TR: My Girlfriend Kicks Ass!

[tradchica]

I'm posting this under my girlfriend's user name, because I just can't remember anyting about mine, except i'm frostythetradman (will someone send me my password?). anyways, my lady and I finally had a chance to climb together this week, for the first time this summer. Though she's been leading trad for over a year and can smoke up to 10a (at squamish), she had never been alpine climbing. I let her make the call on where to go, she picked boston basin, after perusing the guidebooks we finally decided on the East Ridge Direct of Forbidden as I had already climbed many of the other easy routes in the area(W. Ridge For., N. Face Buckner, Quien Sabe, Sharkfin).

We left the car late in the day on monday. The trail up to the basin was super dusty but that stoked her out because she was able to dirty up her shiney new gear. Reached the basin early evening and set up camp. Was beautiful as ever, as she put it, "the guidebook photos are shit compared to this. This is why you fall asleep at night with guide books stuffed under the pillows and next to the bed." Went to sleep as the alpenglow faded on J'Berg.

Woke up early and left camp around 4:30 the next morning. Traversed across the basin, over the super loose moraine, and then up to the toe of the Forbidden Glacier. From there we climbed right until able to reach the obvious snow couloir/gully that points towards the east ridge. Once through the snow we climbed up a nasty loose gully and finally reached the ridge just to the left of the prominent gendarme. Though tradchica was definetly slower than me, I was impressed at her aptitude in dealing with the terrain (first time on summer snow, choss gully, etc.). We left our boots, crampons, axes, and one of our packs here. We racked up, roped up, I gave tradchica a short lesson on how to simul-climb, and we were off.

From the start the exposure and position of the climbing on the east ridge was incredible, route-finding basicaly not existing as we simply followed the crest of the ridge and ascended all the towers directly. From the second she started climbing tradchica was stoookkeeddd!!!! Some memorable quotes include, "holy shit, this is so much better than squamish," "wow, look at the glacier... all the way down there," and "I LOVE SIMUL-CLIMBING!!!!" It took us three simul blocks to reach the rappel, all of it being moderate and decently solid (scored two black diamond stoppers on the way). Rapped off the tower into the notch below the steep 5.8 pitch. I led this stellar exposed pitch which is well-protectable for those who want to know. From the top of the tower tradchica took the lead and we simul'd to the summit (her very first summit). Though we had seen a party of two heading up the very broken couloir to the west ridge they were no where to be seen. Though it was sunny we could see some clouds starting to form to the east of us (a subtle indication of what lay ahead) and thus began the raps off the backside to the east ledges descent.

After barely reaching the first two rap stations we realized that the 8mm rope we had borrowed from a friend was only 50m, oh well. We came about 10 feet short of the next three stations but were able to easily pull the ropes and downclimb. After the fifth rappel we coiled the rope and began the traverse. The "broken ledges" as described in selected climbs are realy in fact a loose, chossy, dirty, dowsloping face. Don't be fooled, there are no true ledges.

 

[tradchica steps in to say...] The traversing decent was the most difficult part of the climb. Save yourself the clutchingly desperate loose handholds and carry your minimal gear to the summit followed by the west ridge descent (with double ropes). As for the east ridge descent, the ledges took about three hours of steady zen-like movement across rocks that threatened to give way with their shifting. We shuffled along as the clouds conspired together and thundered "We will leave you suffering soon if you don't hurry." So we did (and scored a pink tri-cam, thanks). A dirty steep gully/chimney led us to the front side just as the sky broke and pelted us with a pent up explosion like an adolescent boy with his first honey (It's been a very dry summer and CascadeMountains must be hungry for rain). It ended just as quickly. Well, not quite. First the onslaught of rain, then hail which reduced vision to about 20 ft. Lightening... one-onethousand - boom. We ditched our gear (everything metal) and dove for the bergschrund to huddle together and watch the lightening strike the ridge very close to where we had just spent a sunny afternoon. It was soon over though and the sun returned in time to dry our tent (never - even if it is a dry summer - leave without putting on the rain fly). Cozy in our tent the storm returned several times that night to light up J'berg like an oversized firefly. I love our beautiful Cascade mountains and all of her unpredictable moodswings!

[chelle]

Sounds like a nice outing.

[Scourge]

Way to go girly!