Larissa and I spent 5 spectacular days in the Eldorado zone, tagging summits and soaking in the views. On June 29th, we climbed the East Ridge of Dorado Needle.

After picking up permits in Marblemount, it was after 5pm at the Eldorado trailhead. Larissa and I were mulling over whether or not to hike up that night or simply car camp and do the entire approach the following day. We were both feeling motivated to start, but the weather was unsettled and it was clearly misty (see: raining) up high. From prior experience on this trail, I already knew that there isn’t a single good campsite until we gained 3000+ feet of elevation into Eldorado Creek basin. In the end, stoke prevailed so we shouldered our heavy packs and crossed the creek. After an intermittently rainy hike to the upper part of the basin, we were able to find a nearly-flat spot in the snow just after the sun went down at 5600 feet. The timing couldn’t have been better, because the rain started in earnest right as we got the tent up – our gamble with the weather had barely paid off!

The next morning, we worked up the Eldorado Glacier to establish a new camp at 7600 feet, where we planned to spend the next three nights. This camp is dramatically placed right at the base of an uber-classic beginner mountaineering route: Eldorado Peak’s East Ridge. This route gets climbed nearly every single day in the summer season and most teams climbing Eldorado Peak will spend a night here. The camp is quite plush with a handful of places to pitch your tent on rock rather than snow. Even better, there is a composting toilet and plentiful water sources. Before dinner, I took a solo lap on Eldorado’s East Ridge in a whiteout – a most excellent evening walk! I was back to camp an hour after I left, perfect for dinner and an early bedtime.

The next morning, we suited up and began our approach to Dorado Needle. After traversing the Inspiration Glacier, we crossed a pass onto the McAllister Glacier. The descent from the pass to the main mass of the glacier was straightforward and provided amazing views of Dorado Needle and the gigantic glacier below. A quick stomp up steep snow brought us to the first notch in the East ridge, our intended starting point. Some teams choose to start lower on the ridge, climbing from the col, but those two bonus pitches are reported to be totally forgettable choss. No thanks – I prefer to easily walk up the glacier right next door and focus on the more solid climbing up higher. From the notch, Larissa and I swapped leads on a few pitches that got more interesting and fun as we climbed higher. After an exposed ridgeline traverse, we reached the top of a prominent tower, staring straight at the intimidating summit headwall which holds the hardest climbing of the route. Two short rappels brought us into the notch where I took lead on the first headwall pitch.

I set off on the first headwall pitch, which was looking much more climbable the closer I got. I followed the path of least resistance upward, getting some decent protection in along the way. There was some impressively loose rock but with careful testing, I found enough solid holds to proceed. A few 5.6 moves got me through the steep stuff without much drama and soon I was building an anchor on the right side of a big sloping ledge. Larissa followed quickly and volunteered to lead the next pitch – awesome! This pitch trends left to a faint dihedral before going straight up the fall line. After about 30 meters, the climbing eases off and rambles up to the summit for another 30+ meters. This second headwall pitch is harder than the first, but feels comparatively mellow with more continuous features and good protection.

From the summit, I recalled how lame the Northwest Ridge descent is. You barely lose any elevation while scrambling/rappelling the ridge for several pitches, which is a very annoying type of descent. I had heard of people rappelling straight down the North Face from the first rap anchor, a very quick decent option if moat/glacier conditions allow it. I committed and did two long rappels (70m rope nice for the second rap) off of in-situ anchors to steep snow. An exposed traverse brought us back to (steep) walking terrain on the McAllister Glacier.

Larissa led us across the glaciers back to camp. Stunning weather and sunset ambiance convinced us to take a lap on Eldorado together before we settled down for the night. We dropped all of our gear at camp aside from crampons, an axe and a trekking pole per person. A short time later, we stood on the summit of Eldorado Peak taking in the views. What a day!

Gear Notes

Single rope (60 or 70m), cams .3-3, optional doubles of .5-1. Glacier gear.

Strategy Notes

When leaving the trailhead, remember that you need to head downstream to find the easiest log crossing.