TERRAIN
Massive Granite Cliffs, Skykomish River Valley, The Town of Index, Snowcapped Spires of Mt. Index
LENGTH
1 night, 2 days
April through November. June through August is best.
EXPLORE
1 - 4 guests
From $1200
Alpine Cliff Camping
Ever wanted to camp on the side of a cliff with a 1000 ft of air beneath you and watch the lights of the town and stars twinkle above and below and wake up to the sun rising over snowcapped peaks in an alpine river valley only to have breakfast and coffee in bed? You'll probably have your breath taken away like you did trying to read that last sentence. The best part is that you don't need any prior experience!
If you want to do things most people never ever do, and you're not afraid to get a little scared in a very safe way, come cliff camping with us. Cliff Camping has been a highlight for a lot of our guests! Many folks leave saying it’s one of the top 5 coolest things they’ve ever done.
Is this for you?
Is This For You?
This trip is for anyone excited to do something very new and who doesn’t mind getting a bit uncomfortable! If you’ve never rock climbed a day in your life, no worries! We’ll teach you everything you need to know! If you’re a seasoned rock climber looking to learn the ins and outs of portaledge camping before your first Yosemite trip we can make that happen too.
Both the rock climb to the portaledge and the rappel back to the bottom are optional. If you’d rather walk up and down that’s ok… but you will need to be lowered 30 ft to get to the portaledge.
Jack Bynum your guide for the trip has been climbing for over 17 years and been guiding for over a decade. He’s spent over a 100 nights camping on cliffs around the world and helped tons of people experience cliff camping for the first time. He is a trained mountain guide, an AMGA certified Rock Guide and a Wilderness First Responder. You’ll be in good hands. While this experience is meant to be thrilling, safety is always the number 1 priority.
MOMENT BY MOMENT, DAY BY DAY
DAY 1
DAY 1
We'll meet at 4 pm and start our 4 pitch rock climb to where our portaledge is set up at the top of a 1000 ft granite cliff w/ views out over the Skykomish River. Alternatively, you can opt for a hour-long uphill hike through magical moss-covered forest and skip the technical climbing.
We'll have a thorough safety introduction before you and your partner take turns rappelling down to your home for the night. Once you've settled in, we'll take a bunch of wild photos before boiling water in a suspended stove for our dinner for the night. We do dinner the way classy climbers do it — boiled water and delicious (really) dehydrated meals. We’ll spice them up with an appetizer and some brownies for desert. We eat well.
After dinner the night is yours to watch the sunset and the glistening lights of the small town of Index, play cards, read a book, watch a movie, share stories with your friend or partner, or take in the solitude as a solo traveler. However you chose to spend the evening, life’s a bit different when you’ve got free air on all sides. Eventually you’ll curl up in your warm sleeping bag for a cozy night.
DAY 2
DAY 2
In the morning, wake up whenever and have breakfast and coffee in bed. The sunrise is particularly beautiful as it rises over the mist-filled valley. When we’re ready, we’ll pack up camp and rappel 1000ft back to the ground for a short walk back to the cars. We’ll exchange some wild photos and part ways until the next adventure.
If rapelling isn’t your thing there’s also an option to walk down. There’s also a secret add on that offers even more adventure and also adds a few hours to the day… ask about it if you’re interested.
WHERE WE SLEEP
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
Alpine Cliff Camping
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With a bit of work, your portaledge can be a super comfy place to spend the night. Your guide will be sleeping just 30ft above you. Your guide will help you get setup and settled in. Most clients finding watching the guide’s comfort with the ledge helps them get more comfortable too. You and your guide will both have radios and can be in contact as much or as little as desired.
Portaledges - Some FAQs
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Portaledges are what most climbers use to sleep when climbing on long and complicated routes. If you’ve watched Free Solo or The Dawn Wall you’ve likely seen them in action! Basically a portaledge is like a hammock stretched taught — it has a bit of give and allows you to create a flat sleeping spot just about anywhere. It might not be quite like your mattress at home, but it can come pretty darn close.
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We’ve had six grown people on a portaledge at one time. Modern climbing gear is super strong and super redundant. The portaledge is secured to a massive tree and backed up to a bolt that could easily hold a truck. But know that the entire time you’re on the wall you’ll be tied in (even at night) — so the portaledge is just one part of your security.
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That depends on you? Some people sleep like a baby, some people honestly don’t sleep a wink. You can definitely get comfortable on the ledge — but sometimes people struggle to calm themselves knowing there’s just air beneath their beds.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
BOOK ALPINE CLIFF CAMPING
Dates: Custom dates April through October
Length: 2 days with optional additional days of climbing in Index and around Washington
Cost: 1 - 2 people: 1200, 2 - 4 people 1995
BOOK THIS ADVENTURE
Fill out the form below and we’ll make it happen!
