Route: Guye peak - Improbable Traverse / West Face (I-90 Snoqualmie Pass)

Mountain Information:

• Name: Guye Peak
• Region: Central Cascades
• Summit Elevation: 5,168 ft / 1,575 m
• SummitPost: 
• http://www.summitpost.org/guye-peak/150942
• http://www.summitpost.org/improbable-traverse/162420
• http://www.summitpost.org/guye-peak-improbable-traverse-5-8/643498
• Peakbagger: 
• http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=2112
• WTA Link:  
• http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/guye-peak

• Mountain Project Link:
• Improbable Traverse

 Driving Directions:

• Trailhead: 
• Alpental Parking Lot 
• Co-ordinates: 47.4577875,-121.4626126
• Address: Alpental Access Rd, North Bend,, WA 98201

• Elevation: 2,950 ft
• Pass:  Northwest Forest Pass
• Directions: 
• SummitPost: "Take I-90 from Seattle east to Snoqualmie Pass (30 - 45 minutes). Exit at Alpental Road and park at the Snoqualmie Ski Area, or use other public parking nearby."
• Mountain Project: "The route is located on the west face of Guye Peak. It begins at the top of the talus cone below the face, which is accessed by walking up through the houses on Ober Strasse Road."
• Road condition
• wsdot.com 
• Weather forecast
• Mountain Forecast
• National Weather Service
• Avalanche danger forecast:  
• Northwest Avalanche Center

Route Information: Improbable Traverse / West Face

• Gain: 2,100 ft
• Round Trip:  2 miles
• Activity: Intermediate Rock Climb
• Difficulty: 5.8, 6 pitches
• Season: June, July, August, September, October
• Source: https://www.mountainproject.com/route/107316713/improbable-traverse

 

 Misc 

• Videos: 
• Guye Peak: South, Middle, & North summits
• Guye Peak - Improbable Traverse May 31, 2015
• Guye Peak - Improbable Traverse June 5, 2016
• improbable traverse Oct 28, 2013
• Trip Reports: 
• Mountaineers trip reports
• GUYE'S IMPROBABLE TRAVERSE
• CascadeClimbers trip reports
• 8/30/2016
• 7/8/2014
• 9/1/2012
• 8/16/2011
• 10/13/2010
• 7/29/2010
• 6/1/2009
• 2/1/2009
• 7/2/2007
• 6/1/2007
• 3/18/2005
• 2/26/2005
• 9/24/2004
• 08/22/2003

• Nwhikers.net trip reports
• Jul 30, 2010
• Jul 30, 2010

• Others
• Ascent of Guye Peak on 2017-08-06
• Mission Improbable: Guye Peak’s West Face
• West Ridge of Lundin Peak via Guye Peak's Improbable Traverse
• Flickr photo set
• Guye Peak – The Improbable Traverse

• Notes: 
• The west face of Guye Peak is easily visible from the interstate when driving from the west. With the exception of the traverse pitch, the rock is generally poor in quality and can be very lose.
• Approach: Start by hiking up the talus cone beneath the face and scramble a couple hundred feet of loose, mossy, dirty slabs to the the start of the roped climbing.
• Descent: From the summit traverse north up and over two subsummits. There is reputed to be a climbers trail descending from the Guye-Snoqualmie saddle, and descending to the west, but it was snowy when I was there so I never found it.
• Essential gears:
  Mid-size rack: an assortment of 6-8 cams, small and mid-sized nuts including the small #3 nut for the anchor at the far end of the Improbable Traverse pitch.
  60m rope (a 50m rope may not complete the Improbable Traverse Pitch all the way from Lunch Ledge; however, an intermediate belay can be done on the ledge leading to the crux moves) Helmet, Rock shoes, Approach shoes or boots
  At least five double runners. A triple runner for the second protection point out from Lunch Ledge would be nice to mitigate rope-drag Sunscreen. The West Face receives the full bore of sun in the afternoon (on nice days). You may find yourself belaying at Lunch Ledge for a long time Trail Park Pass if parking a second car at Alpental. 
• Be advised that the resort blasts to clear avalanche prone slopes during the day. Contact them at 425-434-7669 to find out if they will be blasting.
• The steep west face is climbed in the summer only. It offers several moderate to difficult alpine rock routes.