Chair Peak Climb

Chair Peak in the Alpental Valley offers several routes of varying difficulty in a surprisingly alpine setting barely one hour from Seattle. What a great day trip for anyone looking for a quick alpine outing or a solid training peak for bigger objectives later on.

$250.00
Difficulty rating and Skill requirements

Difficulty Rating System Explained

  • Category: Rock

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In the entrance couloir of the Chair Peak West Ridge.
Chair Peak offers several great routes to the top. We offer our Chair Peak Climb on several dates, but would love to arrange any of these climbs on a private basis for you. Please contact us at info@proguiding.com or at 425 888 6397 ext. 2 to make arrangements for a private climb. 
Chair Peak NE Buttress (Alpine Grade 2; 5.6): This has been a favorite with our guest for several years. The approach up the Snowlake trail and into the Chair Peak Basin is pleasant and takes about 2 hours. From the Chair Peak basin you gain the base of the NE buttress via a nice climbers trail. The acutal climb up the route starts out with the climb of low 5th class gully, is then followed by a section of scenic 3rd and 4th class scrambling to the actual "crux" of the route where the buttress steepens. This steep section we will climb head on with a few moves of mid fifth class climbing or we can traverse out into the actual east face. Either way, it feels lofty and spectacular up there. Above this section we follow easy 4th class scrambling to the top. The descent involves more 3rd and 4th class down climbing down the south face couloir, followed by several rappells the narrow and east facing chock stone couloir. This brings us back into the Chair Peak basin. It truly is a very entertaining route in its own right, but also gets used as a training route and "check off" route for larger alpine objectives like Forbidden Peak or even the Matterhorn in Switzerland. 
Chair Peak West Ridge (Alpine Grade 2+, 5.7): Pioneered by Pro Guiding Service owner Martin Volken and only 1 hour from Seattle, this route provides a great test piece for much more remote and classic mountains, but in a more technical, exposed and adventerous character than the NE Buttress. The approach to the route is the same as for the NE Buttress approach until you get to the base of the NE Buttress. We w then traverse accross the slabby rocks under the North Face to the obvious gully at the western edge of the North Face. This is where the route starts in earnest with 2 pitches of 5.7 to the top of the gully. From here we more or less follow the West Ridge to the summit in varying degrees of exposure, climbing difficulty and rock quality. All in all a great adventure that should test your overall alpine movement skills. 
Chair Peak North Face direct (Alpine Grade 2+, 5.9): This route was also pioneered by Martin Volken and offers steep climbing up surprisingly good rock the center of Chair Peaks North Face. Prior Alpine climbing and rock climbing experience are a must for this route. 
Chair Peak East Face direct (Alpine Grade 2, 5.6):  The East Face of Chair Peak is actually the most visible face from the Alpental Parking Lot. The route cruises via steep and slabby rock directlyt to the false summit. 

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Pro Ski and Mountain Service is our retail specialty store. It has been located in North Bend, WA since 1999.


The past trips and courses have had a large influence on what we sell. Many of our Pro Guiding customers come on trips and courses with gear they purchased from our store. Not only do we want our clients to have the right gear for the job; we also receive direct feedback from them while they are using it in the field. Trust us - if the gear does not work - we won't sell it.


CHAIR PEAK WEST RIDGE
EQUIPMENT LIST
CLOTHING
•            BASE  LAYER
o            1 Bottom - midweight or lightweight (depending on weather)
o            1 Top – mid weight or lightweight
o            Sock Liners - 1 pair
o            Socks - 1 pair
•            MID LAYER
o            Windshirt, Soft Shell, Fleece Jacket - only one of these is necessary
o            Soft shell type pants
o            Shorts
•            OUTERWEAR
o            Lightweight Waterproof/Breathable Jacket
o            Lightweight Waterproof/Breathable Pants - may be omitted w/ soft shell     type pants if the forecast is good.
o            Warm Hat - should cover ears
o            Sun Hat - baseball type or visor
o            Lightweight Spring Gloves - wind block or fleece/wool type
o            Gaiters - low top
•            INSULATION
o            Light weight Down or Synthetic Jacket 
PERSONAL GEAR
o            Internal Frame Pack - 30 Liter (1800 cu in.) minimum
o            Light weight mountaineering/approach shoe - leather or synthetic, (crampon compatible in early season)
0            comfortable rock climbing shoes for the Chair Peak West Ridge
o            Water Bottles - 1 or 2 liters, wide mouth
o            Small Knife
o            Sun glasses
o            Sunscreen - SPF 25+, waterproof
o            Lip Balm - SPF 15+
o            Small Personal 1st Aid Kit - blister repair, aspirin, ibuprofen, etc.
TECHNICAL GEAR
o            Light ice Axe - 55-70 cm length for early season
o            Crampons - 10 or 12 point aluminum for early season
o            Climbing Harness - mountaineering style
o            Locking Biners (3) - (1) large HMS style and (2) regular locker
o            Climbing Helmet
o            1 Daisy Chain or Personal Anchor System 
OPTIONAL ITEMS *We highly recommend these items, but do not require them to participate
 o            Adjustable Trekking Pole(s) - nice to have for approach
o            Camera - we’re always looking for some shots for the PGS website!
GROUP GEAR PROVIDED BY PGS *Please contact the guiding office if you prefer to bring your own gear in place of any of our group gear.
o            Ropes
o            Technical Group Gear, VHF radio
o            Group 1st Aid Kit