leejams Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 Hooked up with alpine tom and joshk to do whitehorse Mt. yesterday (again) by the snow gulch rte. We determined at around 3,800 ft mark the avvie danger risk-reward factor was to great. At this point we noticed Tom was in the lead breaking trail and waist deep, standing on top of previous avvie debris, and now starting to snow a bit harder. Grudgingly we turned back. So this route as I think Nelson puts it "Timing is critical" are words of wisdom as this is my 2nd attempt, I think tom's 4th and now josh has joined our club of a personal grudge on this Mt. So my question is, does anyone else have a Mt., route, or climb that it actually becomes a personal thing just to get it done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erik Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 nice work! i used to think about holding grudges towards mtn/routes but at some point i wondered if this grudge would later force me into using less sound judgement in future attenpts. you'll climb it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordop Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 (edited) . Edited June 15, 2021 by jordop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minx Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 guye peak hates me this year. While not all attempts have been failures most have included at least one incident that brings at least one team member's judgement into question. There have been others but this year it's guye. Couple years back it was Prussik. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klenke Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 I hate failing on a climb. But when I do, I've always tried to go back up sooner than later to claim it. Mt. Index was my nemesis (6 failed attempts), but I succeeded finally last May. I have failed at Whitehorse once, though an earlier time we went to the Whitehorse trailhead but it was raining so hard we bagged it before getting out of the car. My personal rule is it's not a failure if you never leave the parking lot. The only peak I still haven't completed that I have failed at twice or more is Kyes Peak (two failures). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Caveman Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 I have had several mtns\routes that thwarted me. Just when you finally do it then another one will appear doing the same thing. Persistance pays off. It also helps you learn too. If one singular mountain is bogging you down and you are losing motivation switch to another or focus on rock or some other aspect before it brings your 'tude down. Maybe the next one will be it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucK Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 Whitehorse is a major skeleton of mine. Five attempts! Three strikes on the Lone Tree Pass route (once got to the summit block but didn't have a rope and it was looking too exposed to just cross the bottomless moat to say nothing of the crumbly looking rock). Another two attempts toward the South Ridge. Made it up into Buckeye Basin once. Don't know if it's really haunting me though as I haven't gone back there the last two years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesse_mason Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 N Face of Mt Samson, an ice route in BC. Tried twice cant even get on the glacier,hahaha. Ill be back this september for my third and final try if i dont make it iam ripping that page out of my guide book!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordop Posted April 6, 2003 Share Posted April 6, 2003 jesse_mason said: N Face of Mt Samson, an ice route in BC. Tried twice cant even get on the glacier,hahaha. Ill be back this september for my third and final try if i dont make it iam ripping that page out of my guide book!! What's the problem with getting on the glacier? I would have thought it would be the "Priceish" seracs and slots higher up that would annoy one off the route. Does the thing get that steep, or is it just the roulette factor that's the draw? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesse_mason Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 Yes the polished rock leading to the glacier is steep long and hard, and difficult to routefind, Oh ya and no pro. Dons reply to my qeury on the dificulty of the rock: " i seem to recall taking LEFT forks in the gully, and there were certainly short sections (up to 10m) of at least mid-5th, rather exposed - just boulder it out." hahaha, I can solo, but 150 m above the deck with seracs collapsing, on polished mid 5th, in my plastics, takes abit of juice. Proly throw a pair of rock shoes in the bag this time. Heres Gord Betenias testimonial to the copius serac fall, although you are safe if you are " on route" just dont get off!! "My biggest memory of our trip was a serac fall that covered everything within 50 feet of the lake with about 5 feet of debris. Just huge! " Ill be back , least I got the approach down pat!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyclimb Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 N. Sister. This Mt. holds a grudge towards me. Every attempt has resulted in a near death experience. I.e. rockfall. A personal battle is still raging, and everytime i look her way, she flips me the bird and give a big "fuck you." However i am just bidding my time till the conditions are perfect, in this regard i have the upper hand, i have the choice of our meeting time and date. This is something she can't decide. So in this way the dance continues, and will till one of us wins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_Simpkins Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 Yeah, Whitehorse orse did that to me 3 times before I made it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambone Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 El Cap- The last two summers I've gotten on her and been shut-down, on the NA and Tangerine... Not much to say about the reasons why, mostly just not strong enough as a team. If I had been alone I probably would have been too stubborn to turn back and had a fine sufferfest to the top. This spring will be different! