upper ridge. It was still a fun experience, albeit a very long day.
gimpilator - Jun 20, 2011 1:28 am Date Climbed: May 6, 2012
West RidgeFor our first attempt on June 19, 2011, Redwic and I made it to the saddle at 4900 feet, NE of Point 5212 before running out of time.
For our second attempt we returned to the west ridge with 5 other friends and climbed Index as a 2 day trip.
Josh Lewis - Feb 19, 2011 11:22 pm Date Climbed: Feb 19, 2011
No SummitGot turned down from lack of time. We got up at 4:45 which it was dark when we arrived but with all the snow and such we did not have enough time. But it was still fun.
Buckaroo - Sep 3, 2009 5:36 pm Date Climbed: Jul 28, 2007
East Route (Hourglass)Nice route for a solo. When all the snow is gone the hourglass pitch is 5.6 and about 40 ft. Recommend to do this route first before trying harder stuff on these peaks because this is the normal descent but it's hard to find from the top especially when there's the all too frequent white out. Many top climbers have epic'd because of this descent.
Buckaroo - Sep 3, 2009 5:33 pm Date Climbed: Aug 22, 2009
Index TraverseSolo of the Index traverse from N to S. Finally tagged this difficult climb after many tries. Took rock shoes and Guide 10's. One day to the tarns at the summit of Main, then 1/2 day back to the car. 20 pound pack but no sleeping bag so sort of a force bivy but it was okay. Partly cloudy but it had been shrouded in clouds for a couple of days so all the vegetation was wet on the N faces, but the rock was dry. Pretty tricky route finding the whole way and very exposed. Probably not one single place with enough room for a 2 person tent and only a few bivy spots.
Buckaroo - Sep 3, 2009 5:28 pm Date Climbed: Jul 26, 1999
N Face of N Index PeakSolo of this classic climb. It was very dry which is good because the rock is slippery when wet. Came back down the same way about 1/2 raps and 1/2 downclimb. The sketchiest climbing felt like the N face bowl even though that wasn't the hardest. Some of the rap anchors were manky so downclimbed past them.
Buckaroo - Sep 3, 2009 5:25 pm Date Climbed: Aug 2, 2002
West Route via Anderson CreekMostly slide alder up Anderson Creek then some snow gulley and faces at the pass and on Main Peak's upper slopes. Epic on the descent, couldn't find the start of the gulley then got off route where you have to gain the lower descent ridge above the lake. It's a long way from the top of the Anderson Creek drainage to the summit. Lots of false summits along the way.
ericnoel - Jun 28, 2009 12:46 pm Date Climbed: Jun 27, 2009
West RidgeKind of a dull approach but once we crossed over the ridge it is a very pretty area. We stuck in the trees on the ridge more than we had to just because the snow, while not steep, has somewhat poor runout. Spectacular summit views.