TheJohnnyleeMD

Trip: Dragontail Peak - Triple Couloirs Trip Date: 05/09/2025 Trip Report: All epic photos by Alexei May 9, 2025 11 years and 5, yes five, attempts later … Dragontail Peak North Face via Triple Couloirs on the 6th attempt … done on 5-9-2025 with Alexei Smirnoff (Boulder, CO) The Framework If soloing Pinnacle Gully to Mount Washington this year was my Everest then this was my K2 (technically, physically and mentally challenging to a whole different level) - think stacking PG of Mt. Washington on top of the North Face central line of Gothics in ADK, including both approaches on a single push … from NY flew into Seattle by 10am (May 8), then to base of DTP by 12 midnight, brew stop for 3hrs (that’s eat/hydrate/boiling snow into 6L water) sleep haha/change socks lol … climb TC to summit by 6pm and then on the descent … dehydrated/delirious/dark … the cherry on top … got lost in the woods for a few hours trying to get back to the tent 😂 … finally catch a red eye flight back to NY (May 10) The Technical Climb DTP has 3 loooooooong steep snow couloirs (nevé and consolidated snow on this date) separates by 2 Ice Runnels. Base of Entrance Couloir at 8:30am Temp 38°F Simul-Solo and Simul climbed all the couloirs C1 C1 higher End of C1 - Alexei built anchor at bottom of R1 Runnels Runnel 1 has 3 pitches Runnel 2 has 1 pitch R1 P1 (45 m) - anchor was 2 small cams, climb protected by a 13 cm screw, a small nut, and another cam and Alexei brought me up to the right facing corner on fixed gear (someone’s bail point) to the rock/mixed variation exit to try to gain P2 R1 P1 looking up R1 P1 Right Corner Variation, Traditional R1 P1 to left R1 P1 Corner Variation - Alexei bringing me up R1 P2 (corner variation) - he attempted the sparse unbonded ice on steep slab with chossy, loose rock was a no go. Decision to bail vs. rap/downclimb (10ft) just below us and to our left to attempt the traditional steep traverse on thin ice over exposed slab (where I couldn’t get across in 2018) vs. goto the “Bypass Runnel Route” which would drop you into the 2nd couloir … we opted for the “Traverse” (it looked thicker than 2018 at least … not by much 😂) R1 P2 looking up Right Corner Variation - attempted but would not go R1 P2 (traverse, the crux, full 60 m) - rap/downclimbed 10 ft, anchor was a 120 cm runner slipped around with the aid of a nut tool through a gap between two gigantic bomber compressed boulders. I led out - placed a picket 10ft out to protect anchor … traversed monkey-hang left 15 m on “1/2 finger tip length” ice, placed a “mental protection” screw 😳 in a small blob, then up another 15 m of “1 finger-tip length” ice in the entry slab ramp to P3, where I finally got a 13cm screw in large blob and continued just up to the end of P2 where I placed a picket to bring Alexei up. R1 P2 downclimb/rap 25 ft to anchor to begin traditional R1 P2 Traverse R1 P2 Traverse : first 45m, looking back at Alexei, 1/2 fingertip thin barely bonded ice, hollow at times, no pro R1 P2 - one piece of mental pro, 10cm screw sticking out lol R1 P2 Traverse, looking up towards at R1 P3, another 45m to go video-11976_singular_display.mov R1 P2 Traverse video “ice screw not worth shit” video-11976_singular_display.mov R1 P2 Traverse Video “Ice gets better” R1 P2 Traverse - final 30m ice after traverse and heading up thicker ice to base of R1 P3 R1 P2 - looking down the Traverse and Up pitch, bringing Alexei up to snow picket anchor at end of P2 R1 P3 (the aesthetic runnel, full 60 m) - Alexei styled this WI3, which involved a heady choke point mid way up with 2 x 13 cm screws, a piton and a small cam and brought me up on a anchor on the very far right wall of 2nd couloir R1 P3 - Alexei leading in style up the beautiful WI3 line R2 (the deceivingly short and tight one M2-M3, 60 m) - Alexei took the immediate right after the end of 2nd couloir … small nut, small cam, brought me up on 2 cams at a rock outcropping at base of 3rd couloir R2 - Alexei leading the beautiful mixed pitch, looks deceptively short Entering C3 Iconic shot of Fin by Alexei from C3 looking down at me … slow lol Topping out of TC we then headed diagonally right for the summit proper through waist-deep slush postholing and then chose to climb the rock to summit (6pm) vs. taking the circuitous hiking path. Alexei topping out of TC Summit of DTP Descent followed the hiking path down summit to notch on right then down-climbed/plunge stepped the steep snow towards Asgards Pass where mostly we glissaded (really fast) down to Lake. Gear Notes: 2 pickets - used extremely frequently 4 ice screws (2 x 10, 2 x 13) - used all 3 pitons - used 1-2 1 set of small nuts - used 1 set of small cams to 0.2-2 - used frequently 8.5mm x 60m Beal Opera single Approach Notes: Gate closed, dry and dusty 4 miles to Stuart Lake TH, trail proper to lake -> boots only no flotation, no spikes, some patches of deep consolidated snow, wet muddy, lake is not frozen