Middle Palisade, East Face. On August 31, Tim Ryan and I climbed a new route on the east face of Middle Palisade (14,040 feet). We cramponed up to the highest point of the glacier. Tim led the first pitch, the most difficult of the climb; this delicate traverse went directly up from the bergschrund, then descended to the left. The next pitch traversed an easy 60-foot ledge, then went up a very loose chimney. The following pitch traversed left on the face, then led up to a belay beneath an overhang. After another pitch upward, the route traversed left around a corner into a broad chute that led up to the first notch south of Middle Palisade. From this col, we traversed to the right for one pitch before ascending to the summit ridge. NCCS III, F5.

John D. Mendenhall