[TR] Prusik Peak - Stanley-Burgner + Solid gold 05/29/2019

[Michael Telstad]

Trip: Prusik Peak - Stanley-Burgner + Solid gold

Trip Date: 05/29/2019

Trip Report:

AKA the "It could be worse" road trip

When weather in The Valley, Red Rock, Moab, Tahoe, City of Rocks ect. looks heinous for the week you have off, what do you do? You stay close to home and go for some earlyish season ascents of some of the cascades best alpine rock routes!

The original plan: Spend a few days in Trout creek waiting for weather to improve. Get a permit for the core, plan for 2 days up there climbing Solid gold and Stanley-Burgner one day, Valkyrie and Acid Baby the other. People said we need snow shoes, but we'll probably be fine.

What we actually did: Hike up to Colchuck, hang out under your fly waiting for the thunder storm to pass. Talk to some guys who tried Valkyrie, turns out the route is wet. Rad. one route off the list.

Post hole the shit out of Aasgard pass and keep post holing your way through the core in some of the worst spring snow conditions I have personally experienced.

Wake up late the next morning to find splitter weather and already slushy snow. Post hole your way over to Prusik.

Start up the first pitch of Solid Gold only to find the crux soaking wet, and water dripping down onto the belay. Lower off the spooky chock stone and move over to Stanley-Burgner.

Post hole your way up to the base of the route in rock shoes. It seems like some fluffy clouds are starting to form. What did I read yesterday about the warning signs of t-storms?

P1/2: Mostly dry except for the crux. Awesome.

P3: Mostly dry except for the crux. Cool.

P4: Mostly wet except when I try to climb around the wetness and get off route. The added lubricant probably made the squeeze a little easier.

P5: Mostly dry except for a few wet jams. At the crux.

P6: Pretty damn wet and now there is a full fledged thunder storm baring down on us. Layback around some sketchy new looking loose blocks as it starts to rain. Good thing the route is already wet. 

Pull up onto the normally awesome summit block only to have my ice axe and entire rack start to buzz. Flip my shit and throw my pack across the summit. Hop over the other side of the summit and start belaying my partner up in a full on vertical sprint and the longest six minutes of my life.

There is now a BD .4 on that pitch if someone wants some easy booty.

Get the hell off of the summit.

Get our rope stuck. Clean it and continue to rap.

Post hole our way through very wet waist deep slush over to the base of the west ridge. 

Run down to lower ground and laugh about how its already sunny again. 

Try to dry out our gear in camp and decide that this weather cycle is not worth climbing tomorrow.

Hike out and get a burrito at South.

Drive home and start repacking for WA-Pass. I still have three days off of work.

 

Now for the photo dump.

 

No more pictures till we were back to the base and the storm had passed.

Gear Notes:
Double rack .2-2 single 3 and 4. Hand full of nuts

Approach Notes:
Post hole your way up Aasgard pass and down through the upper core. Snow shoes probably aren't worth it.

[Off_White]

Tape there on Asgard to keep you from going into the waterfall of doom? Not a bad idea given that things track record.

 

[JasonG]

49 minutes ago, Off_White said:

Tape there on Asgard to keep you from going into the waterfall of doom?

Same thing has been done periodically on Heliotrope after the fatalities the past few years.  Unsightly, but better than the alternative.

[Michael Telstad]

On 6/7/2019 at 9:43 AM, Off_White said:

Tape there on Asgard to keep you from going into the waterfall of doom? Not a bad idea given that things track record.

 

Yup. I'm hoping they take it down once the snow melts as it does have potential to create a decent amount of trash. Especially if they continue to do it every season.

[Hans Travis]

This was one of the funnier TRs I've read recently.  Your suffering is my entertainment, many thanks!