fear_and_greed
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Posts posted by fear_and_greed
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Duh, sorry about posting the photos last to first in the gallery.
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Climb: Wedge Mt.-NE arete
Date of Climb: 9/19/2004
Trip Report:
After 5 days of rain, Sat. morning, the weather took a dramatic turn for the better giving us sunny conditions, but the snow build up over the previous couple of days prevented us from summiting.
3.5 hr approach to the hut which is full, Jason sleeps on the floor, I sleep outside. The morning breaks clear and cold and we're on the way. We find the previously uncrevassed glacier is extremely broken up. I can't believe the amount of crevasses. If next year has the same degree of degradation, this glacier will not be passable. We spend several hours navigating through. The 12 - 18" of fresh snow adds some confusion to the route finding, what is stable and what is not. Lots of probing and heightened senses.
We are behind schedule after the crevasses so we decide to take the more direct route to the arete going behind the seracs in the upper bowl. This means making trail up a 55 to 60 degree snow field for about 1500 ft. We plow through, with the snow getting deeper all the time. At this point we have yet to reach the arete and time is running out. The snow is knee deep and there are several bergschrunds up ahead to surmount. We decide there is no way we're going to summit and get back through the icefall before dark so we stop for some lunch and head back down.
The weather is near perfect all the way back to the hut and then it's 2.5 hrs back to the truck.
Talked to 2 other parties who left earlier and they too were forced back due to the snowfall. But it was still a great trip although my thighs are still sore from the walk down from hut to truck. See gallery for fotos.
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Climb: Mt.Vayu-N.W. Ridge
Date of Climb: 9/5/2004
Trip Report:
Left Vancouver 8am with Nick and Jeremy in the trusty Subaru, arrived at trailhead about 1 pm after some food and potty breaks. Tried to follow Alpine Select approach but ended up on a 4 1/2 hour bushwhack. Set camp just above the meadow on the moraine in perfect weather and no bugs.
No one heard the alarms so we were an hour late leaving at around 7 am. An easy walk up the Pancake Glacier brought us to the start of the route. A fresh little dump of snow buried all the loose rocks so progress was a bit slow. We decided to keep to the right side of the ridge where it looked more interesting and found some really good pitches, avoided the gendrame and Nick had a 25 ft. fall about 2/3 the way up.
Upon placing the pro, he started forward and the whole TV sized rock came down. It was in a very narrow snow filled 65 degree chute. All I heard was a rapidfire "FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK! I was second and since he had gone up then down and around an outcrop and placed the pro higher up, I had just removed the pro where I was. I heard him falling and desperately tried to hook the rope over a puny bump, wedge it with my axe and waited for the jolt. Jeremy was yelling "put it back in , put it back in". Luckily NIck self arrested before that. The only damage apart from some bruising was a broken toe. Well that certainly woke us up. After a little regroup we were on our way without much further difficulty. A nice level 5 ft. summit spot for a lunch break and then down the east ridge to the col between Vayu and Peak 8800. Here the difficulties started. A huge bergschrund quicky followed by a gaping maw of a crevasse on a very steep slope didn't make it look to tempting. Nick rappelled down and took a look up, down, right and left but since we had no pickets, or pulleys and he didn't bring crampons, we decided to escape down the south side of Vayu. It meant a 4 hr. bushwhack traverse around Peak 8800 back to camp at the foot of the glacier, but better that than a friggin sketchy descent into the maw.
Broke camp at 9 am, stuck close to the north side creek right down to the river then paralleled it back to the car with almost no bushwhacking. Much better approach route! Stopped in Pemberton at the Pony Espresso for good grub and back to Van. by 3. All in all a great trip. Will try to post some fotos later.
Approach Notes:
Follow Jamie creek to the Pancake glacier creek. Keep on the North side within earshot all the time and you'll avoid hours of bushwhacking.
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Spotted written in dust on the side of a septic tank truck
"Your shit is our bread and butter"
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It takes all kinds.
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Did the NW couloir on Mt. Fissle 3 weeks. It was scree for the first 1/4 then decent snow after that. Had to go around to the west side for a little rock finish to the top. Used the west ridge for decent. Jumped off early to practice self arrest on the steep but safe runout snow slopes. 3 hrs. up 1 1/2 down. 14 km approach sucks tho. Would be nice to ski in during the winter and hit Mt. Fitzsimmons as well since ur there.
Wedge Mt. is good anytime and awesome in the winter.
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I'll take the Bibler bivy, sent you a email.
[TR] Wedge Mt.- NE arete 9/19/2004
in British Columbia/Canada
Posted
Snow started below the hut which is about 1900 m, so about 1700 m I think.