Remember that climbing route that left you afterwards saying to yourself, "Lucky to walk away from that one. The Climbing Gods were with me!" Since there was a "Most Difficult Mountains to Climb List" I thought it might be interesting to compile from my readings, experiences of other climbers, and personal experiences a list of the potentially most dangerous routes in Washington. Here are the criteria I came up with:
l. Length of Climb and Seriousness of Commitment (Difficulty of Retreat)
2. Physical Dangers of the Route:Rock Fall,Ice Fall, Avalanches, Crevasses,Rock Friability
3. Potential Weather Dangers: Lightning, Rapid Storm Development
4.High Altitude
5.Remoteness of Route
6.Technical Difficulty of Route, and lack of ability to find reliable protection on it.
7.Necessity of having complete mountaineering skill on rock, ice, and snow
8.Requirement of individual fitness for speed of completion and doing technical
climbing
You will see that my top ten picks has a large number of routes on Mt Rainier. It is the Monarch of the Northwest.
Here are my picks:
l. Willis Wall West Rib - Mt. Rainier
2. liberty Wall Direct - Mt Rainier
3. North Mowich Headwall - Mt. Rainier
4 Northeast Face - Mt. Johannesburg Mountain
5.North Face - Southwest Peak of Bonanza Peak
6.Degennhardt Glacier - Mt Degenhardt, Southern Picket Range
7.Victory Ridge - Mt Adams
8.Curtis Ridge - Mt Rainier
9.North Face -Inspiration Peak, Southern Picket Range
10.Hanging Glacier Ice Cliff - Mt Shuksan
There are three other routes on Rainier, two on Mt Johannesburg, one on Mt Index, Mox Peaks, Mt. Maude, Bear Mt., and Mt Stuart which I would consider as possibles on this list What are your picks for the top ten most potentially dangerous routes?