layton Posted February 26, 2002 Posted February 26, 2002 As we all know, conditions on good winter/spring routes usually send us back home with nothing more to show than a truck full of garbage and wet gear wishin' you spend that one nice day in Squamish. I've done some lookin' at guidebooks for some good winter or spring routes(ice n' snow) and would like to know if anyone here has either done them, or has a good idea if they may be in. I don't mean "in" as in "this very second", hopefully someone will either have been by the area or do a simailr route with similiar condition requirements. I left off ones already hacked to death on this site. Feel free to add to my inquiry list: -Greybeard N.Face and Cuthroat E.Face CouliorLook fun! (someone please post when Hwy 20 opens!) -Dragontail Tripple Couloirs - bet they're good right now (wanted to go but got flu, only thing to spray about is on my snot rag) -Snoqualmie NY Gully, and the various Index N.Face Rts, and N.Face of Persis - I'm assuming none came in and won't be except for Persis. I saw a big ol' flow still there mid-spring last year. Someone check it out (I'll try) -Mile 115 on Cascade River Road-look across the river and spot two or three nice falls -they have names (WI4 2-3 p maybe). They were in late last November. -The N.Face Coulior on Slesse, NE Coulior on Lady Pk, N.Face of Cheam, and the minus 5 thru zero gullies on rideout/payne.All these look cool in the guidebook, but that's all that I've seen. CAJ kinda helpful. -Stuart Glacier Coulior. Next time someone takes a stroll up there, give a holler. p.s. someone take a helicopter or aim their satalite at the Horshoe basin area of cascade pass next winter. Hopefuly this list sparks some interest and good beta on some of these obscure or overcrowded routes. Let us know what's in, or save us a slog. Quote
DPS Posted February 26, 2002 Posted February 26, 2002 Cutthroat East face. Tried it last spring. It is likely in but getting to it would require a snow mobile until the road opens. Triple Couloirs looked to be in fine shape last weekend. More ice than when I climbed it. NY Gully is likely to be climbable right now. Colin climbed it with very little ice in the gulley. Index peaks. Been too warm for those to be in is my feeling. I climbed a 4 pitch waterfall at mile 22 on the Cascade River road in December, the routes you mention were in with a fair amount of running water. Getting in there would be an expedition. Check out Phil Fortier's site for there attempt. [ 02-26-2002: Message edited by: danielpatricksmith ] Quote
Dru Posted February 26, 2002 Posted February 26, 2002 Cheam N face was in recently but lots of unsettled new right now. Dont know if NE couloir of Lady has ever been repeated. N couloir of Slesse needs colder temps I think. Sumallo Cirque (Rideout etc.) could be good but you need to ski for about 2-3 hours to get in there cause they dont plow the road no more. Or snowmobile? Quote
Alex Posted February 26, 2002 Posted February 26, 2002 quote: Greybeard N.Face This is a spring route best done when higway 20 opens quote: (someone please post when Hwy 20 opens!) The Washington DOT maintains a website with this information. Highway 20 opening is usually a large enough event that it makes local news. quote: -Dragontail Tripple Couloirs - bet they're good right now I bet they are too. quote: -Mile 115 on Cascade River Road-look across the river and spot two or three nice falls -they have names (WI4 2-3 p maybe). They were in late last November. Do you mean Highway 20? Cascade River Road is not 100 miles long, only about 24 miles long. Alex Quote
layton Posted February 26, 2002 Author Posted February 26, 2002 quote: Do you mean Highway 20? Cascade River Road is not 100 miles long, only about 24 miles long. Alex Yeah, I meant Highway 20 -duh. Seems like 100 miles sometimes. Thanks for the rest of the info, I was surprised to hear that NY Gulley may be in. Is there a trip report hidden somewhere? If not, lemme know if it was a good climb (just cuz it's in "Random Climbs in the Cascades Vol II" doesn't mean it's a good climb). I think I talked to Don Serl about the NE Coulior of Lady. Sounded like there were lots of other lines around there to be done. Dru, do you know what the Sumallo Cirque climbs are like. Beckey says 3000 ft of climbing, but that's pretty undescriptive. Is it 3000' of 50 deg snow/ice or something more...eh...exciting. I'd love to check that area out anyhow. I hear the two routes on Payne (not the minus gullies) kinda suck from the AAJ or CAJ route reports.Wish I could be several places at once. Quote
Alex Posted February 26, 2002 Posted February 26, 2002 NY Gully - no, there is no TR. Colin went in last winter and just did it. Thats pretty much what you are going to have to do for whatever objective you want to try...very few climbers out there are on these routes, and fewer still care to post anything if/when they have climbed them. You're pretty much on your own when it comes to winter alpine. As it should be. Alex Quote
Dru Posted February 26, 2002 Posted February 26, 2002 The Sumallo stuff is like 2500 feet of steep (55-60) snow and maybe 400 feet of ice and 100 mixed feet of crap rock covered in junk. But some of the lines there have more ice. Check out the deJong lines on Payne. Sounds good except for the 5.9 crux. As for the Cheam range check out my photos of the north side of those peaks on bivouac.com All that stuff stays good well into May. Except there may not be as much ice then Quote
layton Posted February 27, 2002 Author Posted February 27, 2002 quote: You're pretty much on your own when it comes to winter alpine. As it should be. Alex, I totally agree. However, PNW winter alpine climbing relies so heavily on the complicated weather patterns to produce good conditions, plus most climbs can't be seen except from the approach - unlike many winter alpine routes in Canadian Rockies, Colorado, etc... Word of mouth on winter alpine climbing has always been a great tool to attempt conditional routes, or try new routes. We just have a few more variables to throw us off, so that's why I'm trying to get the beta. Plus if someone tells me a line looks awesome or the climb kicks ass, I'm much more willing to give 'em a go willing to try, than just looking at some lines in a guidebook. I guess I'm totally hypocritical when I get pissed if I see another party on the route I want to do, but asked for beta on the route or read it out of a guidebook. I assume like most ice-climbers that I am greedy, suspiscious, and selfish. Just don't wanna waste a nice weekend slogging or wind up at Mt.Si. Thanks for all the good beta, now lets go do some routes! Quote
al Posted February 27, 2002 Posted February 27, 2002 I scoped out the NY Gully with binocs back in January so the info is dated, but it didn't look "in" if your looking for a fair degree of ice. Another problem with lack of TRs is that most folks are powder and ski oriented in winter rather than climb oriented. When the snowpack stabilizes I'm sure there'll be more TRs. In the mean time, I feel your pain. Quote
mattp Posted February 28, 2002 Posted February 28, 2002 Indeed, snow and ice conditions change daily, so yesterday's beta may not be valid and the only way to know for sure IS to check it out yourself. Also, what to one climber may look "in" may look like a horror show to another. But recent reports can help. The regular route on the N. Face of Mt. Index was lacking for ice on the lower pitches on Monday. So too, the bottom of the North Face of Big Four (though there was fat ice higher up). Over the weekend, there was almost a foot of new snow over the consolidated surface on N. Face of Colonial. Quote
wayne Posted March 23, 2002 Posted March 23, 2002 [ 03-22-2002: Message edited by: wayne1112 ] [ 03-22-2002: Message edited by: wayne1112 ] Quote
wayne Posted March 23, 2002 Posted March 23, 2002 There is now a trip report on NY Gully on the front page trs Quote
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