Karl Helser - Oct 16, 2006 12:37 pm Date Climbed: Oct 14, 2006
Great climb..
Great climb on what could have been the last nice day of the summer climb season. Six in our group so it was a wait at the summit block. Not enough room for more than a couple. The pics on this page made it look harder than it was. I'll do this one again.
Dennis Poulin - Sep 22, 2006 9:58 pm Date Climbed: Oct 12, 2002
South Ridge
Climbed with a group from Oregon Mountaineering Association. First time I ever rapelled.
Turbo - Aug 14, 2006 1:56 am Date Climbed: Aug 3, 2006
Route Climbed: South Ridge
Summited this clever peak twice in five days. First, on August 3, and again on August 8. Climbed the south ridge both times. Great climb and a excellent view from the top (of course).
Bob Burd - Jul 22, 2006 2:16 pm Date Climbed: Jun 6, 2006
South Ridge
One of the easier days of our 9 day Cascade tour. Climbed with Matthew and Rick under fine weather conditions. Trip Report
Route Climbed: south ridge. Date Climbed: july 31st 2004.
An awsome little mountain. It is awfully exposed, lots of loose rock. I think the mountain justifies a roped pitch before the crawl and directly after. We did niether. I personally was OK with that. I know others were extremely uncomfortable. I found the rock sound when it needed to be The views are spectacular. It is truly the smallest summit I may ever get to stand on.
Route Climbed: South Ridge Date Climbed: October 9,2005
A previous day of high snow made the peak seem daunting from below. Brilliant sunshine warmed the rock and dried up the parts we needed to use really sweet. We got to the “crawl” around 1 PM, waited for a mountain guide and his client to clear the route. After that it was all ours! My partners were Nolana Horning and Bob Koca. Although I did not feel the summit pitch worthy of the 5.6 rating, I must say the view off the east face affords much exposure for the uninitiated or seasoned. On another occasion I had scrambled the 4th class “crawl” in low visibility failing to realize the ramifications of a slip. I highly recommend roping up and protecting the “crawl”. A single 50M rope with the second person tied in past the center mark and the third person on the end worked well for us. I did it all with wired stoppers, medium hexes and tri-cams. Do not leave your helmet in the car to save weight! Henry Bauer
Route Climbed: South Ridge Date Climbed: Aug 23, 2005
Turned out to be a great day for climbing up there -- I was expecting a long hot day, but we lucked out with a cool break in the weather. Lots of exposure to keep you focused, but the climbing was otherwise excellent. Bits immediately pre & post Crawl seemed to be the sketchiest part of the route.
Route Climbed: South Ridge Date Climbed: July 31, 2004
A beautiful day for climbing! I found the crawl and chimney climb much easier than I anticipated. I found myself sitting for a while at the base of the chimney due to a large group that got ahead of us, but the summit was incredible, and it was a great weekend with friends!
Route Climbed: South ridge Date Climbed: 10/16/2004
Might have gotten the last summit of 2004 last Saturday, 10/16. Nice sunny weather and a bit of wind for most of the climb. Clouds started pouring in late in the afternoon. Couldn't see 3FJ from Smith Rock the next day because of low clouds, but looks like snow level was down to about 5000' or less. So, unless it warms up a bunch and gets sunny soon, anyone headed up that way should expect snow on the route.
Route Climbed: south ridge (is there another way?) Date Climbed: summer 2002
Some of the best exposure in the state! I was the only one up top on this day , excepting a cloud of mosquitos that followed me for the last mile or so.....
Route Climbed: South Ridge Date Climbed: September 27, 2004
I climbed with Cornvallis on a Monday and saw no one else all day. The rotten scramble before the Crawl is pretty unpleasant. That and the burnt approach hike makes me unlikely to return anytime soon.
