Chair Peak — Northeast Buttress
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The most popular moderate alpine line at Snoqualmie Pass — a striking, exposed buttress barely an hour from Seattle that delivers a real summit and committing position at an accessible grade. Famous in winter as the classic Grade II WI3 ice mission, but a fine summer alpine scramble-climb (5.6) in its own right.
🥾 Approach · descent · season
Approach: From the Alpental upper lot / Snow Lake Trailhead (~3,100 ft, I-90 exit 52), follow the Snow Lake trail ~1.5-2.5 mi toward Source Lake / the Snow Lake divide, then take the climbers' path up the basin (avalanche-prone when snow-covered) toward Chair's east face. Pass the Thumb Tack and traverse to the foot of the Northeast Buttress (~4,800-5,200 ft). ~1.5-2.5 hrs.
⬇️ Descent: Standard descent is back DOWN the route on the NE side (not a separate SE/SW face): from the summit, scramble down the rocky meadows to the cluster of trees at the top of the buttress, then a double-rope (60 m) rappel, some downclimbing to the head of the gully, and a second double-rope rappel to the base of the buttress, then walk off the approach. Bring webbing to back up fixed tat; beware rockfall on the pulls. (In winter the line is descended/downclimbed via the SW-facing snow gully from the saddle with a buried rap station.)
🗓️ Season: Summer rock: roughly July-September once snow clears. Winter alpine ice (the classic): roughly December-March in good ice/snow. Shoulder seasons can be mixed and loose.
🎒 Gear & food
Rack: Small alpine rack: single cams ~0.3-2in, a set of small-to-medium nuts, ~4-6 alpine slings/runners, helmet, and TWO 60m ropes (or one 60m + tag line) for the double-rope rappels on descent. Spare webbing to back up anchors. Winter version adds ice screws (a few short, 13-16cm) and pickets.
✅ Before you leave the trailhead
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⚠️ Hazards · fire · emergency
- Loose rock / rockfall — the buttress and gullies are notoriously friable and rappels/rope-pulls dislodge large rocks; helmets essential, manage parties above/below. Avalanche-prone approach slopes when snow lingers.
🌤️ Live conditions
Auto-updated 9h ago · °F · tap a link for the mountain-specific picture ↓
🏔️ Avalanche zone: Snoqualmie Pass — no rating (off-season) · forecast page
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