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 climbing broken top - nw ridge route june 8, 2003 sorry, but this page will load very slowly on dial-up!
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click photo to enlarge Broken Top and South Sister from 30,000 feet click photo to enlarge  One of the beautiful waterfalls along the trail click photo to enlarge  Sunset on the West slope of Broken Top click photo to enlarge  The twilight view of BT during the climb click photo to enlarge  Dawn breaks over the Southern OR Cascades click photo to enlarge  First sunlight breaks on neighboring South Sister click photo to enlarge  The NW Ridge from the saddle at 7,870 feet click photo to enlarge  A crystal clear view of Middle and North Sister click photo to enlarge  A panoramic view of all Three Sisters click photo to enlarge  The sun shines on the NW Ridge cornice click photo to enlarge  Bill climbs the 15-foot crux at 9,000 feet click photo to enlarge  Bill and Lee traverse the exposed ramp click photo to enlarge  Bill and Lee tackle the Summit pinnacle click photo to enlarge  Matt and the Sisters from BT's Summit click photo to enlarge  Bill and Lee take in the incredible Summit view click photo to enlarge  The Central OR Cascades and a BT gendarme click photo to enlarge  A rope team ascends the West slope of Broken Top click photo to enlarge  South Sister and the largest of the Green Lakes click photo to enlarge  Bill & Lee cross a stream on the Green Lakes trail |
The Mountain: Broken Top is a much ignored mountain in the Three Sisters Wilderness, but it may be the most beautiful of the Cascade Range mountains in Central Oregon. The 9,175-foot jagged peak is the considered one of the oldest of the mountains in that area and it may have been 12,000 to 14,000 feet in elevation at one time. Eons ago, the mountain exploded - ala Mount St Helens - and deposited much of its mass on the surrounding volcanoes like Middle Sister. The crater imploded and left two sharp peaks to the Northwest (the Summit) and West and a steep drop off to the South and East. The mountain is mostly obscured from the populated areas of Bend and Redmond, so it does not receive the notoriety of the taller and younger Three Sisters. The climb is also a two day - or a really hard one day - trek, so many people avoid the mountain entirely. However, the views from the Northwest Ridge and the Summit are spectacular and the mixed nature of the climb is a decent challenge for most mountaineers. The Route: Day One starts at the Green Lakes trailhead along the Cascade Lakes Highway - about 3 miles West of Mount Bachelor. The hike in to Green Lakes covers 5 miles and can be tiring due to the constant ups and downs. Depending on the time of year, there can be soft snow on most of the route (making the hiking difficult) or just small, slick mounds of snow. Finding the right gear can be tough, as you almost need approach shoes as well as plastic boots. A good pair of hiking boots and a pair of strap on crampons may be the best option. Once reaching Green Lakes, you can setup camp at the South end of the largest lake. If conditions are right, there will be at least melt water on the lake for filtering. Otherwise, you can always melt snow. View the climbing route! From Green Lakes, the most common climbing route heads East toward Broken Top over a large snow field. The route turns slightly North and traverses across a steeper scree/snow slope to an obvious saddle between a large ridge and the mountain itself. Once reaching the saddle, the route joins a hard packed trail that winds its way up the NW Ridge. From 7,870 feet at the saddle, the route is just hiking until about 9,000 feet where there is a 15-foot crux. The best route is through a crack in the North side of the crux and then up the ridge to another short pitch near 9,075 feet. After tackling the pitch, the trail reaches a 60-foot ramp that takes climbers South under the Summit pinnacle. The ramp is noticeable due to its stripe of red rock running along it. After making it through the ramp, the route takes a hairpin turn and becomes a rock scramble along the edge of the South Crater and up to the Summit pinnacle. The pinnacle block is small, but accommodates several people at once. There is a decent amount of exposure, but it would take a significant accident to cause a fall down the steep crater slopes. The descent can be a free climb or belayed depending on conditions