North America, United States, Washington, Red Mountain and North Crested Butte, Monte Cristo Group, Cascades

Publication Year: 1959.

Red Mountain and North Crested Butte, Monte Cris to Group, Cascades. In spite of twenty years of concentrated climbing in the Cascades, several minor but interesting summits have been overlooked. In October 1958 Tony Hovey and Klindt Vielbig made two first ascents in the upper Sultan Basin on the fringe of the Monte Cristo Group. Red Mountain (5536 feet) is the imposing and solitary high point of the five mile ridge protected by cliffs and ragged ridges. The North Crested Butte (5300 feet), similar in aspect, lies just across the basin. Both climbs involved 500 feet of roped climbing over steep heather and broken rock. Because of tricky snow-covered slabs, the latter was descended by a traverse. Although these two peaks are lower than the average for the area, more actual climbing is involved than is found on most peaks in the group. These climbs took about five hours from the road.

Klindt Vielbig