Mount Rogers South Face

Serious south-face ski mountaineering on Rogers Peak in Glacier National Park. The line drops off the upper south ridge into big alpine terrain above the Swiss Glacier, with exposure, overhead cornices and glaciated runout. This is not a storm-day lap; people treat it as a cold, locked-up-snowpack objective with strong visibility and low hazard.

From the Hermit trailhead you skin or boot the steep summer trail to Hermit Meadows, then trend north and east onto the Swiss Glacier. Crevasse and bergschrund issues ramp up in lean years or late season, so most parties hug the climber’s-right side of the glacier near rock islands for safer passage. Gain the upper right-hand col on the south ridge, then follow the airy ridge toward the summit before picking a descent line that avoids obvious cornice hangfire and convex rolls.

The face sees sun and wind, so expect a mix of wind-affected snow, pockets of settled powder and potential crust. Sluff management matters in the upper pitches, and the lower face can push you toward crevasse fields and the main bergschrund if you let fall-line take over. Plan your timing so you are off the south face before solar input spikes, and build in margin for navigating back across the glacier to the Hermit trail in flat light or afternoon hazard.