Trip Report

Ingalls Peak South Ridge (5.6 Beckey Variation) Trip Report

Celebrating our seven-year anniversary on Ingalls Peak!

Ariana Gerdis

31 Mar 2025 • 10 min read

First alpine lead!

Sunday, 10/13/24 (Indigenous Peoples' Day Weekend)

STATS:

Mileage: ~11 miles

Elevation Gain: 3,387 ft

Technical Difficulty: 5.4 (standard route) - 5.6 (Beckey variation)

MAP:

PRE-TRIP MANIFESTATIONS:

We are not going to get our rope tangled
We are not going to get our rope stuck
We are going to feel more comfortable on rock
We are going to have Type 1 fun
We will feel strong partnership and connection
Ari will lead her first alpine trad pitch!

APPROACH BETA/TRAIL DESCRIPTION:

With the golden larches peaking and blue skies in the forecast, Greg and I decided to climb Ingalls Peak to celebrate our seventh anniversary together. We climbed on Sunday of Indigenous Peoples' Weekend, the day before our actual anniversary so that we would have Monday to relax, recover, and celebrate in the city.

Since it was a holiday weekend during peak larches, we planned to start early. We car camped in the forest service lot at the Esmeralda Basin Trailhead (~4,200 ft) on Saturday night. We woke up around 5am to begin hiking at 5:35. I was glad we stayed in the lot overnight because the lot was already full by ~5! I recommend bringing your own supply of toilet paper and hand sanitizer– this trailhead receives so much use during larch season... the vault toilet was not in good condition.

A free self-issued Alpine Lakes wilderness permit is required– we filled ours out the night before to expedite our morning.

We hiked a short distance to a fork in the trail, continuing right onto Ingalls Way Trail. The incline is gradual but consistent. The ground was blanketed in vibrant red shrubs, ablaze with fall colors.

Staying left at the fork at ~5,400 ft (right goes towards Longs Pass), we hiked another 3 miles up the switchbacks towards Ingalls Pass (6,500 ft). Despite the climbing gear on our backs, the climb passed quickly in the dark.

At Ingalls Pass, the sun was beginning to rise over the ridge, illuminating the mountains and larches in a brilliant gold. We took a break here to eat breakfast and enjoy sunrise. Seeing Mount Stuart from this angle is truly incredible.

Once we schlepped the gear back onto our backs, we continued on the trail through the basin towards Ingalls Lake. This basin was full of backpackers and lovely yellow larches that contrasted remarkably against the bright blue morning sky.

Looking up at Ingalls Peak from the lakeshore. Dogtooth Spire is the bump in the notch to the left. The spire on this saddle is what you’re aiming for on the approach!

We enjoyed the view, then ascended the slabs to the left above the lake. Aiming for the notch between the North (the summit we are climbing) and South Peaks, we boulder hopped talus and ascended slabs upwards. The easiest line will keep things generally Class 2, but other more difficult paths exist. There are cairns, but head upwards towards Dogtooth Spire and you should find your way. At the Dogtooth, go right for the traditional approach gully.

View is just getting better and better!!

Greg on the final fourth class gully before the climb base

We pulled Class 4 moves up the ~40' crack of the final gully to the ledge at the base of the climb. Here, we stashed our sneakers and poles and roped up to begin the Class 5 climbing. The approach took us exactly four hours, including breaks. We took another break at the base before we started climbing at 10AM.

This is a common zone for mountain goat sightings, but we didn't see any. :(

CLIMBING BETA:

We just got some shiny new cams, so we took gear to 4" and a set of nuts.

Pitch 1: 5.3, 60 ft

We followed the large crack system in the middle of the low angle slab.

The climbing is easy, but the glassy serpentine rock is slippery! We climbed this fairly short pitch (it's common to combine this one with the second) to the first ledge.

Pitch 2: 5.0, 30 ft

My first alpine lead!!

Me on the sharp end! Check out that wall of bright green serpentine glass on the big rock next to me

I crossed some broken rock to ascend another easy, low angle crack. There were lots of options for confidence-inspiring protection and this pitch was less slippery than the first, though there were still patches of slick serpentine rock inside of the crack.

I inspected the existing slings around the huge boulders of the party ledge and used them as an anchor. This was a very short– and fun– pitch! And Greg said my placements were great! :)

On the party ledge, two soloists joined us and said they both almost slipped. Despite the low grade, the glassy rock of this climb doesn't feel super secure (especially in approach shoes, like they were wearing). They roped up upon reaching this ledge. It's worth being mindful of the atypical rock and being extra secure in your three points of contact if you're taking additional risks like soloing/placing few pieces.

Pitch 3: 5.4-5.6, 115 ft

Crux pitch!

There are two main crack systems to choose from– the traditional 5.4 on the left and the 5.6 "Beckey variation" in the middle. We choose the Beckey route and ended the pitch at a thin ledge with two large bolts. It was very windy up here... really feels like you're on a mountain!!

Pitch 4: 5.4, 80 ft

Clip the piton for good luck and continue up the left corner. Climbing over the mini-bulge to top out the climb at the three bolts on the ridge was a lot of fun!

We unroped here to continue up easy third class to the true summit.

Summit Scramble

The true summit has a very grippy ridge that feels like the fin of a bouldering wall (similar to SBP's... if you know, you know). The view over the summit ridge of the lake below is gorgeous! This scramble is easier than the approach gully and definitely worth the small detour to reach the true summit (7,662 ft).

It took us just under 3 hours to climb 4 pitches and scramble to the summit (311 ft of technical climbing and scrambling from the base). It took us another 1.5 hours to descend.

We took our time, enjoying each other's company and the gorgeous views! Despite the perfect conditions, we had the first two pitches completely to ourselves. We were first on route and saw three other groups on the South Ridge that day. We met another group who was rappelling the South Ridge, though they had climbed the East Ridge.

Descent

We rappelled each pitch using our 70m rope. A 60m is too short on some rappels and will require downscrambling. I also rappelled the 4th class scramble before Greg took down the anchor and scrambled down after me. Luckily, the descent went very smoothly!

The scramble down the slabs and boulders back to Lake Ingalls was even easier on the way down, now that we knew the way.

Back down at the lake… we were just up there!!

The hike out was much busier in the afternoon, but the stunning views and larches ensured time also passed quickly. It was nice to see everyone out appreciating the beautiful foliage.

Not really any larches on the other side of the pass… but check out the ground foliage!!

His & hers… pretty dusty back on this side of the pass

We finished the day just before 6pm. From the base of the climb to our car took us just under three hours. The whole day took us a little under 12.5 hours!

I'm very grateful for this beautiful day and the strong partnership I felt with Greg. Getting my first alpine lead was just the icing on the cake! I'm so excited to develop my trad skills further and swing leads in the future. It feels really nice to contribute more technically to our partnership. I'm looking forward to next alpine season already!

ADDITIONAL BETA:

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