JasonG

I agree with Kyle. I've gone up the S. ridge twice and down the SE face once and the South Ridge is certainly the way to go. The thing is on the south ridge is to not go too high too fast and traverse climber's left into a shallow depression after coming up out of the notch from the Taboo. If you do this, I've found the climbing pretty mellow.

You're probably going to get the full spectrum of responses here. They are a bit old-fashioned, but I took several courses with them (late 1990's, early 2000's) when I was starting out and thought them a great value. I met some motivated and skilled climbers whom I learned a lot from by doing climbs outside the club. I even met my wife in a Mountaineers course! Maybe that is why I have fond memories, now that I think about it.....

Damn. I've got no excuses. Impressive!

Trip: The Brothers - Traverse South to North- FSA Date: 6/1/2014 Trip Report: Trent's triumphant return to alpine climbing, post stomach removal, has been an amazing thing to watch. Aside from having his pockets stuffed with food, and a few more snack breaks, you wouldn't know that he is nonchalantly notching FSAs across the land. At least, I can only assume. Is anyone else out there climbing without a stomach? I know I am only able to haul myself above treeline by ingesting large meals at frequent intervals. If I had to limit myself, I think I would be much closer to the fridge. But I digress. This is a TR about the Brothers Traverse, a route that has very little in the way of info in the cc.com database aside from an ancient TR from RobertM from some years ago. It's a shame, because Kit, Trent and myself all agreed that this trip could be considered an (relatively) unknown classic. While it is described in the Olympics climbs guide, and the Mounties have long led it, it doesn't make the all important select guides out there. You can see the effects of this in the summit register. Placed in 1974, the register (a cool old brass one) records many ascents annually through the 80's and early 90's. Lots of familiar names in there- Skoogs, Brill, Kloke, Pullen, Venema, etc.- and then about 1996 onwards there are big gaps. Lately, the North Peak sometimes goes years between recorded ascents, and usually only gets climbed once a year. It might be because these type of mountaineering trips aren't really en vogue anymore. It isn't very technically demanding (steep snow and 4th class rock), nor is it on an imposing peak. But the ambiance of the ridgeline, the solitude, and the mystery about passing the gendarmes makes for a memorable outing. I won't spoil it for you, but I will offer a bit of advice. I think it is easiest, from a routefinding perspective, to go from South to North. Getting out of the Great Basin is a lot easier than getting into it, and it is better to get moving along the snowy ridgeline (climb is best in the spring) in the early AM. Even topping out on the South Summit a little after 0600, the snow was getting very soft by the time we got over to the North Brother. I think it took us about 3 hours to traverse the ridge, but a lot will depend on conditions. It's a lot of fun, the whole way from the South to the North Peak. Just don't expect to get the FSA. The Brothers (on the left) from the Kingston Ferry Beware the Goats! The NPS should've culled these bastards years ago. Just ask Kit. Brothers shadow at sunrise (Trent Photo) The Traverse to the North Brother! (Trent photo) Kit and one of the steep snow downclimbs from the South Brother Alpine climbing at its best You can't see the big drops off either side of the ridge that are present along the traverse. Between Kit and Trent is a hole that drops through the ridge with hundreds of feet of air beneath. The North Summit is the right hand rock. Climbers on the South Brother View NE from the summit of the North Brother Downclimbing the North Brother Devo downclimbs (Trent photo) A few of the Silent Men Erraticism Gear Notes: Crampons, Ice axe, light rack (tri cams, chocks), 1-2 pickets. Gun for the goats, rocks are ineffective. Approach Notes: Follow the masses to the South Brother. Bivy ~5500'. Climb to the top of South Brother, stay on the ridge to the North Peak, dodging gendarmes on the path of least resistance. Sniff your way back across the great basin to camp.

Your quote pretty much sums up cc.com, and that's the way we like it Harassment aside, I do hope you have a good trip on Hood- come back and post a TR!

Good to know, I will have to check that out. Thanks!

Ocun CS is top notch. Here is the sizing chart for those who desire smooth skin and limp wrists:

Wow, that's a lot of ground to cover in two days. Strong work! That ice pitch looks pretty steep, was it like that for 30m?

I was hoping this thread would devolve into a Super Taco battle cage match.

I just emailed Ocun to see if they have a size chart for these. I've heard they are pretty good as well and am looking to buy a pair. Thanks for the link!

Interesting. No, I haven't tried that, but the east side of the summit is pretty steep if I remember right. But maybe you are supposed to wrap all the way around to the south side? Also, if it was a straightforward alternative, I wouldn't think Whitehorse would have the reputation for being out of shape early in the season.

I can see at least one key section in your photo that would make the TFT spicier than normal- the descent off Torment to the rap.

You can't always just step across. I've had to rap into the moat, then climb out. Most folks don't want to deal with 5th class rock on Whitehorse, thus the convention that it is out of shape later in the season. When exactly that is, varies year to year.

Interesting on the Heli flight of ashes up Whitehorse. I wouldn't advertize that on the web unless you have the proper permits. It is in a wilderness area and the courts don't look highly on unauthorized flights (Green Mtn LO, eh?). I haven't done the route to high pass without snow, so I'm not sure how bad the schwack is later in the season. My guess is that the summit should still be accessible, but there may be some moat shenanigans that will get worse as the season progresses. I have climbed it thru June most years without problems, but this seems like a below average year.

D'oh! Didn't see the date on your post tom and thought it was from this year. I do remember your tr from a couple years ago so, although I'm almost over the hill, I'm not there yet.

Wow! Did you ski the north side Tom? TR??

It was ~13 hrs CTC for us. Two single raps to the east links the upper snowfield of Argonaut to easy slopes that lead to Colchuck Peak/col.

If you're going for the NE gully, the better way is to C2C it, approaching from Mountaineer Creek, and descending via Colchuck Col (optional summit of Colchuck as well). I've done that this time of year (TR in the db) and can highly recommend the outing as a fun/interesting trip.

It's going to be really snowy. I'm sure it could be done, but most would find it in sub-optimal shape. July is typically the ticket.

Impressive climbs, fantastic images, and great writing. You make it all sound so reasonable.

Those are a solid steel choice. My preferred summertime crampon in the North Cascades is Al, the Stubai ultralight universal (though I don't think they make it anymore?). Several companies make good full strap aluminum crampons.

Cool. That final bit to the summit was really memorable for me as I remember spotting my friend in his tele boots while he skittered around on the snowy slab. That is a good consolation prize.

Is that Graybeard? From further east than the Easy Pass TH? Doesn't look big enough, but tough to tell scale....

It must be fun when you guys run into each other at Beacon. Brotherhood of the rope, indeed.

Mark- NOT Green Gables...re-read Tyson's post.