pup_on_the_mountain

Climbed NBC yesterday (Apr 17). Loads of fresh snow all the way up and down. There was another guy soloing it (apart from me) and a third team of two. We were sinking knee-deep almost all the way up. I was taking turns with this other team of two in breaking trail. We started from the lake at about 6:15 am. The other solo guy started from the trailhead Sunday morning and overtook us a little before the entry to the couloir. He broke trail and also beat us to the summit by about an hour!! Thanks dude. I used two tools (was helpful at two or three places to climb up mixed stuff). The team of two carried rope and pro, but did not use them. It took almost five hours of slogging to get to the summit. Had a nice glissade most of the way down the Colchuck glacier. It got cloudy and snowy a bit when we were near the summit, but the weather did not turn worse. Overall it was a good climb, but required more strength than technique. Some clear and cold days would help to settle all that fresh snow!! PS: I could drive my Honda Civic about 0.5 miles from the trailhead without any problems. I was a little ambitious and quite stupid though and pushed it a little bit to get stuck in the snow . Luckily, this team of two came in a truck and pulled my car out. I met a lady who drove a Subaru all the way to the trailhead.

I'll be interested. Check your PMs. Bala