n the 1950s and 1960s, Ed Cooper was regarded by many of his peers as the best technical climber in the Northwest. He pioneered outstanding climbs in the Bugaboos and at Squamish and was the first Northwest climber to tackle the big walls of Yosemite. In the Cascades, he established routes in all three volumes of Beckey’s Cascade Alpine Guide, many of which are now considered classics. But Ed’s name also appears as the photographer on large format books with luscious photos of scenes of Northwest mountains and beyond.

In this photo essay, we look at the early climbing exploration of the North Cascades through the lens and words of Ed Cooper.