Great shots. I've been considering a summit of Index main peak this month, is this doable without climbing gear this time of year? Reading through Beckey's Cascade Alpine Guide it appears so but would love to hear from someone who's done it.
I would say a rope would be good to have for rappelling through trees on that lower section of ridge just above the saddle where it's very steep (near vertical tree climbing). Other than that if you are comfortable soloing on 50/55 degree snow/neve (in the upper gully) you can just stash the rope just above that lower section of ridge and simply use it to rappel on the way down. I was an idiot and carried the rope the whole way up to the summit haha. We only used it to make one rappel back to our tent on the ridge.
Curious.. anybody know of any ski history on this route?
Having climbed with good snow coverage, what do you think about potential for skiing most of this route, aside from the steep tree climbing lower down? Could one side step/slip down the narrowest gulley section?
If you're a very skilled skier comfortable on 50 degree terrain, and are knowledgable about avalanche and snow conditions with good judgement on managing risk I see no reason why this route can't be skied.
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