Jagged Mountain

Route: From Vallecito
Posted On: 8/28/2021, By: Will_E
Info: Got Jagged from Vallecito yesterday. 2 creek crossings were about knee high on my short legs, my boots were already wet from rain in the morning so I just got them wet again. All the rap stations looked pretty good to me, I only used the one near the notch, 70 meter rope worked well, 60 probably would have been okay. 

Route: Standard
Posted On: 8/12/2021, By: zdero1
Info: The mountain is completely dry. The webbing at the summit anchor appears to be several years old and it will need to be replaced soon. It certainly won't last through the winter. We added an anchor after two 30m rappels directly off the summit on the north face and all other anchors appeared to be in great shape! This is a phenomenal climb! 

Route: North Face
Posted On: 8/6/2021, By: cochsman
Info: We came in from Vallecito Reservoir. First ford of the Vallecito Creek came to just above knees and the second came to just below knees. The Sunlight Creek drainage has a trail but it is hard to follow in spots. Downed trees, overgrown vegetation, etc. There is a Cinnamon Bear hanging out in the lower drainage. We saw him both on the way in and out. Small campground at 11,500 has enough room for a couple tents. One other marginal campsite 50 yards up the trail. The upper approach is mainly bushwhacking with the appearance of a trail form time to time - at least in the dark. On the way down we were able to follow the "trail" much easier. The upper route was relatively easy to follow. My partner was unfamiliar with 5th class so we chose to rope up. I brought C4s .5 - 2 and barely placed any year. A 3 and a 4 would have protected the pitches much better, if you want to lug those up. At the top of all technical pitches there was at least a slung rock. In fact there were slung rocks everywhere as if there wasn't an establish rap route. Webbing on the summit is worn but has left. Other webbing on the route is marginal at best. I chopped some tat from the 2nd rap station and added another piece of 1" webbing. **NOTE - I left my knife next to the anchor. If you retrieve then I will buy you a beer.** We brought a 9mm 70m and enjoyed long raps and a quick descent, but any length of rope would work based on how many slung rocks I saw. Register pipe is busted and register is nowhere to be found. Needs completely new one. 

Route: No Face
Posted On: 7/5/2021, By: Stratosfearsome
Info: North Face route is good to go! We climbed up and avoided all snow. No axe or spikes needed. We double rope (twins) rappelled off summit. Webbing looking a little frayed, so wise to bring your own if you plan to rap. Approached via high kodiak from Vestal basin, returned via Peak 5 -- Peak 6 saddle, down to Balsam Lake, then back up Vestal -- W. Trinity saddle. Return was faster and more direct, but less aesthetic, IMHO. Pretty dry out there... 

Route: North Face
Posted On: 9/21/2020, By: Grover
Info: DID NOT CLIMB, just providing a current photo of the north face, from the Leviathan/Pt. 13,420 saddle. Snow on the ledges, and this side is no longer receiving direct sun hit. 

Route: from Leviathan Lake
Posted On: 9/7/2020, By: bunny256
Info: Probably as dry as it ever gets, although that's likely to change with this week's snow. Summit register tube is broken and has no paper. Most rappel anchors are in good shape, the 2nd from summit on the north face could use quite a bit of tat removed/replaced. 

Route: North Face from Sunlight Lake
Posted On: 7/19/2020, By: supranihilest
Info: We were camped a bit below Sunlight Lake, and took a trail towards the creek east of Jagged. The creek led into a series of granite swells split by grass slopes, of which we took the grass slope just east of the creek. Trying to ascend the creek or the grass to the west of it were just plain impossible. Our route contained some minor scrambling to the upper basin. Remember how you came up! It was a bit confusing on the way down. From the upper basin contour around snow and the boilerplate slabs to the west side of Jagged Couloir. You'll reach a gross, wet chimney-ish like feature, which is what we climbed up. I led this pitch and it felt about Class 5.6 in trail runners. Full 30 meters, I placed 4 pieces of gear along the way and used the rappel anchor as the belay anchor because there wasn't secure anchorage otherwise. We then unroped and scrambled along the couloir's edge on steep, exposed, and terribly loose kitty litter ledges and ramps to the second crux. This section between first and second cruxes was by far my least favorite just due to how insecure the entire thing felt. It wasn't difficult, just kind of scary. The second crux was a short chimney that sucked with a pack on and probably would have been better going up a set of steps to the right, followed by more kitty litter ledges to the third crux, which was a bit more of a straight forward alpine rock pitch with OK gear. This led to the notch where we went around to the south side of Jagged, where there was an exposed but easy step around on a ledge (beware, one rock about half the size of a torso rocked and was completely detached from everything else) to the final crux, the Class 4 chockstone chimney, which was easier than it looked, though physically strenuous. We then made an easy scramble to the summit. Rappelling off the summit we slung a large block just southwest of the summit and rappelled to right near the notch, then made a second rappel over the third crux. Some down climbing on the kitty litter ledges followed, then a third rappel over the second crux, followed by the horrendous kitty litter ledges between cruxes one and two. Be extremely careful going down these, especially when wet. We made our fourth and final rappel over crux one, then went over to Jagged Pass and on to Peak Six. We left the climbing gear suspended off the ground using a cam in a horizontal crack so the marmots couldn't have their marmoty ways with our stuff. Our descent was a bit confusing, but you want to be east of the creek spilling out of Jagged's north bowl. If you're in the creek drainage itself or to the west you'll either find scary boulder caves you'd never get out of if you fell in, or a giant, impassible cliff, respectively. Photos: 1 (Garrett M.) and 2) Approach terrain. 3 and 4) First pitch. I think we did a harder variation with the route as described in the Roach guidebook to the left. 5) Looking down the first pitch from the rappel anchor. 6) Some of the gross, loose ledges along the couloir. 7) Second crux taken on rappel. 8 ) Fourth crux, the Class 4 chimney near the summit. 9) Looking due west off the summit and down towards the first rappel station, which was missing when we were up there. We left cord and a quicklink behind. There's a bolted anchor that goes north directly off the summit and requires two ropes for the 165 foot rappel. (Photos 3-7 and 9 by Whiley H.) NOTE: Since this was ascended a while ago and I'm just now getting back to internet, I've put today's date for visibility, since there hasn't otherwise been recent updates for the peak. I'll backdate this CR in a couple of days. 

