This couloir should be done with adequate snow cover and is not recommended as a summer climb -
1. It's located on the north side of Quandary and can only be seen in its entirety from McCullough Gulch. Taken from Mt. Helen (13,164'),
2 and
3 show the upper portion of the route.
Walk past the gate and follow the old road up to the left. Pass a building after about 1/4 mile and, after almost 1/2 mile, take the marked trail that leaves the left side of the road -
4. Follow the good trail through forest, over a few small log bridges and across a small boulder field -
5. Near 11,600', the trail approaches some waterfalls that can be heard beyond the trees. There are social trails that lead to the falls - stay right and continue onto a rocky hill just north of the waterfalls. Hike up through ledges to reach a point where you get a great view of the "Quandary Couloir" -
6. Gain the top of the rocks to reach a small, unnamed lake at 11,900' -
7.
From the lake, you can see all of the couloir (
8) and it's a good location to carefully assess conditions before committing to the climb. Drop left (east), cross the stream below the lake (
9), and hike over to the large rock/snow apron below the couloir. If you're lucky, the entire base will be snow-covered, making it easier to reach the base of the couloir -
10.
Once on the apron, strap on crampons and hike 200' to reach steeper terrain -
11. Near 12,400', the walls of the couloir begin to close in as you approach the crux of the climb - a 100-foot section of that forms a "choke" in the couloir -
12. Depending on the snow-depth in the choke, the snow may be less than 10 feet wide and the angle of this pitch can range from 40 to 45+ degrees. Carefully climb through the choke to reach easier terrain, above 12,800'.
13 and
14 look down on the crux.
The next 800'+ of climbing is straightforward (although not straight) and has a fairly consistent angle -
15,
16 and
17. Near 13,500', the couloir turns right and you can finally see the terrain near the top -
18. Follow the middle of the couloir to 13,700' where you will likely encounter some rock outcroppings in the center -
19. Turn slightly left and continue up steeper terrain (
20) to reach the top of the couloir -
21,
22,
23 and
24. Turn right (
25) and hike 350' to reach the summit -
26.