Mount Stuart, South Ridge and Headwall. On May 30, 1966, camp was made on the large alluvial fan in the Ingalls Creek Valley, and from here Darrell Sorenson and I climbed straight toward Mount Stuart’s granite summit. We followed the couloir toward the ridge until we got to the headwall of the large glacier cirque basin with its impressive walls. Here several routes showed some promise, but the most direct was picked to get to the summit ridge. At the left of the middle of the cirque wall slabs we followed a large crack with free climbing 5 th class on white granite. After a small ledge we ascended some free face-climbing, small chimneys, and a chute onto a large ledge overlooking the west face. With a golden sunset fading on the mountain we had a short slab traverse before scrambling on up the ridge to the summit pyramid and a darkening purple panorama of the mountains surrounding. We then descended in the starlight down the frozen Ulrich’s Couloir for 4000 feet with one ice axe and one pair of crampons, and to camp at midnight. Twenty pitons were used on the ascent of what to us seems to be the most enjoyable south-side route with its combination of ice, snow and good white granite!

Paul Myhre, unattached