-The final basin, filled with talus and scree, is a joyless slog no matter what you do.
-If you follow this route to Cardiac Pass, then try to traverse the ridgeline, you end up on (what I found to be) pretty crappy rock, and it's not an easy traverse. I followed a couple lines to the very top of the ridge, only to get cliffed out. We ended up dropping off the ridge back down into the basin and finding a chute back up that went almost right to the peak.
-I will suggest an alternate ascent route that aims for the lowest point between Superior and Monte Cristo, rather than Cardiac Pass. We used this as our descent route, and although the chute is loose and steep, once the ridge is gained, the rock is much nicer and the traverse to Superior is much easier. This alternative follows 99% of the route posted here, and just changes the approach to the peak at the very end.
-As mentioned in the route, the scramble from Superior to Monte Cristo is easy. I will expound on that by saying it is fun and the rock is very good. There is a minor peak you have to traverse over between Superior and Monte Cristo. You can either climb right over it, or "cheat" and bypass it on the South side (given there is no snow).
Again, great route, it was a really enjoyable hike.
philadendron - Sep 23, 2014 6:10 pm - Voted 10/10
Great route, couple observations-The final basin, filled with talus and scree, is a joyless slog no matter what you do.
-If you follow this route to Cardiac Pass, then try to traverse the ridgeline, you end up on (what I found to be) pretty crappy rock, and it's not an easy traverse. I followed a couple lines to the very top of the ridge, only to get cliffed out. We ended up dropping off the ridge back down into the basin and finding a chute back up that went almost right to the peak.
-I will suggest an alternate ascent route that aims for the lowest point between Superior and Monte Cristo, rather than Cardiac Pass. We used this as our descent route, and although the chute is loose and steep, once the ridge is gained, the rock is much nicer and the traverse to Superior is much easier. This alternative follows 99% of the route posted here, and just changes the approach to the peak at the very end.
-As mentioned in the route, the scramble from Superior to Monte Cristo is easy. I will expound on that by saying it is fun and the rock is very good. There is a minor peak you have to traverse over between Superior and Monte Cristo. You can either climb right over it, or "cheat" and bypass it on the South side (given there is no snow).
Again, great route, it was a really enjoyable hike.