Route Climbed: South Ridge Date Climbed: August 21, 2004
Waited two hours at the summit pinnacle for a group of 12 Mazamas to clear the route. About eight more people were on their way up as we descended. This is the most exposed summit in the Oregon Cascades. Jefferson probably comes next, followed by Thielsen, North Sister, and Broken Top.
Route Climbed: South Ridge Date Climbed: July, 18'04
Started at 5:30 am from PCT trailhead with Chemeketans. Got back at 6:30 pm. Other than very little rain and clouds of mosquitos we did not encounter any problems. You may consider taking a Deet shower before hitting this mountain. Exposure along summit pitches was thrilling.
Route Climbed: South Route Date Climbed: July 2002
Started out noonish from the parking lot and set up camp on the saddle. Had about 3 hours to mess around so we hiked up to check out the crawl and then back down for some rappeling off a cliff just NE of the ridge. Had a stormy night and witnessed the most amazing sunrise ever. The strong southwest winds blew clouds over the ridge and dropped them onto the east side right in front of the sun. It looked like inverse fire flamming all around us. Stayed in our sacks for a while hoping the winds would die down but finally got out and going hoping for the best. Awesome climb with plenty of exposure to a viewless top on that day. Roped up for the crawl and the top section. Great experinece.
Route Climbed: South Ridge (sorta) Date Climbed: March 20, 2003
My friend Mark and I have talked about doing a winter ascent for a couple years now. Hiked in starting at about 11 pm Friday night by GPS. Road in to PCT trailhead is closed so we parked at the Snow Park and hiked northeasterly to gain the South Ridge instead of trying to follow a PCT that is about 5 feet under snow.
Brutal hike in with a 68 pound pack but that's what you gotta do in winter. :- P Finally stopped somewhat short of our goal about 2 am and set up camp. We figured the next day would be sleep late and scout the route. Morning was beautiful but we realized we still had about 1.7 miles to go to the summit. Late start at almost 11 am but we made the ridge and stashed our packs heading up only with our gear, pro and a Nalgene each. Figured we did not want to re-do this on Sunday and do the brutal hike out the same day so we decided to push it on Saturday.
Ridge was fun and easy and we made our way over to the saddle between the ridge and the main mass of 3FJ. Climbed up easy slopes to the ridge and we could see a bit of the climber's trail in a melted out area. Snow was really mushy but we did 4 pitches up the ridge to the second gendarme staying on the left side on slopes from 25 to maybe 65 degrees, mostly about 45 degrees. Got to the second gendarme and it looked like easier snow slopes around to the left instead of doing the normal route but we hit our 4 pm turnaround time so we headed back just barely short of the summit. This one looks fun and doable in winter but we made the right decision to head back as the wind REALLY whipped up and almost knocked us off the ridge on the way back.
Slept like 11 hours that night and then did the hike out. As usual, it was bacon cheeseburgers and milk shakes at Poppa Al's in Mill City. No Ding Dongs this trip but I did get some Brownie Bites in Detroit to satisfy my crapfood intake.
Route Climbed: South Ridge Date Climbed: July 14, 2003
A long day with a large group. The weather was good, although smoke from the Link Fire burning south of Suttle Lake obscured views to the east. The summit, a high point along a knife-edged ridge, is quite an airy perch.
Karl Helser - Oct 16, 2006 12:37 pm Date Climbed: Oct 14, 2006
Great climb..Great climb on what could have been the last nice day of the summer climb season. Six in our group so it was a wait at the summit block. Not enough room for more than a couple. The pics on this page made it look harder than it was. I'll do this one again.
Dennis Poulin - Sep 22, 2006 9:58 pm Date Climbed: Oct 12, 2002
South RidgeClimbed with a group from Oregon Mountaineering Association. First time I ever rapelled.
Turbo - Aug 14, 2006 1:56 am Date Climbed: Aug 3, 2006
Route Climbed: South RidgeSummited this clever peak twice in five days. First, on August 3, and again on August 8. Climbed the south ridge both times. Great climb and a excellent view from the top (of course).
