Sholes Glacier and Environs

Hi All,<br><br>I did a scouting hike to a point past Coleman Pinnacle up to the knob which seems to be the point that is just north of the Portals. I think. A great view point just under 7k ft. Here I could see that the Sholes Glacier is largely crevasse free except for a couple of gaping shrund like-features, yet the snow conditions don't seem all that great.<br><br>What I did see was that the extensive snow fields to the east of the ridge that makes up the extension of Ptarmigen ridge/Portals area seems to provide very extensive opportunites for sizeable descents, almost all the way down to the Rainbow glacier.<br><br>The short version of my question is what is the proper route to the portals? <br><br>The longer version of this question is:<br>What I am unclear of is what the route to the portals is. I did not see any climber trails. (It looks like climbing this side of Baker has not been very active recently or else a walking trench would have been obvious.) I can't decide if the best route is to stay on the east side of the ridge, which seems steep, requires a considerable descent to avoid the rockfall hazards from the extensive cliffs above or to go round the west side which involves relatively easy travel on glacier, but having to deal with some very steep rolls on exposed ice and a gapping schrund.<br><br>I have to admit that I could not see all the possibilities from my vantage point.<br><br>Any advice from someone who did the route either as a ski or climb would be appreciated.<br><br>Thanks