September 10, 2001 | North Central Cascades, WA | Alpine

Climbers: Martin Volken, Jeff Hansell
Route character: Alpine Rock
Route difficulty: Grade 4/ 5.9
Time during first ascent: 12 hours camp to camp
Name of route: Falcon route

Little Big Chief Mountain is located in the seldom visited Summit Chief Valley in the North Central Cascades. The Summit Chief Valley is a tributary to the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River Valley.
The route is never really hard, but it is remote and demands a variety of alpine skills.
Approach: Drive the Middle Fork Valley Road to its end and hike up the valley for about 3 hours. When you get to a small steel bridge, leave the hiking trail and start hiking cross country in a southerly direction to the entrance of the Summit Chief Valley. The objective should be clearly visible on the east side of the valley.
Hike up into the Summit Chief Valley until you reach the very distinct flat gravel wash at about 4650 feet. There are great low impact camp spots available here.

Route: From camp walk to short distance to a distinct talus field that lead 900 feet up to the base of the route at a prominent left trending gully.
Follow this up about 50 feet, then right to dead tree. At 5650 feet go up (5.5) and right to another dead tree.
At 5730 feet go up a few 5.6 moves to easier terrain. Reach sloping heather benches and follow these up to 5850 feet. Here gain the prominent right trending ramp and follow this to the actual headwall at 6220 feet just left of the very prominent vertical chimney.
Pitch 1: right trending undercling. Full pitch. 5.8
Pitch 2: up steep but easy groove for 60 feet, then left onto a rib then into another groove. 5.7
Pitch 3: follow this groove to the base of a steep headwall 5.5
Pitch 4: short but steep headwall with good pro, then into another groove 5.9
Pitch 5: follow groove. Lots of stemming in steep terrain. Great pro. 5.7
Pitch 6: start in the groove, then onto easy terrain with big belay ledge. 5.7/5.8
You are now at the summit height of the huge prow on your left.

Pitch 7: easy to mid fifth class on good rock trending slightly right to a ridge near the summit crest. 5.5
Pitch 8: keep traversing right on great rock (exposed) and gain the summit crest. (5.7)
Pitch 9: Follow the narrow and exposed summit ridge to the top at 7225 feet. (4th class)

Descent: Follow down the ridge to the south for several hundred feet. Then turn left and gain little pocket glacier. Go down pocket glacier, then and keep trending left over big glacier polished slabs. (could be very tricky when wet). Keep trending left and hit the ridge crest at 5400 feet. Here one to two steep rappels will let you back into the Summit Chief Valley. From the bottom of the rappels trend more left, follow goat ledges, then down in steep forest back to camp.

Equipment: Two half ropes of 50 meters, full rack, alu crampons and ice axe. There is no water until the descent.