Bob Burd - Jul 22, 2006 2:16 pm Date Climbed: Jun 6, 2006
South RidgeOne of the easier days of our 9 day Cascade tour. Climbed with Matthew and Rick under fine weather conditions. Trip Report
cascadetraveler - Jan 20, 2006 9:36 pm
Route Climbed: south ridge. Date Climbed: july 31st 2004.An awsome little mountain. It is awfully exposed, lots of loose rock. I think the mountain justifies a roped pitch before the crawl and directly after. We did niether. I personally was OK with that. I know others were extremely uncomfortable. I found the rock sound when it needed to be The views are spectacular. It is truly the smallest summit I may ever get to stand on.
YetiBauer - Oct 27, 2005 5:09 pm
Route Climbed: South Ridge Date Climbed: October 9,2005A previous day of high snow made the peak seem daunting from below. Brilliant sunshine warmed the rock and dried up the parts we needed to use really sweet. We got to the “crawl” around 1 PM, waited for a mountain guide and his client to clear the route. After that it was all ours! My partners were Nolana Horning and Bob Koca. Although I did not feel the summit pitch worthy of the 5.6 rating, I must say the view off the east face affords much exposure for the uninitiated or seasoned. On another occasion I had scrambled the 4th class “crawl” in low visibility failing to realize the ramifications of a slip. I highly recommend roping up and protecting the “crawl”. A single 50M rope with the second person tied in past the center mark and the third person on the end worked well for us. I did it all with wired stoppers, medium hexes and tri-cams. Do not leave your helmet in the car to save weight! Henry Bauer
mandrake - Aug 25, 2005 6:17 pm
Route Climbed: South Ridge Date Climbed: Aug 23, 2005Turned out to be a great day for climbing up there -- I was expecting a long hot day, but we lucked out with a cool break in the weather. Lots of exposure to keep you focused, but the climbing was otherwise excellent. Bits immediately pre & post Crawl seemed to be the sketchiest part of the route.
DagiTig - Jun 8, 2005 2:21 pm
Route Climbed: South Ridge Date Climbed: July 31, 2004A beautiful day for climbing! I found the crawl and chimney climb much easier than I anticipated. I found myself sitting for a while at the base of the chimney due to a large group that got ahead of us, but the summit was incredible, and it was a great weekend with friends!
cluck - Oct 18, 2004 5:21 pm
Route Climbed: South ridge Date Climbed: 10/16/2004Might have gotten the last summit of 2004 last Saturday, 10/16. Nice sunny weather and a bit of wind for most of the climb. Clouds started pouring in late in the afternoon. Couldn't see 3FJ from Smith Rock the next day because of low clouds, but looks like snow level was down to about 5000' or less. So, unless it warms up a bunch and gets sunny soon, anyone headed up that way should expect snow on the route.
Andinistaloco - Oct 6, 2004 9:37 pm
Route Climbed: south ridge (is there another way?) Date Climbed: summer 2002Some of the best exposure in the state! I was the only one up top on this day , excepting a cloud of mosquitos that followed me for the last mile or so.....
dkantola - Oct 5, 2004 1:18 am
Route Climbed: South Ridge Date Climbed: September 27, 2004I climbed with Cornvallis on a Monday and saw no one else all day. The rotten scramble before the Crawl is pretty unpleasant. That and the burnt approach hike makes me unlikely to return anytime soon.
dkantola - Aug 24, 2004 9:46 pm
Route Climbed: South Ridge Date Climbed: August 21, 2004Waited two hours at the summit pinnacle for a group of 12 Mazamas to clear the route. About eight more people were on their way up as we descended. This is the most exposed summit in the Oregon Cascades. Jefferson probably comes next, followed by Thielsen, North Sister, and Broken Top.
e.acar - Jul 19, 2004 11:51 pm
Route Climbed: South Ridge Date Climbed: July, 18'04Started at 5:30 am from PCT trailhead with Chemeketans. Got back at 6:30 pm. Other than very little rain and clouds of mosquitos we did not encounter any problems. You may consider taking a Deet shower before hitting this mountain. Exposure along summit pitches was thrilling.
