[TR] Mt Adams - Adams Glacier 7/16/2016

[ktarry]

Trip: Mt Adams - Adams Glacier

 

Date: 7/16/2016

 

Trip Report:

First post here, seems like some people have been struggling with this route this season so wanted to try to help out with some beta. Approximate route:

 

 

Left work early Friday, out of Portland around 3 PM, at Trout Lake Ranger Station right before 4:30. Made our way to Killen Creek Trailhead at about 6, freshly graded! Normal approach via Killen Creek Trail to High Camp Trail. Camped on snow just above the moraine lake.

 

 

Left camp around 4 AM Saturday morning, walked up the glacier for about 30 minute then roped up. It got steeper at the snow dome at the base of the glacier:

 

 

About a third of the way up we hit some icier bits. It looked like you could avoid the bulk of the ice by skirting around on the left, but we chose the direct line and simulclimbed with a tibloc and microtrax for protection. Took two pitches to reach the safety of a nice crevasse to rest at and went back to moderate snow slopes. The first pitch of ice was probably AI2+ (maybe AI3), second pitch a little mellower.

 

 

The navigation about this got a little bit more complicated. We came up on a HUGE crevasse (50 feet deep and about as wide), looked for a snow bridge on the left and didn't find one, and elected to drop into the right end and climb back out. We found a nice snow ramp down about 100 yards from the cliffs and a good notch to climb out. Easy snow ramps led to a short vertical pitch maybe 10-15 feet tall:

 

 

I led out with a couple good screw for pro and then belayed the team out on a pair of pickets above the slot. From there we went up some easy snow slopes to another huge crevasse, but this one had a cool crossing through some icefall towards the left, it looked like you could also go around the right side, right up against the rock band.

 

 

From here we cruised nearly straight up, and elected to finish by going to the right of the huge icefall, instead of left under it like the guidebook says. There were a few big slots up here but they had narrow spots with snow bridges. Later in the season these might not go, and you might have to go to the left. In hindsight the left might have been better, you're under the seracs but it seems relatively safe, and it avoids the big schrund and some deeper sugar snow in the basin towards the top of the glacier.

 

 

After that, we slogged across to the summit, arriving around noon (8 hours from camp). We took a long break and then headed down the north ridge. It's loose and crappy but not too difficult. Packed up camp and headed out, home in Portland around 10:30.

 

In the end, we climbed the two ice sections with pro (mostly screws, a few pickets), and simul-soloed nearly everything else.

 

This is a really fantastic climb, the glacier has amazing features and it's quiet and serene. Expect to find a few short ice steps to get through the complications, and some backtracking trying to find your way around slots. The ice sections aren't long, but they're enough to possibly send you packing if nobody on your team leads WI2-3 comfortably.

 

Gear Notes:

2 alpine tools per person. 1 alpine tool and 1 hybrid would work great. 5 screws and 3 pickets for a team of 3.

 

Approach Notes:

Killen Trailhead.

[offroadfanatic]

 

Nice!