Hello - I am new to the Forum and was hoping any recent hikers/climbers to the Palisade Glacier and Mt. Sill North Couloir route could provide information regarding the condition of the glacier and whether or not ice axe/crampons are needed to get to Glacier Notch and up the North Couloir. I am hoping to climb Mt. Sill with my son in two weeks and want to make sure I am taking all of the necessary gear. Given the relatively dry year we have had, I am assuming that the end of the glacier towards Mt. Gayley has sufficiently receded such that ice axe/crampon is not necessary.

Thank you very much for your input!

I don't know about this year but my past experience suggests it's not so easy to get to Glacier Notch without hitting some glacier ice (some of it black ice). For that reason I would recommend bringing crampons and ice axe.

On the other hand in a low snow year, and in the late season, the L-shaped couloir tends to be either completely gone or mostly gone in a way that allows you to stay on rock the whole way above Glacier Notch.

So that's not the issue - the issue is skirting Gayley to get to the base of the loose climb up to Glacier Notch.

Thank you very much! Very helpful. Sounds like you have done the North Couloir route. From what I have read, the Class 4 ("crux") section sounds pretty straightforward with lots of solid handholds, etc., and ropes are not needed, but really depends on one's comfort level. My son is 15 and we did Mt. Agassiz last month, so I think this will a good next step.

Any input on the Class 4 section or anything else?

Thanks!

A pair of Sierra Challenge participants went up Sill a few weeks ago. They reported the ice getting to Glacier Notch to be so bad that they didn't want to descend the same way, and instead headed east on an involved descent into the South Fork drainage.
I don't think this is a good next step for a 15yr-old that did Agassiz, even in a good snow year. Agassiz is class 2-3, mostly class 2. I would try something with solid class 3 before going to class 4. Maybe Winchell, Matterhorn, or a host of other options.

Thank you, Bob. Safety is definitely the most important consideration and I will very seriously consider your recommendation. We wanted to try to climb a 14er, but an enjoyable, safe experience with my son is by far the most important thing. Would you also recommend against Middle Palisade's Class 3 route? In the meantime, I will research Mount Winchell and a few others.

I would recommend them roughly in this order:
White Mtn Peak
Whitney
Langley
Split
Muir
Shasta
Tyndall
Russell
Middle Pal
Williamson
Sill (easier if approached from Palisade Basin)
Polemonium
North Pal
Starlight
Thunderbolt

The first four are all easier (technically) or on par with Agassiz. Middle Pal is a better choice than Sill, but still a big step up from Agassiz. My recommendation would be Langley -it has a trail most of the way to the summit and you can practice your class 3 scrambling on the way up or down by deviating from the trail.

Thanks for this! I have done Agassiz, Whitney , Langley, Russell as well as some smaller ones solo and Thunderbolt with a guide. but got to the base of Middle Pal and bailed. I wanted rock shoes and a rope for the first pitch. It is so much steeper! I’m thinking about what to do next but don’t want to have to bail again. What does anyone think about Gould to Dragon peak? Ruskin? Darwin or Banner? Looking for fun but safe exposure more akin to Russell less like Middle Pal and epic views to take my son on. I know all those areas except for Taboose pass (yikes) pretty well but wanted opinions from you guys.

What about University Peak by the Norman Clyde route ? (North Face I think it is). It has some easy 3rd class but is a notch easier than Middle Pal. And it's a classic peak. Another good 3rd class peak in that general area is Deerhorn. Finally I would also recommend Tyndall, if you're into fourteeners. The North Rib is 3rd class in the book, but I would say it is a lot easier than Middle Pal.
I thought Ruskin's East ridge was harder than Middle Pal's NE face. The bottom is steep, blocky, and has some routefinding challenges. Then there is a hard move right below the summit. I also though Darwin's west ridge was harder than advertised at the base and for the summit block the way I went was clearly 4th class. Maybe I did not go the "right" way.
Banner is class 2 from the Ritter Banner Saddle, the crux for me was steep snow getting to the saddle.
I've done Gould and Dragon but not the traverse between them. The summit block of Dragon is a lot of fun - not hard, but quite exposed.

Sorry in advance for highjacking this thread.

I just joined the forum hoping to ask some questions about North Palisade. When I click "Post New Topic" it just directs me to my profile page. Any idea why this is happening?

Yeah, some stuff is working weird on SP right now. The condition you report and also, for example, if I click on the link to your profile it takes me to mine. Before the site admin suggests it - yes, I have signed out and signed back in in an attempt to reset whatever it is that is causing the disconnect..

For what it's worth, I tested both functions and they work on my end. I would've suggested a cookie reset but Mountain_Malcolm is a new user... and that's the limit of my web skills.