Page Type:
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Route |
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Lat/Lon:
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48.10422°N / 120.94274°W |
Route Type:
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Mountaineering, Trad Climbing |
Season:
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Summer, Fall |
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Time Required:
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Half a day |
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Rock Difficulty:
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5.8 (YDS) |
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Grade:
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III |
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Overview
This feature was named the Zen Arete by the first ascensionists, and as the name promises has almost 2000 vertical feet and over half a mile of blissful granite climbing in a serene setting. The ridge is highly featured with consistently solid and fairly easy climbing, lending itself to fast and comfortable travel. The area is very quiet and visitors are unlikely to encounter other parties on the route.Getting There
Follow the instructions on the main page to the basin on the East side of Berge, option 2 will be fastest. From treeline travel to the distinct ridge, with two steep towers near its base, and gain the crest via any reasonable route. A 100 meter tall loose gully gains the crest just uphill of the twin towers on the North side, many steep, shallow corners lead up on both the North and South sides of the ridge, and easy meadows merge with the crest on the South side of the ridge a couple hundred feet uphill of the toe.Route Description
From the ridge crest in the vicinity of the twin towers low on the ridge plan on nearly 300 meters of low to mid-fifth class climbing on the ridge crest, with several prominent flat ridge-top sections where the outstanding view of the Entiats and the North side of Buck can be appreciated. Eventually a significant notch is reached with a steep, dirty, deep corner leading out of it which can be climbed directly to stay on the ridge crest proper. Or ledges traverse to climber's right which can also be followed before climbing another crack system back to the ridge crest.After the deep corner another 300 meters of low to mid-fifth class terrain along the crest continues all the way to the summit. Many ledge systems and cracks criss-cross the ridgeline and allow for many variations to be taken to the top.