North America, United States, Washington - Cascade Mountains, Dome Peak, Southwest Face

Publication Year: 1971.

Dome Peak, Southwest Face. A thousand feet southwest of Northeast Dome Peak is a 2000-foot granite face which Manuel González and I climbed in a round-about manner. Hoping to ascend the central buttress on this face, we approached the face from the summit of the northeast peak by down-climbing and rappelling the east ridge towards Sinister Peak. A short way down the ridge, we entered a chimney and ledge system on the southwest face, which led to its base (NCCS II, Class 4). After a few leads of sometimes excellent, sometimes rotten rock on the buttress, we rappelled back down (dumping rocks on our heads) and reascended the face by our approach route. This face is ugly, but will yield several grade IV’s to those so inclined.

William Sumner