Route: Sunlight Creek Approach from Beartown
Posted On: 7/19/2020, By: supranihilest
Info: We began at Beartown and hiked over Hunchback Pass to the Vallecito Creek trail and past Nebo Creek. We spent a few days climbing in Rock Creek, but otherwise we could have just continued down the Vallecito Creek trail to an area southeast of Sunlight Creek. There's a mid-sized cairn just off the trail marking the turn off for Sunlight Creek, but otherwise there's no signage or indications to turn. The trail took us to the Vallecito, which we crossed, and then took an OK and increasingly awful trail up the drainage. The trail first paralleled Sunlight Creek and was OK, just tons of deadfall, and eventually it led into a nightmare of man-eating willows and wet boulders that felt more like a minotaur's labyrinth than an actual trail. Fortunately this section is short, though time consuming, and the trail afterwards is OK for a while. Continue up Sunlight Creek and make a couple of creek crossings. Eventually you'll be on the south side of the creek and at a split where a very faint trail goes southwest towards Greylock and a better trail goes northwest towards Jagged Mountain. We took the northwest branch and it fades out in some willows near the creek below a massive cube shaped block of granite. We got a bit lost here, but continue with the willow bashing and eventually you'll find switchbacks that go up a slope south of the cube block. The trail is excellent here, surprisingly, and leads to a nice camp with the creek nearby. From here trails go towards Jagged Mountain, Knife Point, and Sunlight Lake. Photos: 1) the big granite cube. Go to the left of it. NOTE: Since this was ascended a while ago and I'm just now getting back to internet, I've put today's date for visibility, since there hasn't otherwise been recent updates for the peak. I'll backdate this CR in a couple of days. 

Route: N face
Posted On: 7/11/2020, By: GeorgeB
Info: Route is totally snow free, zero need for axe or crampons. The usually wet Crux 1 was quite dry. Chockstone remains well stuck in the final chimney to summit, I'd call it Crux 4. Summit register PVC cap is cracked, needs new cap, paper register, and pen. Approach via Vallecito Res was long but enjoyable. Creek crossings are no problem. Pretty good trail and minimal bushwhacking up Sunlight Ck. 

Route: Noname
Posted On: 10/7/2019, By: angry
Info: Fresh snowfall. My partner and I soloed each crux in boots/microspikes (5easy moves did not require rope to ascend). Snow/ice made rock wet and any grassy areas very slick. We rap'd the descent. All anchors were in good shape. 

Route: Standard via Noname
Posted On: 9/4/2019, By: HikerGuy
Info: Conditions: Completely dry, no snow on route. All rap anchors in good shape, but always inspect before rapping. Our group of three soloed all of the cruxes. We downclimbed the summit chimney and then made three raps using a 60m rope. One area of avalanche debris from two slides in Noname Basin. Cross over to right (south) side of creek and continue until past debris then cross back to left (north) side of creek. Itinerary: Day 1 - Hiked in from Purgatory and camped at Noname Basin turnoff. Day 2 - Hiked up Noname Basin and camped at 11,800, met my train-riding partners here. Day 3 - Summited and hiked back down Noname Basin to camp at turnoff. Day 4 - Hiked out to Purgatory and drove home. Photos: #1 - North Face #2 - First Crux #3 - Second Crux #4 - Third Crux #5 - Summit Chimney #6 - Summit Pano #7 - Avalanche Debris Bypass 

Route: North Face
Posted On: 9/11/2018, By: desertdog
Info: Via Beartown TH. Still summer, but the leaves are starting to change. No snow on the route. What a beautiful climb! 

Route: Via Vallecito/sunlight crk
Posted On: 8/9/2018, By: cottonmountaineering
Info: I had attempted this mountain on Sunday but got a lot of hail, then returned Wed and found that someone had tipped over most of the cairns leading up sunlight creek drainage. I rebuilt a few of the important ones. The "class 3 gully" near the summit has changed from the last conditions report and i felt it went at mid fifth class, an alternate route would be best to keep the route at 5.0 

Route: No name pass
Posted On: 6/27/2018, By: wombat
Info: Snow is no factor except for the usual snow ledge between the 2nd and 3rd crux. Kicked steps in the snow ledge (photo 2). Rap stations present at all three cruxes. Full rope present at crux two. Behind summit (south side), boulders are choking the class three chimney (photo 3). Had to use the alternate class four route to the summit but was able to descend the summit over the gingerly lodged boulder choke. 

Route: Standard w/Noname approach
Posted On: 7/9/2016, By: d_baker
Info: Approach to Noname was fairly easy to follow. Used Coopers & G&T route descriptions to a degree. Approach to Jagged pass was snow free until just below the saddle. Hard snow in the morning, so an ice axe was nice to have. Another week or so and it will probably be clear of snow. N face of Jagged has snow, but we only had to cross one short stretch where we used an axe. Most of route was dry, with one exception near the traverse of face going toward last crux below the notch. Three rap stations we saw (and used) have webbing in good condition. Basin below N face of Jagged and Sunlight Basin are holding snow.