navigate_next navigate_next navigate_before The Ridge The Ridge atop the West Buttress from 16,200' to High Camp at 17,200' is spectacular! The climbing is engaging and fun, weaving in and out of granite blocks and towers, with BIG AIR off either side. None of the climbing is very technical, but there are zones where the consequences of inattention can be disastrous.

Though only 1,000' of elevation is gained, this section of route often takes climbers 2-3 hours to negotiate. Take your time and work with other teams, especially teams faster or slower than yours. navigate_next navigate_before The Ridge If you cached supplies at the top of the fixed lines or perhaps higher on the ridge, it often makes sense to grab some of your cache as you climb up the Ridge. If the weather looks decent, you might move to High Camp with just three days of food. That's enough for your arrival night, a rest day, summit day, and food to get you back down the Ridge.

If circumstances don't permit a summit bid with that timeline, you can descend the Ridge to retrieve the rest of your cache. It only takes fit, acclimatized, proficient climbers about 30 minutes to get to most cache sites and 1-1.5 hours to get back to camp, and it's doable in fairly inclement weather. navigate_next navigate_before The Ridge The Ridge is stunning in it's exposure and can be the most fun climbing of the West Buttress route, but it's also second only to the Autobahn for it's share of accidents. The climbing isn't hard, but there are many stretches of the route where an unprotected slip can result in a fall of 1,000' or more.

This kind of terrain is often dangerous because it isn't too challenging. Climbers can be lulled into assessing their risk based on the low probability of a fall, neglecting to factor in the high consequences of an unroped or unprotected slip. Virtually all of those accidents fell to climber's left, down to or onto the Upper Peters Glacier. navigate_before Washburn's Thumb Named for the first ascencionist of the West Buttress, Bradford Washburn, Washburn's Thumb is a granite tower that is passed (on climber's left) via moderately steep and very exposed climbing. This 100-foot or so vertical section is equipped with a fixed line, and the route is just one climber in width, making it one of the "choke points" on the entire route.

This is a great time to check your ego and be gracious to other climbers who might be moving more quickly than your team, or be patient with a slower party. A quick rope will be up and past the Thumb in 15 minutes or less, while some rope teams might take an hour.