Cirque Lake Peak, East Face

Overview

Cirque Lake Peak, East Face

Getting There

This is approached on the opposite side of the ridge compared to the main page. Follow the well-marked trails to the Baron Lakes Basin. Walk to the North end of Baron Lake, then hike West / South West along the north shore of Baron Lake. Approach via the valley on the North West side of Baron Lake, following a scratch trail up the gully towards Cirque Lake. Traverse West above Cirque lake, then walk north-west to the base of the East Face of Cirque Lake Peak.

Route Description

The route gains roughly 1,900 vertical feet over an estimated 1.4 miles from Baron lake to cirque lake peak, with the last 400-500 vertical feet being a “scramble.” Approach via the valley on the West side of Baron Lake, following a scratch trail up the gully towards Cirque Lake. Then traverse west above cirque lake, and veer north-west directly towards the base of the East Face of Cirque Lake Peak. See pictures for more details. At the base, a short slab with many crack options guards access to a series of short cliffs, ledges and ramps, which can be ascended to a scree field just below the summit. I chose to climb a 15 ft slab crack to a leftward slanting gully, then linked the ledges with mostly 4th, and a few low 5th moves. The route was great fun, featuring an airy step to link ledges, and a mantle along the way. The mantle can be avoided by use of a tree. The last move before the scree field had a loose block, but otherwise the rock felt pretty solid. As for the scramble-grade, I think it could go at 5.1. This is just a guess, so climb at your own risk.

Essential Gear

This can be done solo or with a very short rope and slings on natural features + gear for rappelling. Gear placements aren’t really needed, but you could probably put a piece in the first 5.1 hand-crack. There are plenty of natural features to sling, and no sustained rock climbing, but you will either need to down-climb ledges or do very short rappels off ledges. The route wanders a lot, so rope drag could be an issue and too much gear could get in the way. 

External Links

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