As seen in
1, Wetterhorn's east face is fairly steep and provides a straightforward snow climb. Use the standard approach from Matterhorn Creek (
2,
3) to reach the basin, southeast of Wetterhorn -
4. Pick your line and continue north/northwest (
5) to reach 12,900', near the base of the east face -
6. Since the face is prone to avalanches and gets an early sun-hit, this is a good place to pause and study the potential dangers of the face.
7 shows the face from the southeast.
If it's a go, continue to the base of the 900-foot face and begin your climb -
8. Above 13,200', the slope angle climbs above 35 degrees (
9 and
10) and over 40 degrees between 13,300' and 13,600' -
11,
12,
13. As you near 13,700' on the narrowing face, the angle reaches 45-48 degrees (depending on your line) and you may need to navigate through some small rock bands -
14. Climb another 150 feet to reach easier terrain below the summit block (
15,
16), joining the standard, southeast ridge route.
Just left of the summit block, locate a small notch which provides access to the final pitch -
17. Climb through the notch, and down an angled slab to reach the final pitch - 100 feet of Class 3 rock -
18,
19. There's a shallow gully in the middle of the rock face, and that's the route. Climb it for a bit, traverse left, then follow some cairns to the summit -
20.
East Face
GPX Track File
