Serpentine

[JoshK]

mattp said:

JoshK said:

I'm not allowed to have an opinion?

 

Like he said: I'm not allowed to have an opinion? (I thought we were just wasting time at work.)

 

Clearly. We're all in this together.

 

In any event, I'd rather be out climbing either one of them (or anything else for that matter) right now than sitting in this office.

 

Thanks cavey, good to see you too.

[ken4ord]

Well from the sounds of it I will be retuning to that area to do more than just one of the routes there. It seems like is a lot of worthwhile stuff.

Another question someone mentioned rap anchors. What is the standard descent off the mountain? Also how long of an approach from the car to base (say the toe of the cliff)? Damn I a sound like beta hound.

[erik]

walk off the back side either towards asgard pass in which you will have walk on the snow creek glacier.

 

you can walk off towards colchuck glacier. i have not done it.

 

prolly around 3hrs or so. easy hike.

 

[j_b]

serpentine arete is better as an early season climb (~may). ideally when only the .8 pitches are snow free and loose blocks are still frozen in.

 

imo, it is often the case for many easy/moderates, west arete eldorado, ... any others?

[Cpt.Caveman]

I can't really imagine doing Serpentine if you are capable of doing Backbone.

 

Cuz it's there. Wassup

[ScottP]

Serpintine has 4 good pitches. The rest are medeocre.

First time on the route, we got stuck behind a really slow party. Rather than stand around, we looked for ways to pass and ended up doing some rather good alternate pitches to the north . They weren't really faster, but the rock was generally solid and the climbing interesting.

[slaphappy]

erik said:

also check out the n or ne buttress of colchuck peak. it is just to the right of the colchuck glacier route.

 

i think it is 12-15 pitches at 5.9 with two or 3 sections of that.

 

 

Hmmm, seems like it was more like 8 pitches with some easy simuling at mid-height and top. The 5.9 was short and soft, more like 5.7+. The route was fun but not classic. Alan Kearney's route description is spot-on.

[erik]

KEWL SOUNDS SHORTER THEN I BELIEVED.

 

GOOD TO HEAR IT IS EASIER!! MAKE IT GO FASTER!!!

 

SINGLE SET OF CAMS WILL SUFFICE SLAPPY?

 

 

[slaphappy]

erik said:

 

 

SINGLE SET OF CAMS WILL SUFFICE SLAPPY?

 

 

Yes, up to a #3 Camalot.

[chucK]

hollyclimber said:

The OW on Backbone was not hard, but it doesn't really protect easily.

 

It does if you have a #4 and a #5 Camalot .

 

And with respect to bailing. I don't think you want to have to bail off of any of those long Dragontail climbs. You'd need to do a ton of downclimbing or a ton of rap webbing. I guess Backbone is more a committment in that respect because it's got two actual climbing sections (OW and a pitch or two after it) then the Fin. So you might get by the first but get stopped by the Fin and bailing from that far up would be bad news. On the Serpentine Arete you've only got one section of truly technical rock, right in the middle. So if you get by that section you might as well just go to the top as go down.

 

 

[Bug]

chucK said:

hollyclimber said:

The OW on Backbone was not hard, but it doesn't really protect easily.

 

It does if you have a #4 and a #5 Camalot .

 

And with respect to bailing. I don't think you want to have to bail off of any of those long Dragontail climbs. You'd need to do a ton of downclimbing or a ton of rap webbing. I guess Backbone is more a committment in that respect because it's got two actual climbing sections (OW and a pitch or two after it) then the Fin. So you might get by the first but get stopped by the Fin and bailing from that far up would be bad news. On the Serpentine Arete you've only got one section of truly technical rock, right in the middle. So if you get by that section you might as well just go to the top as go down.

 

All pretty true. When I think of "bailing" on a face that big, I think of finding the easiest way up. Especially since the walk-off can be done in the dark (with headlamps). In terms of bailing up, the ledges that cross the fin are easy and fast 3rd or 4th class. From the ledges you go up a 5.5 corner. There is a 5.6 traverse with a pin. Then follow the ledge to a 5.7 crack.Then you skirt around left to the ridge. But if you have any time left, do the Fin. It's a little scary for new 5.9 leaders but some of the best air in the enchantments.