- Advanced, Intermediate
- Ages 16+
Experience more exposure and complexity on routes like the Cathedral Ridge or the North Face on this Mt. Hood guided climb. Develop your craft, leadership, and mountaineering confidence.
Quick Details
Forbidden Peak Summit Climbs
Forbidden North Ridge Route: Advanced, Grade III, Class 5.6, and Moderate Snow/Glacier Travel
This is an adventurous route up a Cascade classic. This experience offers extensive glacier travel over 3 glaciers and a rocky ridge traverse to the top of Forbidden Peak.
Forbidden West Ridge: Intermediate, Grade III, Class 5.6, Steep Snow
This climb ranks among one of the most pure ridges in the Cascades. Climb through a steep snow coliour to a granite ridge amoungst giants. It also marks the final objective challenge of the infamous Torment-Forbidden Traverse.
Additional Info
Our Mountaineering guided climbs allow you access to the greatest experiences the Cascades offer. Many have been curated in guidebooks like Beckey’s 100 Favorite North American Climbs, Kearney’s Classic Climbs of the Northwest, Steck and Roper’s 50 Classic Climbs of North America, and Nelson and Potterfield’s Select Climbs in the Cascades. We’ve carefully chosen objectives that require the perfect balance of challenge and skill. As a result, these trips are all overnight, incorporate movement on snow/glaciated terrain, and varying degrees of 3rd, 4th, and 5th class rock climbing.
Each climb requires different management strategies, so the instructor to participant ratio changes dependent upon the terrain in which you will encounter on your objective. For instance, rock routes are limited to a 2:1 ratio, whereas snow/glaciated routes are 3:1. Please consider these practical limitations when planning your Pacific Northwest experience
Contact us to develop a custom itinerary for you and your party. Forbidden Peak is possible to climb in 2 days with an experienced party. Some may consider the route in a single day push.
These are custom climbs; please visit our custom pricing page for the most accurate cost.
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These are three-day trips with a mandatory online pre-trip meeting.
All participants are required to attend a pre-trip meeting with their guide to check equipment, conditions and to establish a specific time and location to meet up on the morning of the climb. Pre-trip meetings are typically completed online from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, 2 days before a course (Thursday evening for Saturday course), and your guide will send out an invitation for this.On the day of a climb, participants are responsible for getting to the meet up location ready and on time. We appreciate environmental considerations and ride sharing. Please let us know if you would like to coordinate a carpool with other participants.Pre-Trip Meeting
- 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Online meeting. You will bring all personal gear and equipment to this meeting. We will go over the route and itinerary as well as go over personal and group gear to ensure everyone has what they need.
North Ridge – a carry over carrying all of your equipment for 3 days on the route
Spend several days traversing multiple glaciers and climbing one of the most picturesque ridges in North America.
Day 1 – meet early in Marblemount to gain access and necessary permits. Quickly head towards the trailhead up Cascade river road towards cascade pass. Start your ascent up over Forbidden’s East Ridge and Sharkfin Col. Camp on the Boston Glacier near the base of the north ridge of Forbidden Peak.
Day 2 – Climb up onto the North Ridge and start the traverse to the summit. Often the crux is getting onto the ridge. Spend the entire day climbing over 3rd, 4th, and 5th class rock. Descend the classic west ridge and rappel through the west ridge coulior. Camp at the classic Forbidden high camp.
Day 3 – Sleep in and descend to the vehicles. plan to be back to Seattle by 5pm.
West Ridge
Day 1 – Meet with your guide at a pre-determined location and travel to Marblemount to gain permits for the climb. Travel to the trailhead and begin your ascent to basecamp at the high or low camp. Practice climbing skills before and early turn in.
Day 2 – the climbing of Forbidden takes you through the west ridge coulior onto the beautiful rocky west ridge. Perfect rock and up to 5.6 climbing takes you to the summit. Descend the route and back to camp. Plan on a 12 – 16 hour day.
Day 3 – Sleep in and descend to the vehicles. plan to be back to Seattle by 5pm.
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- 18+ for adult courses or 16+ with consent from a guardian and Kaf approval
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Our Intermediate Mountaineering Course is required prior to the climb of Forbidden.
You may also contact us and show similar experience elsewhere. Having previous alpine climbing experience is highly encouraged but not mandatory.
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- Snow and Glacier Camping
- Rope Management and Glacier Rigging
- Technical Rock Climbing
- Navigation, Map, and Compass Use
- Gear Packing and Equipment Choices
- Self-Arrest and Ice-Axe Technique, Crampon Use
- Perseverance and the ability to deal with adversity
- Snow and Glacier Camping
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- Professional instruction from full-time mountaineering instructors at a maximum of a 2:1 student-to-instructor ratio
- Passes and permits
- All group climbing gear
- All group camping and kitchen equipment
- Dinners and breakfasts while in the field
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- Personal clothing, climbing, and personal camping gear
- Lunches, snacks, water carrying capacity
- Transportation is not included. Kaf will assist in organizing a carpool. See further details below.
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You will receive a full packing list following registration, but please feel free to contact us with any gear or equipment specific questions you have. A brief list of what you will need to provide for yourself:
- Personal climbing gear: Multi-day pack, helmet, harness, mountaineering boots, glacier rig, ice tools, and crampons
- Personal camping gear: Sleeping bag and sleeping pad
- Weather-appropriate clothing
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Transportation and times will be coordinated by email when the pre-trip announcement is sent to all registrants.
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Consider joining us for any of our other Mountaineering Courses
“The date I want isn’t listed.” Please visit our Custom Courses page and contact us to book a private or custom course that fits your needs.
“I don’t see any dates.” Several of our courses run infrequently. We invite you to opt for a waitlist on our courses that do not have visible dates on the course calendar. When enough people sign up for that course, we will select a course date and invite you all to register then.