Trip Report
Mount Garibaldi/Brohm Ridge
A fun climb to help Michael Walther check off the last remaining peak on the Cascades Volcano peak pin.
Martin Fisher
- Sat, May 3, 2025 — Sun, May 4, 2025
- Mount Garibaldi/Brohm Ridge
- Climbing
- Successful
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- Road recommended for high clearance only
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- The Cheekye Forest Service Road is rough. Unlike the Forest Service roads we're used to in Washington and Oregon, which are annoying when massively rutted, this road had a fair number of rocks that sat high and really did require a high clearance vehicle. The road was steep enough in places that we did end up needing the 4WD. We were able to make it to about 3,700'
- Bergschrund was closed when we went, but a TR I saw a few days ago had a picture of it opened. The climbing route steepens considerably as goes above it (45+ degrees), so you'll need to protect it if it's open.
- This is an excellent ski route, but if you're booting/snowshoeing be sure to take the scramble over Brohm Peak on the way back rather than traversing below it. We didn't posthole before that section, but on the way back we did not take the scramble option and regretted it. (The scramble is straightforward.)
- The headwall is steep enough (45 degrees) that two axes or one axe and a whippet might be helpful depending on your comfort. The steepness reminded me of Mt Hood's southside.
- Watch out for wildlife and your food! We had a pine marten at our camp who was desperate to find something to eat, but we didn't let him get anything.
- No running water when we went, so we boiled and filtered snow.
This was a climb to help Michael Walther finish off his Cascade Volcanoes Peak Pin, which he did (yay Michael!). According to Michael, Garibaldi competes with Glacier Peak as the prettiest scenery for the Cascades volcanoes, so it seems like he saved one of the best for last. It's certainly the prettiest volcano I've been on. (I haven't gotten around to my camera's photos yet, so these are all iPhone photos.)
We stayed in Vancouver the night before, had a leisurely brunch, and got started around 3:30 pm at 3,700'. The rest of the group was skinning and I was on foot (I was supposed to splitboard, but had concerns about doing so with a heavy pack)
The road makes for easy skinning and the views from there are spectacular. It's not your typical road slog, unless you're on it without skis and snow.
Given our later start, we opted for a lower camp on Brohm Ridge than planned. Again, the views were spectacular. We also had a pine marten visit our camp searching for food. It ran around our camp 3-4x, which provided some good entertainment before settling in for the night.
We got a 5:15 start the next day. From camp to the glacier, you're on the undulating Brohm Ridge until you hit a scramble section at Brohm Peak. Right before the peak is an excellent camp site (I think it would be the first camp site you'd see on Caltopo) with views of the Howe Sound/Sea to Sky Highway.
Brohm Peak was a pretty easy scramble. There's a little bit of veggie belaying, but nothing too complicated. We observed some avy debris below Brohm Peak, so be aware of travel choices and weather conditions if choosing the traverse below. We opted against it in the morning as traversing on hard snow did not seem fun. We chose to do the traverse on the way back and regretted it.
Brohm Ridge eventually leads you to the Warren Glacier, which is fairly flat until you start gaining elevation to meet up with the headwall. Views abound!
Once on the headwall, the route up is fairly straightforward, but steep. You do climb above the bergschrund, which was still filled in while we were there. The views from the top continued to impress.
Downclimbing was face-in for a bit, but once we got below the bergschrund it was easy plunge stepping and glissading.
The snow was a little punchy toward 1 pm, but totally manageable without snowshoes. However, once we got under Brohm Ridge it was postholing up to our knees. This really sapped our energy, and it continued a few miles like this back to camp.
We packed up camp and I booted out while Michael and Tony skied out. They had to transition probably 2-3x and we all made it back to the car at about the same time. Overall, it was a wonderful trip and probably my highlight climb of the year. I am really excited for Michael that he finished up his list after chasing it for a decade or more. Also, in true Michael fashion, we got our alpine finish :) I can't recommend this climb highly enough, and I know I'll be north of the border next year to explore what BC has to offer.