FIND OUT MORE
Have questions? Reach out below or text / call us.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Check out the FAQ’s below, or text or call us at 845-661-3008 to talk it through! Or send us an email. We love hearing from folks.
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If you’re able to hike 1 hour uphill and you’re willing to push your comfort zone this trip is accessible to you.
You don’t need to have any prior climbing experience to participate in this adventure — we can teach you everything you need to know along the way (if you do have prior experience we can help you learn new things!).
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Professional AMGA Certified Rock Guide with over 17 years climbing experience around the world & advanced wilderness medical training
All group gear climbing gear: Portaledge, ropes, quickdraws, slings, carabiners, first aid kit, emergency communication device.
Personal gear: headlamps, harnesses, helmets, rappell devices, locking carabiners. (Clients must provide their own climbing shoes if choosing the climbing approach).
Dinner and Breakfast and all cooking supplies and utensils.
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Personal clothing: Warm layers, Rain Jacket. Be prepared for a variety of temperatures and weather conditions.
Personal Equipment: medium backpack, 2 litres of water, camera, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, travel pillow (optional)
Snacks to hold you over until dinner.
Travel to Index
Gratuity for your guide
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You can access the ledge by either a 1 hour uphill hike or a 3-4 pitch 5.7 climb.
If you’re an intermediate or advanced climber the climb is a great option. If you’re new to climbing but super athletic and willing to struggle a bit then the climb would be great as well. Just know that you’ll be climbing with packs which makes everything a bit more difficult.
Note: the climb is only possible with groups of 1 -3 people.
If choosing not to climb, no worries — the hike up is beautiful!
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We eat like expedition climbers — with a bit more pizzazz.
Dinner will be a delicious dehydrated meal on the ledge. But appetizers will be the real deal hors d'oeuvre platter — wooden cutting board and all.
And of course there’s always desert.
Breakfast is often simple but delicious — french press coffee, granola, fruit, oatmeal and yogurt.
If you’d like to bring alcoholic beverages please do.
We ask you to bring enough snacks to keep you happy and well fed for the climb up and the rappelling down before / after dinner / breakfast.
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Of course! We’ve had many plus sized folks come and have a great experience.
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Your guide will sleep on a natural ledge in the cliff about 30 feet above you. You’ll have the ledge to yourself and it will feel totally private. If you need to communicate with your guide you can either do so by radioing them on the provided radios, calling up to them loudly or by calling them on your cell phone (there’s good service). We monitor our radios and phones throughout the night and are always available in case you need anything.
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Yes! While the portaledge is completely secure you will keep your harness on throughout the night wall and stay secured to the wall throughout the night.
For all you rambunctious couples out there, that means, yes, you will be keeping your harness on all night long, and no you will not be able to add this to your “weird spots we…” list.
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Indigo Alpine Guide trips are most often run by the owner Jack Bynum and his closest and most trusted friends. All the people who work for IAG have over a decade of experience guiding trips in the most remote places on earth, have wilderness medical training and advanced guiding certifications.
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For Day Trips:
If you cancel for any reason prior to 30 days before the course start, you may rebook a later date for 100% credit, subject to availability, or receive a refund. If you cancel between 7 and 30 days prior to the course start, you may reschedule subject to availability. Between 7 and 30 days there are no refunds. If you cancel inside of 7 days from the course start, there are no reschedules or refunds available. This includes, but is not limited to:
– Injury/illness (positive cover exposure excepted)
– Weather, mountain and travel conditions (please see #4 below)
– Personal scheduling changes
For Multi-day Trips:
You may cancel up to 120 days of the scheduled travel date and receive a full refund minus a $500 per-person service fee. If you cancel between 120 and 60 days of travel, there is a 50% cancellation fee. Within 60 days of travel, there is a 100% cancellation fee. We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance as we are not able to make exceptions to this policy in cases of family/medical emergency or of the trip being canceled.
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Yep! You’ll have more space to yourself that way!
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With groups of 3 - 4 we’ll use two portaledges side by side. It can be a cliffside party practically. Groups of 3 have the option of climbing or hiking up and rapelling down. Groups of 4 will walk up and down.
STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?
We’re always happy to talk through anything on your mind. Oftentimes the quickest way to get it all done is by phone or zoom. Hit us up at the button below and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can (we’re often in the mountains.)
