Trip Report: Argonaut attempt

[mvs]

Trip Report: Argonaut, NW Buttress attempt

 

<Hi to Doug and his friend to California, we met them after they climbed the NBC. Hi to Jayjay who was going to climb TripleC on Monday. I should have some pictures to post tomorrow>

 

Theron and I hiked to the Argonaut-Colchuck col via the Colchuck Glacier on Saturday to climb the NW Buttress of Argonaut. This climb should be about 500 feet of 4th and 5th class climbing to 5.6. We set up camp in light snow flurries. We had rock pro, a picket, mountaineering axes and crampons. We slept well in my brand new Betamid, but really had to work to stake it down (I had no snow stakes). Such a cool tent!

 

The next morning, snow was plastered on near-vertical rock. I was really keen to try the route anyway, harboring a strange desire to climb snowed-up rock. We descended a steep ridge and a very icy couloir for 800 feet to get to Argonaut's north bowl, then climbed 1000 feet up the "snow finger" described in guidebooks. We started on the rock around 9:30 am in good visibility. Right off the bat there was tough climbing with a 30 foot wall on the right of the ridge with good blocky handholds. A common problem became topping out on a steep section, because thin rotten snow made it hard to find something to grab. I was able to get my axe behind a chockstone and aid up. I was shocked to see Theron arrive at my belay with blood streaming down his face. He was tugging on a hex and it ended violently. Only 40 meters up and we were sobered by these conditions. Now it started to snow again.

 

But I really wanted to climb the route, and it looked like after a pitch of snowy ramps, we'd be able to climb rock and take off the crampons. Ignoring the new snow, I started up and ran into a rock "step" that would be a 30 second operation if dry. I was camming my axe into cracks, scrabbling for holds under the snow, sweating hard, and finally got up. I belayed at a scrub bush. Theron came up, blinked at the belay, and I took off again to climb a snowy ramp on the crest to slabs. The next 15 feet looked like the crux of the route. I looked for a way around the slab, but it was the only possible route given a serious lack of friction. Finally I was able to place a nut, attach a sling and stand up in it.

 

With my other foot, crampon points were cammed into a flaring crack.

 

I left the security of the sling with my bare hands on crimper holds excavated from the snow. Tottering somewhat, I worked for an axe placement at the top of the slab for the next minute, heart in my throat.

 

Finally I passed the slab, the casual one-handed summertime slab, and reached a stance to place some gear. The exposure was intense. I got some good gear and continued up into a chimney, life somewhat complicated by a time-bomb block shifting under the snow. I had hoped to set a belay in here below a big wedged block that looked climbable (although overhanging ). Now, scrunched beneath the block, with only one decent nut placement and a scary loose boulder below, I was mentally ready to call it quits. The climbing had been so hard it was unjustifiable for the time we had. I rappelled from the nut and we made three more rappels to the base. Once I saw how low we still were on the route, I abandoned any second guessing about our (good) decision to leave.

 

We climbed down into the bowl as the snow increased. On the climb back up to the col, we revelled in the scenic beauty of the area. Sun, clouds and peaks put on an amazing, ever-changing show, with blasts of wind and spindrift coming down the north face of Argonaut. We could see the North Ridge of Stuart disappearing into a black summit cloud. Colchuck from this side has a complex maze of gullies and cliffs. Later, we were able to glissade all the way from the Colchuck-Dragontail Col all the way down to the lake!

 

Bring back some pictures if you go to finish the route for us! :-) I think the climb was much harder in snowed-up conditions, modulo my moderate experience level. Thanks to Theron for following me into the void, and knowing when we need to turn around too.

 

--mvs

 

 

[JoshK]

Sweet attempt, I eyed that peak a few weeks ago and wanted to climb it. Good call on turning back when you had enough and keeping everybody safe.

[plexus]

BOOTY Alert !!

 

Seriously, sounds like a fun day. Nothing like a little snow and ice to make a moderate alittle spicy !!

[mvs]

haha, you'll find one nut, 2 slings and a carabiner spread around like Christmas morning.

 

[mvs]

Our camp at the Colchuck-Argonaut Col:

 

The high point for us:

 

Rappelling:

 

Getting back up to the col:

 

same:

[nolanr]

Colchuck Col to lake, definitely one of the sweetest continous glisades around here.