Index is home to some of the best granite climbing in the state of Washington. The climbing is similar to what you would find in places like Yosemite or Squamish. Index is best known for it’s difficult crack and face climbs but there are many quality moderate routes as well. Routes such as Godzilla (5.9), Great Northern Slab (5.7), Pisces (5.6), Princely Ambitions (5.9) and Breakfast of Champions (5.10a) are just a few of the classic moderate routes on the Lower Town Wall.

North Early Winter Spire (NEWS) stands out among the Liberty bell group as it rises above Blue lake basin with its sheer west face being among the cleanest and steepest sweeps of granite in the whole basin.  The clean stripe of the West face route stands out against the dark wall, so much so that you would hardly believe that what you are looking at from all this ways away, is a finger crack. 

The Forbidden Tour is an undeniable classic. It combines breathtaking scenery in the heart of the North Cascades National Park with long glaciated ski/ride descents.  The combination of snow covered terrain and travel on skis allow us to efficiently cover a lot of ground while exploring the national park with a lot more solitude than in mid summer! In addition to completing an outstanding multi-day tour, we will also help you learn new skills -- from navigation to rope work to winter camping, this tour has it all!

This 4-day course is designed for the experienced backcountry skier or splitboarder looking to get into more technical objectives in glaciated terrain. Skis are the perfect tools for climbing (and descending) peaks as they allow us to move quickly and cover a lot of terrain. These camps typically take place utilizing both Washington Pass and Mount Baker, and if the weather cooperates, we finish up with a descent of Mount Baker, truly one of the most classic snow descents in the lower 48.

Each year at NCMG we offer what we call the "rotating tap".  These trips are for people that have skied with us before and want to try something new. The trips we run vary from year to year, so if you see something you like and want to know when we will be running that trip again please send us an email and we will let you know!

The Alps are the birthplace of alpine climbing and still to this day have the highest concentration of high-quality routes of any mountain range on the planet.  Combine that with well-developed infrastructure, such as lift systems, public transportation, and charming towns, and the Alps are the best choice for a place to maximize your climbing to time away ratio.  With most of the approaches done via a lift or gondola and overnight accommodations in mountain huts or hotels, we can climb long, classic high mountain routes with nothing more than a daypack.   Thanks to the public transportatio

North Cascades National Park contains some of the best alpine climbing in North America.  NCMG offers both climbing courses and custom guided programs in the "Alps of North America".  The vast majority of our programs are booked on a private basis and are guided by some of the best guides in the business.  Book your trip today and climb with the local experts.  

Click on the route links located in the sidebar for more information on climbing in the North Cascades National Park.

Mazama is one of the best places in Washington to learn to rock climb or improve your climbing ability by focusing on technical skills. We create a safe, positive, and effective learning environment for climbers of all abilities. There are a number of routes in the beginner to moderate grades to chose from, which we have used to help hundreds of climbers find their way in this vertical environment.