North Cascades Mountain Guides -Classic Climbs:Prime Rib on Goat Wall

Goat wall is a 1500 foot wall that rises up above the Methow river, just off of the valley floor, right here in Mazama. The rock is a metamorphosed, sedimentary rock and while it doesn't fracture into clean crack systems, it does offer an abundance of edges that make this rock supremely climbable.

The approaches are short, and all of the climbs on the wall are bolt protected and offer rappel descents. The user friendly nature of these climbs make them great venues when the weather is poor in the high mountains, or when you want to spend all day climbing with a minimal approach and descent.

Prime Rib, is likely the longest, moderate sport route in America. With 12 pitches of climbing in the mid fifth class range, the climb is characterized by lots of 5.6 - 5.7 climbing with short 5.8 cruxes interspersed throughout. There is one small 5.9 crux on the final pitch (which is optional). The route provides great views of the Methow valley and as you get higher, sweeping panoramas of Silver Star and the North Cascades.

Finishing out the fifth pitch as the exposure increases.

What to Expect:

The approach is relatively short and typically takes between 20-30 minutes, gaining a few hundred feet. After parking at the Mazama swimming hole on the Methow river, we hike past an old sorting station for the Mazama Queen mine, and up to a boulder field that leads to the base of the wall.

Once at the base of the climb, we switch into rock shoes and climb pitch after pitch of fun, moderate face climbing. Most of the climbing is between 5.6 and 5.7 and in general the crux sections are short. If you have a small pack, you can climb with it to carry a water bottle, a windbreaker and some snacks. If not, your guide can easily stash those things in their pack so you can enjoy the climbing unencumbered. From the top, its many (around 14) rappels back to the base to where we cached the rest of our gear. After a quick hike back to the car, we often end this day with a dunk in the river. This of course is optional, though on hot days, highly recommended.

Paul enjoying the moves high off hte deck on Goat Wall

Paul enjoys the climbing high above the Methow River.

Necessary Skills:

Climbers should know how to belay and be comfortable following mid fifth class rock.
We generally leave packs at the base of the climb.
Previous experience rappelling is helpful, though not required.

Combine with:

Generally Prime Rib takes the better part of a day and its very unusual to have energy left for more climbing afterwards. That said, there have been a few occasions where we have finished the day out with a few pitches at Fun Rock for climbers wanting to end the day with a pump. After climbing Prime Rib, many folks like to get up into the mountains for a climb like the Beckey route, or SW rib of SEWS. For another day of multipitch face climbing that is just a bit harder, consider checking out the Methow Inspiration route, also on Goat Wall.

More information:

Click here for information on training for alpine climbing

Click below to see photos from a few previous climbs of Prime Rib:

Blue traverses in at the top of the ninth pitch.