Mt Sifton Southeast Ridge: Superb Climbing, Glorious Views

Earlier in the week, Freddy Lynn and I were contemplating climbing Mt Sir Donald (3284m), one of the highest peaks in the Rogers Pass area. Unfortunately, the previous days’ weather wasn’t on our side. Snow and ice blanketed its northwest ridge, rendering the climb borderline suicidal. And so, we looked across the valley at the Mt Sifton Southeast Ridge, renowned for its excellent quartzite and plentiful jugs. With its lower elevation (2822m), this 4th-class ridge would be dry for the most part. To change things up a bit, we planned to descend the north ridge composed of easier 3rd class terrain. This route would lead us to the Rogers/Sifton Col and, from there, link us to the Hermit Trail.

climbers walking along a ridge in rogers pass — Freddy and Mikey, scrambling on the 3rd-class section of the Mt Sifton Southeast Ridge. Photo: The Uptrack

Report from September 8, 2020

Kaitlin, Mikey, Freddy and I started the day at a leisurely hour, 8:30 AM, quite unusual for a long mountaineering day. We ran up the 3km of the Hermit Trail, now quite familiar with its relentlessly steep switchbacks. We sped past the Hermit Meadows Campground onto a gentle moraine terminating at the southeast ridge of Mt Sifton.

hiker going up the southeast ridge of mt sifton — Mikey, walking up the moraine leading to the base of the southeast ridge. Photo: The Uptrack

From there, the long scramble began with the lower section featuring sustained 3rd-class climbing. We stuck to the very crest of the ridge throughout most of the climb as it provided the best rock quality. Following either side meant dealing with scree, grass, and choss. Did I mention I absolutely despise scree. I HATE IT – as most mountaineers do.

view of mt sifton southeast ridge with route overlay — Our route up the Mt Sifton Southeast Ridge. Photo: The Uptrack

Midway across the lower ridge, we stumbled across a tilted slab linking two false summits with gnarly exposure on both sides. We crossed the slab with a few hand-to-hand moves on its high side. What a rush! Alternatively, the feature can be avoided to the climber’s left on a series of ledges… but where’s the fun in that!

climber completing the hand to hand traverse on a slab near mt sifton — Mikey, traversing the inclined slab with fear in his heart. Photo: The Uptrack

After an hour of uninterrupted scrambling, we arrived at the base of the 4th-class ridge which I will call the summit tower for our convenience. This section looked step and impassable at first glance. With careful scrutiny, we planned a clean route, zig-zagging up the large blocks of quartzite. Higher up, we would traverse across a grassy ledge to the climber’s left, joining with the 3rd-class southeast buttress. Unless shit hits the fan, this route would be climbed unroped.

close up view of the mt sifton summit tower with route overlay — The summit tower of Mt Sifton. Photo: The Uptrack

The southeast ridge supported some excellent climbing with large jagged flakes, deep cracks, and manageable exposure. As long as we were careful not to cut our hands on the sharp rock, we would be fine. This reminded me of the west ridge of Mt Tupper, albeit at a lower technical difficulty and with much less exposure. I’d recommend short roping this section if uncomfortable.

alpinist scrambling up a rocky ridge — Kaitlin, followed by Freddy, on the excellent rock. Photo: The Uptrack

Midway up the summit tower, we encountered a gendarme blocking our progress. Freddy and Mikey went around to the left through a nasty gully lined with loose dirt and small pebbles. Kaitlin and I went all in. We climbed directly up the gendarme with a few awkward, overhanging 5th-class moves. This particular option is ill-advised for the inexperienced climber as it required a bit of strength.

climbers scrambling up the southeast ridge of mt sifton — All time views up here! Mt MacDonald and icy Mt Sir Donald in the distance. Photo: The Uptrack

We gained the top of southeast ridge which later terminated in a loose gully and connected to the north ridge. We choose to traverse left across a grassy ledge onto the southeast buttress. A short 3rd/4th-class scramble across a cracked slab led us to a wide bench, 50 meters short of the summit.

climber traverse a rocky bench in glacier national park — Mikey, navigating the last slab before the summit of Mt Sifton. Photo: The Uptrack

This was the end of the Mt Sifton Southeast Ridge. Technically, we were now standing on its north ridge. We took a well-deserved food and water break while enjoying the clement weather.

climbers taking a break on a shoulder leading up to mt sifton — The party, chillin’ on top of the southeast ridge of Mt Sifton. Mt Tupper to the right. Photo: The Uptrack

Moments later, we were back on our feet, climbing the last few meters to the summit. We followed the base of an old cornice hanging off the Sifton Glacier. At 1 PM, we had reached the summit of Mt Sifton through its southeast ridge. In retrospect, this was a top-quality climb with impressive views and even better rock.

summit shot on top of mt sifton — Our party standing proud on the summit of Mt Sifton. The views! Photo: The Uptrack

It was now time for the descent of the north ridge, consisting mostly of 3rd class terrain. The lower technical level was welcomed with open arms as downclimbing is always harder on the body and mind. We trailed under small cornices bounding the Sifton Glacier. At this point in the season, they were almost entirely melted, granting us an intricate view of the glacier’s internals.

climber descending the north ridge of mt sifton — Kaitlin, descending the north ridge of Mt Sifton with its glacier hanging on the left. Photo: The Uptrack

Once we passed the glacier/cornices, I took a deep breath. Potential icefalls were in the back of my mind the whole time. I peered down the ridge only to spot Freddy paving a way through the blocky quartzite. This guy flows through the mountains with a swiftness that’s unheard of! I looked past Freddy, across the gray valley at Hermit Valley’s highest peak, Rogers Peak, which I traversed from west to east in the summer of 2019 (Rogers Traverse: The Long Haul).

view of the rogers peak west ridge — Freddy, standing below the west ridge of Rogers Peak. Photo: The Uptrack

We dropped west of the ridge (climber’s left) and navigated a complex system of rocky ledges marked by cairns until we reached an obvious gendarme. From there, we climbed back up the ridge and dropped on its eastern flank (climber’s right).

climber downclimbing the north ridge of mt sifton — Kaitlin, planning her descent moves just before reaching the gendarme. Photo: The Uptrack

I scouted ahead, looking for an easy way out of the east face. While worn footpaths beelined down the face, we stuck to our original plan and circumnavigated the gendarme. Turns out this was a great idea as the terrain below this feature terminated in a large cliff. We slowly forged a path through scree, boulders, and dirt, improvising a trail as we went.

climbers descending during the sunset — Mikey and Kaitlin, downclimbing the last slab leading down to the Rogers-Sifton Col. Photo: The Uptrack

By 6 PM, we had gained the Rogers-Sifton Col. from that location, we descended a heinous scree slope to the head of the Rogers Glacier. We staggered our path: rockfall (high-speed projectiles) was a serious concern here. I’d recommend walking further along the col to the base of Rogers west ridge before dropping down. This would avoid much of the loose scree.

By the time we approached the Hermit Meadows, the sun was setting behind the Hermit Range. What a perfect day!