Crane Mountain Climbing Guide
Ice Climbs
on the
Southeast Flank
With access via the BAW (a.k.a. Black Arches Wall) path, the ice flows on Crane Mountain's southeast face are more accessible than ever. This and the icy conditions of the 2009-2010 season spurred a lot of development; about a dozen new lines were climbed before insolation and drought reduced the higher ice to punky slush.
Many of these routes can be linked to make a great, full day of climbing, if one only knows how to get from one to another...hence, this guide. The photo shows the majority of established routes and the main access and descent paths along the mountainside.
A few routes aren't in this photo:
- Red Pine Ridge, a WI2+ that lies above the eastern end of the Boulderwoods,
- the Measles Wall Ice, a cluster of 20' to 30' flows, which are beside the BAW path,
- Wedding Cake, a 50' WI2+ lying below the BAW path near the Height-of-Land (just off the photo's left edge),
- Little Pickle, a 30' WI3+ in the little ravine at the top of Parallel Ridge,
- and off the right side of the picture, the Northeast Cascade, a WI2- with hard variations.
