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Trip Report    

Basic Rock Climb - Slippery Slab Tower/Northeast Face

Outstanding day in the mountains graduating some Basic students on a lesser-done alpine rock route with amazing views.

Stephen Johnson Stephen Johnson
September 19, 2025
  • Road rough but passable
    • 12.67 miles round-trip, 4300’ gain, 4 hrs to base of climb, 3 hours for the climb, total time 10:45.
    • Approach trail from Tunnel Creek trailhead was clear and well maintained, around 6.2 miles one-way to the base of pitch 1.
    • Room for several cars at parking lot. No privy at TH.
    • Reportedly, views are better via Tunnel Creek approach than Surprise Creek approach, which is why we took it.
    • Had the peak and climb to ourselves on a weekday, no other climbing parties, encountered several (friendly) PCT hikers along the way.
    • Details of climb can be found on Mountain Project or Peakbagger. Fairly rated as a two-pitch 5.4 for 2-3 moves on pitch 2. Brief overview:
    • Pitch 1: Begins with one low class 5 move, the remaining 40’ is class 3 scramble to a large evergreen tree with tons of webbing. Belay from here.
    • Pitch 2: Begins with a face climb 20’ to an open book move, don’t go up but tack diagonally left over an arete into a gully, climb the class 3 gully 50’ to a large boulder with a ton of quality tat. Belay from here. From the boulder, it’s 50’ on exposed slab to the summit. (We set a handline.)
    • Two rappels: down-climb the slabs to large boulder and rap 1: to base of pitch 2. Rap 2: off the fir tree to the base of pitch 1. Classic 60m double-strand rap for each rappel.
    • Rack .3-3 + standard set of nuts.
    • We spotted a plume of smoke around 100’ SW from the summit, Googled “How to report a forest fire,” it said “Call 911,” so we called (!), and we reported the fire. It has since been marked as the Nimbus Fire.
    • Both leaders agreed that this is a great, moderate alpine rock climb for basic students needing graduation credit. The approach is listed as “long” in some reports, but we felt the gain was gradual and the six miles went quickly amid good conversation.

We had a really fun group of four – two co-leaders and two Seattle Basic students needing graduation credit or doing a second rock climb. Met at the trailhead for a briefing, gear check, and hit Tunnel Creek trail at 6:50 am. Misty and humid for the first two hours until it burned off a bit around 5000’.

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Curious pika and ptarmigan approached us on trail, we ate handfuls of ripe blueberries, gawked at the impossibly blue Trap Lake, and passed underneath very cool cloud inversions that lingered all day in the gullies and valleys.

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Slippery Slab offers amazing summit views of ranges south of Stevens Pass that are less frequently travelled by scramblers and climbers but apparently quite popular with backpackers.

We reached the boulder field under the stunning tower in around four hours at a moderate hiking pace. (BTW, we decided Slippery Slab is a frivolous name that doesn’t properly suit this striking peak or allow it to fit in with other peaks in the area. So we have renamed it amongst ourselves as Lightning Rod Peak to fit in with Thunder Mountain, Nimbus Mountain, and Thor Peak. You’re welcome.)

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After ascending a boulder field for 100’ and aiming for an opening above a grassy patch (pictured), we set up for pitch 1 according to numerous trip reports.

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our route

Neither team had issues with pitch 1. One leader placed one cam for the initial class 5 move then scrambled the remainder to the large evergreen. Another placed a green .75 and one large nut.

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base of pitch 1 with belay tree top right

Pitch 2 is more involved and used a majority of gear on the rack. We later agreed that the move from the base of the open book diagonally left up and over the arete and into the gully is the crux and can be made by using finger jams in parallel cracks along with good foot placement in tiny pockets. Once into the sandy gully (watch tiny rock fall), you’re basically home-free on class 3 to a large belay boulder with a lot of webbing. (We didn't witness anything old, frayed, or sunbaked.)

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pitch 2/part 1: fr beginning to diagonal left through a notch in an arete

From the boulder with a small ledge (not quite a hanging belay), we opted to set a handline to the summit for students due to some exposure.

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handline to the summit on the "slippery slabs"

Once up, a student observed a plume of smoke 100’ SW from the summit and the first leader up reported it in via 911.

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smoke plume sw of summit

We all learned that calling 911 is in fact how you report a new fire, and it’s also good to know what county you’re in. We didn’t know if we were in Chelan or King Counties, and we later learned that in this case the country line runs directly through the summit of Slippery Slab!

We took summit selfies, had a snack, finished up with 911, down-climbed on the handline, and did two rappels with no issues and the students got new practice with stacked rappels and setting up the second rappel (under supervision) and throwing ropes. Both students did great all day and are totally ready for future basic climbs.

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Uneventful and pleasant hike back, more copious amounts of blueberries were consumed, one nice stream for a water re-fill, debriefed in the forest, great group today, on-point leadership, interesting conversations, perfect climbing weather. This is a gem of a climb, and leaders agreed after that we’re torn between highly recommending it and also keeping it a secret.