Ingalls Peak to Fortune Peak Ridgeline
After two days of easy hiking around Teanaway, we were looking to do a little alpine climbing along the fun serpentine rock in the area. Ingalls Peak South ridge is a non-committing 4 pitch ‘5.4’ that seemed to be the perfect length. We had some clouds and potential rain in the forecast around 1PM that day and we figured the route would go quickly. We decided to add on the ridgeline up to South Ingalls peak and continue on to Fortune peak and back to Ingalls pass for a lollipop loop.
We went light, Liz took a running pack and I put on my Durston pack and stuffed our brand new 60m rope and harnesses into the bag. We carried almost no gear, as we figured the climb would be an easy solo but due to the slabby nature and reports of a somewhat greasy route, rappelling would be a safe option. We chose approach shoes for the entire day and did not even bother packing our climbing shoes.
The hike to Ingalls pass went smoothly, there was almost no snow and the weather was bluebird. Once at the pass, it was easy cross country travel to the notch between South Ingalls and Ingalls Peak.
From Ingalls Pass, looking at Ingalls and the sub-peaks. East Ingalls on the right, Ingalls peak in the middle and South Ingalls Peak on the left.
Ingalls Lake almost clear of ice & snow.
Some of the only snow we encountered was just below the notch between Ingalls Peak and South Ingalls.
A view of the route from the notch. The climb follows the ridge along the crack system. Once at the notch, the climb is very obvious and easy to follow.
There were two parties ahead of us and they had carried a lot of gear. The first party had just started and we kindly asked the second party if we could climb before them. They agreed and were very friendly (thank you!). We waited until the first party reached the top of pitch 1 before we started climbing. We were up to the ledge at the top of the first pitch in about 2 minutes. When asking the first party leader if we could pass them, he seemed angry that we were soloing the route. He even told us that we could not pass. I understand that soloing is not everyone’s cup of tea, but there are times when it makes sense. In our case, we had a longer day ahead and we wanted to beat any chance of bad weather while it was still sunny and beautiful. We have the experience and skills to know that 5.4 is well within our comfort rating for soloing. We’ve soloed more difficult and committing routes, so roping up wasn’t something we had even considered. We brushed it off and assured the party leader that we would be at the top of the entire route in about 5 minutes. We knew that the team was going to take several hours to climb and rappel 4 pitches, they were moving slowly and had a double rack of cams.
Above the first pitch, the climbing becomes much more interesting. Some exposed moves, but nothing too crazy and the setting is incredible. It’s a giant serpentine ramp with cracks and blocky ledges all the way to the summit.
Climbing up a greasy crack at the 3rd pitch. The slab angle was not too steep and there were plenty of spots for footholds and jams.
A fun and exposed arete.
3rd pitch crack. The moves felt easy 5th.
Just as we were starting to get in the groove, we were on the summit, taking in a great view of Mount Stuart.
Stuart dominating the skyline at the summit of Ingalls Peak.
We took out our fresh rope and started rappelling. We were down to the top of the second pitch before the first party had even reached the anchors, so we were able to avoid them completely. A 60m rope worked perfectly for the rappels, with easy downclimbing at the very last pitch. Once back at the notch, we stayed on the ridgeline up to South Ingalls Peak and all the way to Fortune Peak. The climbing was a mixture of 3rd, 4th and easy 5th. There were options to make the climbing harder by staying on the ridge crest, or turning the whole thing into 4th class by veering to the side of the crest. We were back to Ingalls pass in the blink of an eye, with an easy but stunning hike back to the truck.
A bit of the scrambling on our way to Fortune Peak.
