Fourth of July brought sunny skies and successful summits to many climbing parties on the Emmons. With the higher freezing levels we have had, some timing considerations for your climb are worth noting. Starting on the early side ensures that your party has ample time to attempt a summit and be coming down back to camp before the heat of the day. As things continue to warm, serac fall, crevasse bridges, and travel conditions can quickly turn into difficult hazards to mitigate.
The route is in good condition above Camp Schurman. There is a prominent bootpack to follow.
Taking a GPS track of your climb up is recommended for route finding on the way down; boot packs can melt out and not be obvious from above. Additionally, with spring and summer conditions, boot packs from old routes may still be present. Avoid following tracks just because they are there; instead, visually confirm that snow bridges are safe to travel over and place protection as necessary. Remember that just because you crossed a snow bridge on the way up does not mean it will be there on the way down. Be prepared to use your own glacier navigation skills on both the ascent and descent.
From Schurman, the route continues up the small hill to Emmons flats. Here the route angles up and climber’s left to the Corridor. Be aware that large crevasses open between Emmon’s Flats and the corridor each summer.
Once on the Corridor, continue directly up. At the top of the Corridor, around ~11.7k, the glacier becomes more jumbled. Take care to carefully evaluate snowbridges and protect them as necessary. This region is quite hollow and punchy, you will see holes where climbers have punched a leg in.
There is a notable crevasse crossing at 12.2k as the route starts to traverse climbers right. Here there is a very thin snowbridge that will likely collapse soon. Consider placing protection and/or finding another route around. Again, on the way up, consider what your team will do if the snowbridge collapses while you are above it.
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| 7/6/26 Photo of the crevasse crossing at 12.2k. The track can be seen making a zig zag to go over the snow bridge in the center of the photo. |
Above this, the route is in good condition, with some crevasse crossing. The route continues to traverse climbers right to the Winthrop shoulder then takes a direct route up to the summit.
Descend the same route you used to ascend. Keep in mind that warming during the day can change the way things look and what is passable on the way down. Plan for this as you cross terrain on your ascent. Stay alert and protect steeper sections and snow bridges. Don’t be afraid to step out of the boot pack for better footing.
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| 7/6/25 Track of the approximate route |
