NE Couloir and NW Ridge : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost

Approach

Follow the trail from Rock Creek Lake to Tamarack Lakes as described on the main page. Continue around the west side of the lakes, and hike southwest up talus and benches--or snow in early season--to the bowl north of the peak. Continue up the obvious couloir that leads to the col northwest of the peak. Secor comments that this couloir contains steep snow and loose class 3 rock. In actuality, in early season, it's an easy snow climb, no more than 35° at the steepest point. Moreover one can find enjoyable, solid rock by keeping to the rib on the right side of the couloir.

Route Description

From the saddle, traverse across the west side of the peak over two ribs, avoiding a couple of impressive gendarmes along the ridge, and climb either a talus-strewn gully that leads up to the ridge crest or the rib to its side. The scrambling here is better than it appears at first, with some delicate mantels, a few surprisingly tricky moves, and reasonably solid rock; many variations are possible. Follow the ridge southeast to the summit.

Essential Gear

Ice axe and crampons may be helpful for climbing the couloir, particularly if you plan on descending this way. However, the angle is relatively low, the runout friendly, and steps are easy to kick in early season; I didn't use either during an early June climb.

Images

$Broken Finger Peak\'s...$