Mount Challenger via Eiley-Wiley

Ian and I took the Eiley-Wiley route to Mount Challenger. The only thing I'd add to Nelson's description in Selected Climbs in the Cascades, Volume 1 is that the south side of the "notch" route over point 7374 is potentially awful. Here is our experience with it.

From the 7240'+ notch (just SE of the summit block of point 7374) we descended a loose, rocky gully to a snowfield. Then we continued down the fall line into a narrow, steep, snow gully that had water pouring into it. We had to scramble down a creek in one section where the snow had completely melted out. While climbing down the snow some rock spontaneously broke off and fell into the gully, fortunately the rock stopped in the moat. Down climbing the gully was tedious and tiring and the rockfall hazard was bad.

On our return from the summit we took a longer route that traverses north around point 7374 and we were much happier with it.

References

• Book: Cascade Alpine Guide: Climbing and High Routes: Vol 3 - Rainy Pass to Fraser River
• Book: Selected Climbs in the Cascades, Volume 1
• Cascade Climbers: Mt Challenger - Big Beaver - Luna Cirque Traverse
• tonybentley.com: Routes & Rocks in the Mt. Challenger Quadrangle

Travel Times

• 8 hours 40 minutes ascending from Big Beaver dock to Beaver Pass camp
• 8 hours 44 minutes ascending from Beaver Pass camp to camp above Eiley Lake
• 2 hours 28 minutes ascending from camp above Eiley Lake to east end of Challenger Glacier
• 3 hours 42 minutes ascending from east end of Challenger Glacier to summit of Mount Challenger
• 1 hour 43 minutes descending from summit of Mount Challenger to east end of Challenger Glacier
• 3 hours 7 minutes descending from east end of Challenger Glacier to camp above Eiley Lake
• 4 hours 26 minutes descending from camp above Eiley Lake to Beaver Pass
• 2 hours 30 minutes descending from Beaver Pass to Luna Camp
• 3 hours 18 minutes descending from Luna Camp to Big Beaver dock

Luna Peak from our camp above Eiley Lake

Northern Pickets from our camp above Eiley Lake

Luna Peak from our camp above Eiley Lake

Mount Prophet from our camp above Eiley Lake

Luna Peak from our camp above Eiley Lake

Sunrise on Mount Challenger from our camp above Eiley Lake

Sunrise on the Northern Pickets from our camp above Eiley Lake

Luna Peak from Sunrise on Luna Peak from our camp above Eiley Lake

Mount Challenger from the shoulder of peak 7374

Mount Challenger from the east end of the Challenger Glacier

NE ridge of Mount Challenger

NE ridge of Mount Challenger

Just before the bergschrund on Mount Challenger

Whatcom Peak from the Challenger Glacier

Mount Challenger from the west side of point 7374

Traversing the NE side of point 7374

Partridgefoot

Indian Paintbrush