Pawkala - Jul 2, 2004 12:01 am
Route Climbed: South Route Date Climbed: July 2002Started out noonish from the parking lot and set up camp on the saddle. Had about 3 hours to mess around so we hiked up to check out the crawl and then back down for some rappeling off a cliff just NE of the ridge. Had a stormy night and witnessed the most amazing sunrise ever. The strong southwest winds blew clouds over the ridge and dropped them onto the east side right in front of the sun. It looked like inverse fire flamming all around us. Stayed in our sacks for a while hoping the winds would die down but finally got out and going hoping for the best. Awesome climb with plenty of exposure to a viewless top on that day. Roped up for the crawl and the top section. Great experinece.
M and N Denyer - Mar 29, 2004 6:37 pm
Route Climbed: South Ridge (sorta) Date Climbed: March 20, 2004See Brian Jenkins' log. Have been wanted to do a winter assault of Three Fingered Jack for several years now.
Did a summer climb of Three Finger Jack with Natasha in the summer of 1997.
Brian Jenkins - Mar 21, 2004 10:07 pm
Route Climbed: South Ridge (sorta) Date Climbed: March 20, 2003My friend Mark and I have talked about doing a winter ascent for a couple years now. Hiked in starting at about 11 pm Friday night by GPS. Road in to PCT trailhead is closed so we parked at the Snow Park and hiked northeasterly to gain the South Ridge instead of trying to follow a PCT that is about 5 feet under snow.
Brutal hike in with a 68 pound pack but that's what you gotta do in winter. :- P Finally stopped somewhat short of our goal about 2 am and set up camp. We figured the next day would be sleep late and scout the route. Morning was beautiful but we realized we still had about 1.7 miles to go to the summit. Late start at almost 11 am but we made the ridge and stashed our packs heading up only with our gear, pro and a Nalgene each. Figured we did not want to re-do this on Sunday and do the brutal hike out the same day so we decided to push it on Saturday.
Ridge was fun and easy and we made our way over to the saddle between the ridge and the main mass of 3FJ. Climbed up easy slopes to the ridge and we could see a bit of the climber's trail in a melted out area. Snow was really mushy but we did 4 pitches up the ridge to the second gendarme staying on the left side on slopes from 25 to maybe 65 degrees, mostly about 45 degrees. Got to the second gendarme and it looked like easier snow slopes around to the left instead of doing the normal route but we hit our 4 pm turnaround time so we headed back just barely short of the summit. This one looks fun and doable in winter but we made the right decision to head back as the wind REALLY whipped up and almost knocked us off the ridge on the way back.
Slept like 11 hours that night and then did the hike out. As usual, it was bacon cheeseburgers and milk shakes at Poppa Al's in Mill City. No Ding Dongs this trip but I did get some Brownie Bites in Detroit to satisfy my crapfood intake.
bc44caesar - Feb 16, 2004 1:11 pm
Route Climbed: South Ridge Date Climbed: 4 May 2002Awesome bluebird day with the mountain to ourselves!
dkantola - Jul 15, 2003 9:43 pm
Route Climbed: South Ridge Date Climbed: July 14, 2003A long day with a large group. The weather was good, although smoke from the Link Fire burning south of Suttle Lake obscured views to the east. The summit, a high point along a knife-edged ridge, is quite an airy perch.
cluck - Oct 8, 2002 7:34 pm
Route Climbed: South Ridge Date Climbed: October 6 2002Summitted on a perfect Sunday morning.
For some observations on this climb, check out the trip report.
rmjwinters - Oct 5, 2002 9:57 pm
Route Climbed: South Ridge Date Climbed: July 1998This was interesting. Final summit pitch was fun and interesting. Great weather and climbed with my good friend Scott and his wife.