Buckner Mountain and its North face is one of those areas in Washington that has reached legendary status. Being both steep and a bit isolated it is known but rarely seen by many people. With a summit of 9112 feet it is the 10th highest peak in Washington state. On the North side the slopes run down to the Boston Glacier before draining to Thunder Creek. The South side of Buckner Mountain drops almost over 4,000 feet to Park and Basin Creek. The main approach is via Cascade River Road before climbing over Sharkfin Col. With a solid weather window this was our plan on a 2 day trip into North Cascades National Park.
Many times I have looked at photos of Buckner dreaming of snowboarding down the north face. One day while sitting at home I received a phone call from Jason Hummel. There was a weather window coming together and it seemed like the perfect time to go north. There was chat back and forth and soon Steph Abegg and us were drive towards Cascade Pass.
Heading up Cascade Pass to Climb Buckner Mountain
The morning started well before the sun rose as we got our group together. As the early morning light lit up the environment we were past Eldorado Trailhead and at our starting point. Unpacking the car we filled our water bottles at Midas Creek before it was time to move. Soon enough we were skinning through sparse trees following the stream towards alpine.
There was a moment of happiness when we reached Boston Basin. Normally the low valley forests are the hardest part of a trip but this was just the beginning. We knew we had a long route ahead of us but it was the first crux of the trip. Finally we were in the sun and enjoying the beauty of the North Cascades.
Heading Over Shark Fin Col to the Boston Glacier
Skinning on the upper slopes we were greeted by bright sunshine glistening the new snow. Were were moving fast as we traversed the Quien Sabe Glacier to the base of our first destination. Now we were below the Shark Fin Col and conditions quickly changed. What was powder below immediately turned firm as we cramponed up the steep couloir. I clung to the slope with only the toe points on my crampons and ends of my ice tools. A step at a time I carefully made my way up and soon we reached the low col.
There was no room to stand let alone rest at the col. One after another we repelled down onto the Boston Glacier off the near vertical face. After hitting the snow we were wallowing in wind-loaded pockets of thigh deep powder. Carefully we crossed the Bergshrund and there was a sigh of relief. The second crux of the trip was over with and soon we would be at the base of Buckner Mountain.
Traversing the Boston Glacier on the Way to Buckner Mountain
Once on the Boston Glacier Jason and I once again dawned skins. Steph was using snowshoes as she was interested in climbing and not skiing. After a few minutes it was time for the long traverse south towards Buckner Mountain. From our vantage point we still couldn’t see it but we according to the map we were close. We chose to rope up when we passed a serac over 30 feet tall and saw crevasses everywhere. Jason led the group as we went above, below and around the endless destruction of ice.
In the distance we could now see the north face of Buckner Mountain. It was a perfect ramp leading directly off of the Glacier and straight to the summit. We were in the afternoon light and preparing to call it a day when all of a sudden, Jason fell! Within a split second he is yelling to me that he had fallen into a crevasse. The only things holding him up was his ski on one side and his back on the other. By then I was in self arrest position while Steph runs up to get Jason out. After 5 minutes, the ordeal was over. Jason suggested I should check out the hole he almost fell into, to which I declined.
Camp that night was a stone’s throw away from Buckner Mountain. We leisurely watched the last flickers of light fade before calling it an early night. But the leisure diminished quickly as the constant howl of the wind kept the tent slapping onto itself. As I woke sporadically, I couldn’t help but think of potential wind loading of slopes. We would have to be careful while climbing and riding the north face.
Day 2 Climbing Buckner Mountain via the North Face
The next morning, connected by rope, we traversed to the lower apron of Buckner Mountain. Once at the north face we and found the area to indeed be somewhat wind-scoured. We were stoked to find perfect climbing conditions but would have to be careful about slabs. Quickly we transitioned from skins and ski poles to crampons and ice axes. Within minutes Steph was charging up and taking the lead.
She all but ran up the mountain, pulling me along with the rope. As I carefully packed in her steps one at a time. There was no time to rest our take in the views as our goal was the summit. Every second I would stop to rest I could feel the tug of the rope to remind me to keep moving.
With our rapid ascent we soon found ourselves a few steps below the summit. From our vantage point we had a sweeping view of the Boston Glacier below. There was a small traverse that had to be made. I was happy cause this was the one time on our climb where I could rest and get a few breathes.
Before long we were standing at the summit. Beyond us was the endless white of snow-covered peaks in every direction. From Goode Mountain to Mount Logan the North Cascades were on full display. To the south was a dramatic drop off to Park Creek with numerous avalanche paths. Finally I was standing on top of a mountain I had wanted to climb for years.
Snowboarding down the North Side of Buckner Mountain
Before long it was time to head back down our route. While Jason and I were skiing it was important that Steph was off the face. Sitting up top and transitioning we watcher her make her way down a step at a time. Soon enough we heard her yell that she was at a safe place and it was time for us to drop in.
Our original plan was to ride the northeast couloir as it was steeper and more aesthetic. Making our way over we were cautious because of the wind the prior night. This was no place for mistakes and we had to play it careful. Heading over to the convex it quickly produced a 4 inch deep slab.
Switching From the Northeast Couloir to the North Face
There was no debate as we quickly made our way back to the northeast face. We had already climbed it and felt comfortable with conditions. Within seconds I dropped in and was making my way down the face.
We rode the north face of Buckner Mountain in 3 stages. After I was off the top ramp and traversed over to the skiers left side. Once safe Jason made his way down a few turns before setting up for some photos. From his vantage point he had a clear view of Sahale Mountain and our exit in the background.
Dropping into the last steep section I was blown away by where we were. It was well worth the wait as well as the long traverse. We had gotten the face in stable powder and now we could relax a bit riding towards the apron.
Finally we reached the lower apron and the snow doubled in depth. Between us and camp was well over a foot of snow and a wide open glacier. Since we had climbed the route we knew there was no crevasse danger. Before long I made my way to the little dot in the distance. We were back at camp ecstatic looking back and seeing two tracks on the North face of Buckner Mountain.
Time For the Exit via Boston Peak Col
After 20 minutes of celebrating our summit it was time to get packing. We still had one final climb to get back to the car. After throwing our gear in our packs and rehydrating it was time to get moving. As we climbed west we couldn’t help but look back at Buckner Mountain. It was the same view I had looked at for years and know I had experienced it for myself. Putting in a mellow track we made sure to stay as far away from crevasses as we could.
While skinning was easy it was a long distance that we needed to travel. Everything looked so much closer then we really were and what seemed like minutes was hours. As we zig-zagged through the maze of crevasses the North Cascades came into view. Layer after layer the mountains seemed to go on forever.
Exiting back to Cascade Pass
The weather deteriorated as we made our way to Boston Col. As we got everything ready to rappelled we were exposed to 50 mph winds. By now there was less than an hour of daylight left so we needed to move fast. One by one we repelled down a 60-degree ice gully and were back in Boston Basin. All that was between us and the car was 3,000 feet of west facing slopes.
By now the moon was starting to rise as we made our way down via headlamp. Since Steph was on snowshoes we would make our way down a turn at a time. Two hours later we were back at the car and celebrating a great trip. All had gone as smooth as we could have hoped for. While driving back home I think all of our minds were still on Mount Buckner. I was fortunate to be a part of a great crew in such an amazing corner of the world.
Thank you for reading this trip report on Buckner Mountain via the North Face.
If you want to see more ski tours within the the Highway 20 corridor check out this link.