At the end of the 2015 winter and into spring, I had a little obsession with Colfax Peak, the prominent subsummit on the western side of Mt. Baker (a.k.a. Kulshan). Ever since simul-soloing the Cosley-Houston with Roger Strong back in 2007, I knew that Colfax Peak held some of the highest-quality alpine climbing in the Cascades.

In March, Sarah Hart and I made a repeat ascent of the Polish Route, which was a spectacular ice climb. Following this, we went back twice in early April. On April 5, Sarah and I climbed the classic Cosley-Houston with skis on our backs, hoping to ski from the summit of Mt. Baker. We returned four days later, on April 9, and this time got serious, heading up a line I had scoped on earlier forays.

The route we climbed takes an independent line to the left of the Polish Route. It is, I believe, the first route on the face that is more of a mixed climb than a pure ice climb. The rock on Colfax is amazingly well featured, with tons of face holds everywhere. Protection isn’t always easy, of course. We named our route Kimchi Suicide Volcano (300m, AI4+ M5 R). It is definitely one of the highest-quality alpine climbs I’ve ever done in the Cascades (along with the Cosley-Houston and the Polish Route).

Colin Haley