Sargents Ridge

You have to imagine this route in the days when the snow was plowed to its lower ramparts in the Old Ski Bowl.  Now, in early season you’ll need to skin/trek the three miles of unplowed road from Bunny Flat to the Old Ski Bowl (OSB) or perhaps you may get lucky and be able to hitch a ride with a kind snowmobiler.

There are several options to gain the ridge top from OSB.  One may climb the spur ridge that leads up from the lower portion of Old Ski Bowl.  Alternately one may climb up below Shastarama to gain the ridge top.  Shastarama is a worthy climb and ski descent in its own right.  The crux will come from just beyond the narrow ridge above Shastarama along the “saw tooth” portion of Sargents Ridge.  Here the climber is pushed out onto the SW aspect above Avalanche Gulch to weave their way through cliff bands regaining the ridge top just down ridge from the Thumb.  Nothing technical will be encountered, but the exposure and sloping basalt will challenge you.  A picket or two, and a light rope may offer solace.  There are no bivy sites above Shastarama, so plan accordingly.  There are a number of variations to this route that traverse climber’s right below Thumb Rock toward the toe of the Konwonkiton Glacier.  These can be wonderful options giving the experienced mountaineer mixed terrain and little company.  Keep in mind the hazards of rock fall and an extremely unstable Konwonkiton glacier mid to late season.

Mid to late season this route loses its snow cover and is not recommended.  The views and exposure make this worth two days.