Smoker Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 Somehow we survived this line last Sunday. The bridges on the lower Depot glacier are vanishing but were all passable except for 1 of the 3 that block access to the apron. It required about 20ft of verticle slush tooling above a 40ft slot to overcome. After exiting the glacier to the left to bypass the final 2 wall to wall slots on rock, we opted to stay on the rock as the snow was bottomless sugar. We climbed along the left side of the apron simul, keeping mostly on the rock all the way to the notch, having to rap back down to reach the snow saddle and hopefully solid snow up high. It was not to be found. The NE face keeps sun all day this time of year and the notch pitches were the worst/scariest death leads I've been forced into. Retreat is not an option from here. We managed 3 belayed pitches across the notch then downclimbed across yet another slot that was out of place/unexpected before hitting 4th class rock. Followed this up alongside and above the snow ramp that leads to the ridge exit. From here we lead up a scoop to the right then back left to top out with about 30 mins of daylight left. Fortunately the final 2 pitches of low to mid 5th are on solid rock that protects well. Not much else was solid the entire day. We made a forced bivy at the ridge top and waited 6 "short hours" for daylight and descended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 right on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klenke Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 Great! A few of us were thinking of doing this route next weekend but it sounds as if it might be getting out of shape. Is this your consensus? The schrunds down low and the lack of snow at the notch make it seem less aesthetic if I'm reading your TR correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoker Posted July 28, 2003 Author Share Posted July 28, 2003 Yeah, I would say late August or early Sept would allow the sun to dip lower and probably/likly allow the snow/ice slopes on the apron to get hard. The bridges low will probably still be good but not much longer, it was very warm up there. If you dont mind making it a run out rock climb then I'd say go for it. pm me if you want and I'll give up deets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 getting across the lower glacier to get to the route can be hard if not impossible (it has turned back hardmen like the late John Millar) in Sept. Smoker do ya think starting say 10PM and climbing thru the night would have been more solid? its worked for me on summer snow routes. big prob is finding route thru crevasses by headlamp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoker Posted July 28, 2003 Author Share Posted July 28, 2003 Thats a real good question, that I have been turning over in my head. It would help, of that I am certain but my gut keeps saying that it wouldn't have made a difference in belayed pitches. My partner and I discussed this at some length, after the fact. We ended up deciding that it simply didn't get cold enough at night. BUT the S side descent in the early am required front pointing to descend so what the fuck do I know? We started up the glacier at 6:00am and it was as mushy at that hour as it was when we topped out..... We hit the south side snow at 7:00 am the next day and it was perfect styrafoam...go figure? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa_Eagle Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 Yeah, I had to bivy on that route a few weeks ago. We were a team of 6, and simuled the whole way up the apron with a decent amount of pro so it took quite a while. We made it to the snow arete in early evening, and wound up bivying on the rock outcropping about a pitch and a half below the notch. Next day didn't start off great (lost an hour to a stuck rope in a moat after rapping down to the snow), but we got up and made it down the south side, then around a buttress and up to the Mad Eagle Col to descend the West Depot Glacier. 42 hours after leaving camp, we stumbled back into it. Where did you camp, and did you go for the West Depot Glacier or Redoubt Glacier descent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 you guys dont make me feel so bad about 21 hrs round trip from camp now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoker Posted July 28, 2003 Author Share Posted July 28, 2003 we camped below the route on east side of the W Depot glacier moraine. Descended the Redoubt glacier. We belayed off your red 1" rapsling when I led the final pitches up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa_Eagle Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 Sounds like the exact same spot we camped. Right above an old terminal moraine, looking up at the snout of the Depot glacier. Dru, when you did it in 21 hours RT, how many people was that with, how many pitches did you do the face in, what time of year, and what descent route did you take? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 Did it the first week of July, in a party of 3. Simul climbed to top of ice apron in about 5 hrs from camp diverted from the final couloir up rock on the right side for 8 pitches up to 5.7 (very slow climbing w/plastic boots, minimal rack, seconds one at a time due to no Reverso type devices in use yet). got to summit near 8 PM, went part way down w ridge then down a gully on the s face, then back around the east side and got back to camp on the morraine at 1 AM, had left at 5Am = 21 hrs. i figured a party that did not make all our mistakes could do it in like 14 hrs rt.... but i know a lot of people seem to take the 2 days on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skykilo Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 Man, I can't wait to check out the Chilliwacks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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