Highlights of the Guide

How to Use The Book

The peaks in the book are grouped into the six main regional areas in which they are found, starting in the north and moving south, with the exception of the Cascade volcanoes. The volcanoes appear in their own section because these peaks have a distinctly different feel from most of the others in the book and require similar skills to climb, so grouping them together seems natural. The seven distinct sections are:

• North Cascades National Park
• Pasayten Wilderness
• Washington Pass/Rainy Pass
• Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness
• Glacier Peak Wilderness
• Alpine Lakes Wilderness
• Cascade Volcanoes

Within these sections, the high points are further subdivided into Slams and Free Agents. A Slam is simply a group of peaks that can be logically climbed together using a common trailhead and approach. Go here if you'd like to see a list of Slams in the guide, or here for an example Slam.

A Free Agent is a peak that can't be logically grouped with others into a Slam, typically because the peak is too isolated or doesn't share a common approach with another peak's primary route.

To help you select an appropriate outing, appendices categorize the Slams and peaks by difficulty and duration.

Choice of Climbs

The guide covers climbs of a wide range of difficulties, from "walk ups" to challenging technical rock and glacier climbs requiring significant skill and experience to scale. The majority of the routes, though, are scrambles. Scrambling is perhaps best defined as moving through the mountains, over rock, snow, and ice without the use of ropes or other cumbersome technical equipment. Scrambles range from boulder-hopping or easy rock climbing (class 2) to steep, exposed rock climbing on technically easy terrain (class 4). They may also include snow/ice climbing where knowledge of how to use an ice axe and crampons is required.

Whether you are a hiker, scrambler, or climber, there's something for you in this guide. If you're new to the mountains or the Cascades, start with the easier Slams and peaks and work your way up. If you're a scrambler, there are seemingly endless summits for you to enjoy. And, if you're a seasoned pro, there're plenty of challenging routes as well, including some true Cascade Classics.