wetslide Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Trip: Dragontail - Triple Couloirs Date: 2/12/2011 Trip Report: Peter, Will, Todd, Chris and myself decided to do Triple Couloirs on Dragontail. This conditions were purportedly solid so we went for it. I was an idiot and decided to bring skis- needless to say they were carried for the majority of the hike in. We decided to do it in two days, but Peter had to work so he was going to meet us up at the lake in the morning. We got up to the lake and crossed to make camp at the far end. We set up camp and made some grub and admired the amazing peaks that surrounded us in all directions. I got my gear all ready for the next day and settled into a cozy bivy in my 1.5 man tent. I woke up around 3:30 am completely awake. I decided to melt water and hydrate and eat. This proved to be invaluable for later in the trip. The rest of the guys got up about 45 minutes later. 15 minutes after that I spotted Peter's headlamp bobbing in the distance. He looked fresh when he got to camp, betraying the 10 miles he had logged in utter darkness. We quickly geared up and began our trip into the pre-dawn. I decided to start out slow because I knew how long this route was. There were a couple of inches of snow on top of a firm layer, so the going was quick. We started up the first couloir feeling great and made good time up it. We got to the base of the runnels and decided that Peter and I would climb together and Todd, Chris and Will would be the other rope team climbing on my ropes. I had no problem with this because Peter is an animal in the mountains. I took the first pitch, getting one pin in. Peter took the second, climbing a little AI 3 step. I took the crux pitch- which was solid AI 3 and topped out in some unconsolidated soft steep snow. Thankfully we had the belay cave to hide in. From here the second couloir was easier than the runnels by far. Peter took the pitch exiting the second couloir. It was basically just a steep snow step at the time. By this time the wind was blowing like crazy, blowing snow and ice in our faces. It definitely was winter conditions. By the time we got into the third coulior we were all feeling the pain. But we kept on pushing, despite very high winds. We finally topped out in the afternoon and made the traverse to the summit. After a gu we made out way down in white out conditions (due to fog and snow). By the time we got to Asgard the visibility was better. At the lake it was raining. On the lake itself was 1 -2 inches of standing water- a bit unnerving. The last few miles out were a blur- except for the last four miles which I got to ski out. Gear Notes: pickets, a couple ice screws, pins, nuts, cams .5-2, slings. Approach Notes: long Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRep Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Right on! That second to last picture is pretty sweet! You have a similar style in photography to that of Colin Bartholomew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wetslide Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 Why thank you I hear he is a gentleman and a scholar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRep Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 The jury is still out on that one. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wetslide Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 Yes it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wetslide Posted May 13, 2011 Author Share Posted May 13, 2011 (edited) I have more pictures of this climb at my website Edited May 13, 2011 by wetslide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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