Park near milepost 166 on Hwy 20. Descend off the south side of the road into the Willow Creek basin, between Silver Star Mtn and Kangaroo Ridge. Cross the creek whenever possible and ascend back up the far slopes. Contour along the creek up to the head of the basin. You will have to work your way over to the west side of the basin near its head because there are significant rock bands and generally steeper terrain on the east side of the creek. We camped on a relatively flat spot on a shoulder below Kangaroo Ridge.

From there, go south and head up the steep slopes to the saddle between Big Snagtooth and Peak 7709, staying right of the tall, steep rock bands and left of Peak 7709. Once you gain the saddle, follow the ridge east to its terminous below Big Snagtooth.

Route Description

Beckey describes ascending a gully on the SW face, then climbing the S crest toward the summit block. We actually ascended a gully that was more on the W face, easily identified by a very large chokstone a hundred feet or so up the gully. This W gully is the first major gully you encounter, and I assume the gully Beckey describes is the next major gully around the corner to the right.

The W gully is class 4 scrambling, pretty awkward in places, and with lots of loose debris higher up (at the chokstone and above). Once at the top of the gully, the summit block is the large block to the left (north). We replicated Beckey's description of the first ascent by using a shoulder stand to gain the summit block on its northwest corner. This was not because we thought it would be fun -- gaining the block is an airy and frankly kind of scary affair for something that is supposed to be a scramble. I heard a rumor of a sling ladder since completing the climb, but we saw no signs of one when we were there. In any case, we had a 30m glacier rope along and once the first person was up, he belayed the rest of the party from the top.

Descent: We rapped off the southwest corner of the summit block to the top of the gully, then a 25 - 30m rappel down the gully will get you past the steepest part of the gully. Downclimb the rest of the gully and descend the way you came up.

Essential Gear

Possible crampons and ice axe depending on snow conditions -- snow was soft when we did it, so boots & ski poles were fine.
Highly recommend a helmet due to the loose debris in the gully.
Also recommend a rope for possible belays depending on the intestinal fortitude of your party members.
Slings for rap and belay anchors.

Miscellaneous Info

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