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshK Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 Stupid Whitehorse...damn it. But it's right by the road and a town, it's an easy mountain, just like mount si, right? hehehe.. Hey, it was fun to get out with you guys in the weather yesterday anyway. Unfortunately like everybody else, I hate to fail and not give it another shot, so I guess that means I'm commited to at least one more bushwhack on that thing. Lee, as you were saying, I really think May after the typical big spring avy cycle will be the time on that mountain. Most of the gulch should still be covered in snow, but the risk will be lower and the snow consolidated. As a reward, the bushwhack should also be dry. All the snow on the slide alder made things "interesting" huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leejams Posted April 7, 2003 Author Share Posted April 7, 2003 Wow, what a bunch of interesting posts. I read more than one climber has the whitehorse curse! But like Joshk said still had alotta fun. I think Ray stated earlier in the thread to learn something even on failed attempts. I agree, and this trip I learned the flying cliff glissade The face plant slide alder trick, and better to come back to try again instead of taking a chance and then having no chance again by getting buried and make the 6:00 news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 Johanesbuger took me 4 tries! same with Baker and Illumination in winter. The big one is still the Great Center Drip. I have tried it 12 times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 it took me 3 attempts over 2 years to climb Prussik Pk. i think that is the only summit it has ever taken me 3 shots to get at. although, so far i am 0/2 on Canadian Border. if you can call turning around on the logging road at 9 in the morning, an "attempt" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshK Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 leejams said: I agree, and this trip I learned the flying cliff glissade The face plant slide alder trick, and better to come back to try again instead of taking a chance and then having no chance again by getting buried and make the 6:00 news. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that! The flying cliff glisade had to be one of the cooler techiniques I've employed in the mountains before. Very fun indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnHigh Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 Nisqually Ice Fall vs. MtnHigh and company Score: 2 - 0 It has avi'ed me off and sucked a partner into a crevasse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Off_White Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 I think I got shut down on Stuart four times before I suceeded: A reluctant girlfriend on Sherpa Couloir, scary warm on the Ice Cliff Glacier, volleys of briefcases just below the throat on Stuart Glacier Couloir, and steady rain starting on the second pitch of the complete N Ridge (bailed out at the notch) all combined to stymie me before I finally made it up. It didn't feel personal though, mother nature doesn't help or hinder, just doesn't give a shit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goatboy Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 I succeeded on climbing Forbidden my first attempt at ever climbing any peak -- any have failed on four attempts since then, getting a little FURTHER from the summit on each successive attempt due to weather (X 3) and no permit available for Boston Basin once. I have also made three attempts on S Face Prussik, failing each time due to rain or lightning -- once I was on pitch 5 when lightning came!! Bleak!!!! I suck in the mountains, I guess -- or just get pretty unlucky on certain ones, that's for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catbirdseat Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 klenke said: The only peak I still haven't completed that I have failed at twice or more is Kyes Peak (two failures). I failed once on Kyes via the upper Pride Glacier. We basically ran out of time on it. I came back the next year and nailed it in perfect conditions, this time as a carryover. It was one of the most rewarding climbs I have done. I would do it again with a strong party. I have never failed twice on the same peak. The only other climb that I've failed on out of 30 climbs was the NE Buttress of Chair this year. Ran out of time on poor quality ice. [This is not counting Threefingers South Peak as a climb, but rather as a scramble. It took three tries there. First two were turn arounds because of poorly equipped partners] BTW, leejams, great topic! Best in a long while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshK Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 cbs, what route did you do kyes by that second time? You mentioned a carryover, so I was curious if you went up the columbia glacier, down it, or none of the above. I was thinking of climbing it from the blanca lake/columbia glacier side some time in a long day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erik Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 josh very doable once you get to that crappy little lake before you drop down to blanca go past the lake and right before you drop down towards blanca there is a trail on the right side.....easy way to the top.. like an 2 hours or so.... we dropped to the lake and then went up to columbia, traveresed to monte cristo and then to keyes returning down this path i speak of... some seriosly crappy rock in that rage!!! though beautiful!! we bivied at the col/micro pass between columbia and m/c. good times! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catbirdseat Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 Beckey has a description of the route we used for the Upper Pride, but it is sketchy and in some cases wrong. We went in via Quartz Creek, camped on the ridge. Climbed the glacier and summitted at 2 pm. Descended west face to Columbia Glacier and camped at North end of Blanca Lake at 6 pm. Hiked the rest of the way out in the morning. A strong party could skip the second night out. The route sees a successful attempt about once every three years or so, judging from the summit register. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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