
Trip Report
Intermediate Alpine Climb - Hubba Hubba
Mythical Washington water ice climb is in good condition.
- Sat, Jan 25, 2025
- Intermediate Alpine Climb - Hubba Hubba
- Hubba Hubba
- Climbing
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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With the cold temperatures, frozen snow, and well packed approach trail, no flotation is currently needed on the approach.
The ice is thin in places but can be well protected and takes ice screws well, with 13 cm to 17 cm sizes most useful. There are also opportunities to place rock pro at various points on the route.
Avalanches funnel down the route and the approach, so snow conditions need to be stable for safe climbing.
With stable avalanche conditions, cold weather and good ice, our team of 5 had a great day ice climbing the center flow on Hubba Hubba. The approach took about one hour and was easy to follow, with a well packed snowshoe trail to the base of the climb. We didn't need floatation and experienced minimal post-holing. We climbed as a group of 3 and a group of 2. The first pitch was solid WI 3 with a vertical or near vertical start for about 20 feet before the angle eased back. The ice was thin in places but took screws well. We also placed some rock pro on the right hand side of the route. The pitch ended at an anchor with 3 pitons and webbing in the rock wall on the right.

We broke the rest of the route into two pitches, which had several steep steps with lower angle ice in between. We built an anchor with ice screws for pitch two and belayed from a tree on the climbers left side of the gully at the top of the route. The last portion of pitch 3 was unconsolidated snow over slabby rock. You could climb the route as two long pitches with a 70 m rope.


There are multiple different rappel stations throughout the route for the descent. The most efficient route would be two double rope rappels with a 70 m rope down the climbers left side of the route, which will take you back to the base of the climb.