Peak 9260 (White Boss Peak) by Livingston Douglas

Elevation: 9,260 ft
Prominence: 360

Find Nearby Peaks

This peak is not in the book. Published October 2018


This is Peak #3 of the triple traverse. This mountain separates White Canyon from Boss Canyon so I call it White Boss Peak. No signs of previous ascent though it’s probably been climbed before. USGS Mapleton 

Southwest Ridge, Class 3

Approach, Class 3

This approach is part of a ridge traverse from Peak 8990 to Peak 9260 via Point 9316. Consequently, the approach begins at the 8,580-foot ridge saddle at the base of the east ridge of Peak 8990. Please consult the east ridge route description for Peak 8990 for information regarding the ridge traverse to Peak 8990 from Peak 9331.

From the 8,580-foot saddle at the base of the east ridge of Peak 8990, climb the Class 3 west ridge of Point 9316 to reach the north ridge of Point 9316 just below its high point. The west ridge is rather steep and involves face climbing (on the ridge’s north side) as well as ridge climbing. The face climbing includes considerable loose rock. Thankfully, for a few short sections of the face, cattle/use trails will help.

Once you reach the north ridge of Point 9316, follow a cattle trail up through the thick veg to expedite your ascent to the top of this ridge corner point. The summit of Point 9316 is just to the right/west of the cattle trail. The summit is a gentle hump of broken scree and short desert scrub. If offers outstanding views of the surrounding peaks and valleys. But it’s time to move on.

Descend the northeast ridge of Point 9316 for about ¾ mile to a saddle at 8,900 feet. This is a rather tedious ridge descent thanks to a mix of desert scrub, rocky outcrops, some minor ups and downs, and ridge pines/bushes. You will find a footpath near the ridge crest to help you, but it is still a time-consuming descent on a ridge that the USGS map suggests is easy. Nothing worse than Class 2 but it’s a long grind to reach the gentle 8,900-foot saddle. The saddle has a well-beaten cattle trail crossing it. This trail does not show up on any maps. If this cattle trail leads all the way down to the Boss Canyon ATV Trail (FST-003), it would make an excellent ascent/descent route for Peak 9260 with a start at the Boss Canyon ATV Trailhead on White Canyon Road (near Franklin Basin Road).

The Climb

From the 8,900-foot saddle at the base of the southwest ridge, scramble up the [initially] steep ridge using a game trail for a while. The terrain is thickly forested on the left/west side of the ridge crest but is open desert scrub on the right/east side of the ridge crest. Stick to the open terrain as much as you can. It’s not long before large pines clog the route. Almost immediately after that, a ridge block obstructs your advance. Skirt the base of the ridge block on its right/south side then quickly return to the ridge crest after passing this block. On the USGS map, this ridge block shows up as Point 9200+ and is located just southwest of Point 9202.

The ridge is much flatter now but it’s not easier. It’s actually harder now due to a mix of trees, large boulders (with desert scrub mixed in) and undulations. Point 9202 is just a forested ridge hump. From Point 9202, drop 20-30 feet to arrive at the true summit area. Continue grinding your way northeast. The summit “plateau” is an elongated, wide ridge crest that includes multiple possible high points. But which one is the highest? Well, with no previous beta on this matter, I had to explore them all to find the right one. The boulder-hopping and scrambles to the top of each of these points is a Class 3 endeavor.

The first two potential summits (a rocky hump to the right/east and a forested, rocky outcrop to the left/west) are not the high point. Go a little farther northeast and you will find two rocky humps (boulders + thick pines mixed in) on a ridge crest to your left/west. These two humps are of similar height and are about 100 feet apart. Of the two humps, the southwest hump is the high point (barely) based on visual inspection (the altimeter had them at the same height to an accuracy of five feet). No signs of previous ascent on either of these humps.

The high point on each of these humps is a boulder pile with trees growing thickly amongst the boulders. It’s difficult to stand atop the highest boulder but it is doable. There is one final, easier ridge hump farther northeast (at the head of a southeast shoulder) that is 30-40 feet lower in height and is a good 75-100 yards away from the true summit. I checked it out and measured it, just to be sure. The summit area offers no views and is unimpressive, to say the least. It offered me nothing but hassles. Good riddance to this one!

Southeast Face, Class 3

Access

This summit is the finale to a triple traverse from Peak 9331 to Peak 8990, over Point 9316 and up the southwest ridge to the top. The initial starting point is the White Canyon Road. Please consult the route access and route descriptions for Peak 9331 and Peak 8990 as well as the southwest face route information for Peak 9260 for more information.

The faster, cleaner access route for this peak is via the Boss Canyon ATV Trail (FST-003) to just below the 8,900-foot saddle at the base of the southwest ridge.  Scramble (or follow a cattle trail) north up to the saddle from FST-003.

The Descent

From the summit, scramble southward just below the ridge crest on angled boulders and sections of forest (Class 3 terrain) to reach the top of an open slope leading south then southeast down to the [blessed] Boss Canyon ATV Trail/FST-003. You must cross through a short section of forest lower down to reach the final section of desert scrub. Once across the open scrub, you will reach the very dusty ATV Trail. Follow the ATV trail northeast then east down Boss Canyon. The trail turns hard left/north and crosses two creeks (close to each other) and continues ¾ mile north to reach a final, larger creek crossing (Hodge Nibley Creek) and, within 100 yards after that crossing, you reach White Canyon Road. Follow the road southeast back up to Franklin Basin Road.  There are no bridges for these creek crossings but, in late summer, you can rock-jump to avoid getting your boots too wet. Be prepared to run into ATVers, horseback riders, and livestock on the Boss Canyon ATV Trail. In late summer/fall, you’ll share the trail with bowhunters on ATVs heading to their favorite hunting spot.

Additional Resources

Mountain Range: Bear River Range

First Ascent Information:

  • Other First Ascent: Southwest Ridge
  • Year: 2018
  • Season: Summer
  • Party: Livingston Douglas
  •  
  • Other First Ascent: Southeast Face —Descent
  • Year: 2018
  • Season: Summer
  • Party: Livingston Douglas

Longitude: -111.64169   Latitude: 42.00689

Comments are closed.