Ade

Sooo happy to see a great TR degenerate into a tedious pissing match over grades. Kurt "wins" because he climbed it and the peanut gallery sat on our collective arses.

Nice!

Nice job. Index takes a while to build up. Better in Feb; longer days more ice. The gear is shitty I go for lots of thin pins and some larger cams.

Nice one! Makes me wish I could ski

Trip: Sperry Peak - Northeast Face Date: 2/21/2010 Trip Report: [img:center]http://i49.servimg.com/u/f49/11/99/02/44/p1040013.jpg[/img] (check out Josh's other pictures on http://www.hikrs.com) Marko and I could only get out Sunday so we opted to have another go at Sperry Peak. Both of us had tried it before. It's an impressive peak and commanding line when seen from the surrounding peaks. Our line climbs the rib on the left side of the main couloir, the feature highlighted by the sun/shade line in the photo above. Initially we'd planned to climb central couloir but cruddy snow conditions and an impressive cornice said otherwise. Low down the route was perfect neve but above about 5000' there was a lot of soft snow. We wallowed and trenched our way up the upper sections to reach the ridge from there we traversed to the summit. The picture makes the line look improbably steep for a snow route. We were both surprised how steep it was. We conditions glued snow to some of the steeper rock sections of the route. I'll post some pictures when I get back from my next trip. As far as I know this is a new line (FA). Gear Notes: Lots of slings for trees and some rock gear. Ice gear and pickets proved to be useless. Approach Notes: Drive to the end of the road, the mine trailhead, head directly across the valley and head up below the NE face.

Check the roads. The drive may take longer than you planned. http://www.drivebc.ca/map.jsp?district=Lower%20Mainland|Lower%20Mainland%20Sunshine%20Coast&eventX=1207576&eventY=565458&scale=5000000&showAll=true

it's never too early for the Serpentine

It was dropping chunks on people a few weekends back. Get their early and stay left.

There's definitely a tricky bit. I've gotten off route a few times. All I can really say is go slow and be on the lookuot for cairns, flagging and the odd cut branch. The trail is there. This was the first time I've managed to follow it 100% both in and out. Get it right and the going is pretty easy.

You're trading a couple of pounds for a light axe and aluminium crampons for an ascent of Longs Pass. Someone should do the math and figure out which is longer and how much more ascent it involves. The Mountaineers' Creek approach is pretty easy when you've got it sussed out.

BTW: There is a TR and pics from a one day ascent of the upper ridge some years ago here: http://www.ademiller.com/climbing/gallery/cascades/stuart_one_day_2002/index.htm And another one here of a two day trip many years ago: http://www.jimlawyer.com/Area%20-%20North%20Cascades.htm Older but strangely still faster Ade

I've done both a couple of times. The Cascadian is longer and potentially a lot of talus to grind down as more of the snow melts. It's depressing watching Longs Pass gradually get higher. The Sherpa is much shorter but reasonably steep near the top. Later in the day the snow is hard. We faced in until we crossed the schrund, from there you can walk down and the going is much quicker. For the upper North Ridge the Cascadian is more attractive but for the full ridge I'd use the Sherpa unless the schrund had gotten to be impassable. I suspect the Sherpa works out much shorter in terms of height gained/lost and miles walked. Ade

Trip: Mount Stuart - Full North Ridge Date: 6/28/2009 Trip Report: Robert and I decided to have another go at the Full North Ridge of Mount Stuart on Sunday. We'd failed a few years back due to bad weather but this time that didn't seem like it was going to happen. I'll post some pictures later but the short story is that the route is in fine condition as is the descent. We bivvied at the base of the Sherpa Gl. and simulclimbed large sections of the route making it very doable in a day. There's still snow at the notch for anyone planning a bivvi there. A couple of parties were also on the Ice Cliff Gl / Girth Pillar on Sunday. Some big chunks fell off the ICG first thing in the morning. Probably worth avoiding, or if you do then try and minimize time spent underneith the right side. Gear Notes: Rack to 4". Or climb with Robert who's too lazy to carry a #4 Costalot and so gets to lead the offwidth without. Take earplugs to drown out the sound of any whining from above. Ice axe and crampons definitely recommended for the Sherpa Gl. descent. Approach Notes: Turn off the main trail and the vague path before the switchbacks. Stay low and avoid the talus field until you hit the river. Follow the obvious trail along the river until the path turns up hill and follows the abother stream on the left. Avoid the final swamp by sticking to the talus on the right.

Nope. Descended the Sherpa yesterday. You can kick steps all the way up/down it.

Nice job no wonder you looked tired at the trailhead!

It's in good shape. Snow free for the whole ridge although the gendarme bypass variation has a lot of (probably soft) snow in it and looked unattractive but then it always does. There's still snow in the approach gully from the Stuart Gl for the upper ridge and you can get water there if you plan on making a bivvi. We descended the Sherpa Gl. which has a shrund at the base but is easily crossed. Take an axe and crampons (lightweight on running shoes) for the descent. Take bug spray! Cheers, Ade

Awesome!!!

Probably about the same as when we did the Serpentine but less than the freak conditions for the Backbone. I'd been half way up the Backbone in more typical conditions and the actual route stays pretty dry. On that attempt we were shut down by high wind/weather not snowed up rock. http://www.ademiller.com/climbing/gallery/cascades/dragontail_serpentine_ridge_2004/slides/1_North_Face_from_Colchuck_Lake_2.htm

Sounds awesome! Thanks for the beta.

We climbed the red line taking the green variation. I think the ice climbed by the first couple of parties was long gone by the time we got there. From where the green line joins the red it's a single rope stretching pitch of 60m to the top. There really isn't any other obvious way out other than to climb the corner. Although this was months ago and to be honest I don't hold the route in as high regard as it seems everyone else does. I had a fun time but of all the lines I've climbed this winter I'd put it somewhere near the bottom; lots of step kicking for 1-2 technical pitches, iffy gear and doesn't end in a summit.

Well now this is some sort of competition anyone want to partner up on Saturday? I figure one of us can try for the full 900' or so from the final pitch and break pretty much everything. That'll rack up the "style" points for sure. On a more serious note. Whomever fell was really lucky. I've had friends and aquaintances who've fallen not much 25' and smashed themselves up big time.

I pretty much gave up on bivy bags since the latest generation of single wall tents came out. For two people they're not much heavier than each carrying a bivy bag, especially if you get one with poles. I have a super light bivy I sometimes take on summer rock routes. The only other time I use one is if I think the route is going to not have anything lerge enough to pitch a tent.

After the 2nd does anyone keep count?

The North Face route is a great winter climb but it doesn't make Ade's list because it is too easy. For some guys around here it is a ski route. No easy is fine. Da Tooth and Chair are in for that very reason. Accessibility is more important than difficulty in some respects.

Someone's working on a new guide?