and the experience of the climbers. The Climb: I joined my friends Bill Bayer and Lee Trent on this trek - the first attempt of Broken Top ("BT") for each of us. I had been to Green Lakes 11 months before and even went to 8,300 feet on BT, but I had not even tried to summit that day. We left the trailhead in the early afternoon on Saturday, June 7, and it was a scorching 88 degrees! Fortunately, the trail winds through the forest and the temperatures were not as bad as they could have been. By the time we reached the stream crossings, we were in deep and soft snow and that made the hike rather tiring. We went up the steep hillside to the East of the streams and finally made it to the snow field to the South of Green Lakes. We gained our first view of Broken Top here and it was spectacular in the bright sunshine and deep blue skies. We moved on and reached the Green Lakes just before the sun went behind the massive profile of South Sister - immediately to the West of the lakes. We setup camp, made dinner and prepared our gear for the upcoming climb, which was only about 6 hours away at that time. As the sun set, it quickly got cold and - after a rather sleepless night - we awoke at 3:15 AM to temperatures of 29 degrees!! We were moving by 4:00 AM and started East on the snow field using crampons. The twilight started to break as we moved out of the trees and into an open area. BT was right upon us. Though the traverse to the saddle looked steep from camp, it really turned out to be an easy jaunt up the mostly snow covered slopes. The final 50 feet was on scree, but that was not too big of a deal and we were on the saddle just as the sun was breaking on the Three Sisters. Striking for sure. After a quick break for photos, food and liquids, we started up the rocky path of the NW Ridge. The hiking was fairly easy, though the loose rock was nasty on the ankles at times. We made very good time, climbed the crux and negotiated the last pitch without a problem. Along the way to the Summit ramp and pinnacle, the photo opportunities were incredible! The Cascades were definitely "popped out" and we could see from Mount Adams in Washington to Mount Shasta in California. To the North, the Three Sisters, Mount Washington, Three Fingered Jack and Mount Jefferson were extremely clear, as were Diamond Peak, Mount Scott and the other mountains to the South. Back to the climb...The ramp was a slow go, as it was decently exposed, but we all made it across without getting to freaked out. I was leading and, as I made the hairpin turn toward the Summit pinnacle, I was awe struck by the exposed and immediate drop off into the South Crater. While I was sort of dumb founded, Bill and Lee scrambled ahead and were on the Summit pinnacle in no time. I followed them up to the block and we spent about 15 minutes soaking in the view and taking pictures before descending. The descent was uneventful, but tiring. The snow was extremely soft and the hike from Green Lakes to the trailhead seemed like it would never end! All in all, the trip was more than well worth it, and I have the pictures to prove it. I hope you enjoy my visual record of our Broken Top climb. -- Matt |
click photo to enlarge Lee, Matt, Bill and BT at the trailhead click photo to enlarge  Broken Top and the Green Lakes area click photo to enlarge  Bill prepares to make himself dinner in camp click photo to enlarge  Lee makes his way up the slope to the saddle click photo to enlarge  A great view of the saddle and NW Ridge click photo to enlarge  Bill and Lee pose just below the saddle click photo to enlarge  A misty dawn over the mid-Oregon Cascades click photo to enlarge  A cool view of the Sisters from the rocky NW Ridge click photo to enlarge  Bill and Lee with a stunning backdrop click photo to enlarge  The crux and the Summit pinnacle from 9,000 feet click photo to enlarge  The final pitch and ramp to the Summit pinnacle click photo to enlarge  A panoramic of the Central Oregon Cascades click photo to enlarge  The steep and 100-foot shorter South Peak click photo to enlarge  Matt with Mt Bachelor and the South Peak click photo to enlarge  A photo map of the Cascades to the South click photo to enlarge  A spectacular view of the mid-Oregon Cascades click photo to enlarge  10,047-foot Middle Sister pops out of the sky click photo to enlarge  9,175-foot Broken Top and a deep blue sky click photo to enlarge  Matt and his 70 lb. pack cross a snow bridge |