Blake Posted October 21, 2003 Posted October 21, 2003 When I was up on Star peak this past Summer I noticed that someone had noted they had rock climbed up from Fish creek pass using at least 5 pitches of rope. I was wondering if anyone here had done this peak using the "technical" route as opposed to the traditional off trail rock scramble from Robinson Pass. P.S. If you have no clue what I'm talking about, this is in the Sawtooth area NE of Lake Chelan. Quote
klenke Posted October 21, 2003 Posted October 21, 2003 I would be interested to know about this too. I have only done the normal punter route (west side by way of Fish Creek Pass) but noted many good rock climbing lines on the north faces. If you'd like to see what Blake and I are talking about, there are lots of good pictures of the cliffy north faces on my Star Peak page on summitpost.com. Note that any "technical" route done on the north faces or north ridge does not lead you to the true summit but instead to the distant North Summit. Because of this, north side routes would lack that classical feel of climbing a hard route to the top. Still looks like some good rock though. Quote
Dru Posted October 21, 2003 Posted October 21, 2003 it sure looks good on p 277 of beckey guide but not all that big. i would guess it might be the same bill centenari and rick labelle who put up most of the other technical routes in the area? Quote
Blake Posted October 21, 2003 Author Posted October 21, 2003 sheesh, you know all my spots! I really like that area, even though it's too dry to have many glaciers and traditional climbing, it just seems very remote and "wild" to me. Anyhow if I understadn you correct in your reference to the "North Summit" (the one directly along the ridge from Fish Cr. Pass) it really isn't far from the actual top, just walk a hundred along a more or less flattish plateau, then its a few minutes of boulder climbing to reach the skinny summit. This was the route mentioned in the summit reg. Thanks for the pics link! Those are really great. I've heard there is actually a "Rock Glacier" on Star Peak, maybe one of the more geologically knowledgeable forum users can shed light on this phenomenon. Quote
Dru Posted October 21, 2003 Posted October 21, 2003 rock glacier is ice-cemented talus. ice matrix allows blocky talus to flow like ice. thick rock prevents ice from melting. usually forms on dry side of the ranges. in the photo on beckey p 277 the rock glacier is labelled at left. Quote
rat Posted October 21, 2003 Posted October 21, 2003 john mailhiot and i climbed this on 9/7/97. nw ridge of star peak----III, 5.7 up to the sub-summit then walk to the true summit. some manky rock but a good location. Quote
ncascademtns Posted October 22, 2003 Posted October 22, 2003 Gee, That's one of those Tag and Bag peaks! catbirdseat and I did it a few years ago. With that obvious ramp on the southwest side, we didn't even consider climbing it. But know'n catbirdseat, if he had found out a way to climb it, he would have tried to talk me into it. Quote
catbirdseat Posted October 22, 2003 Posted October 22, 2003 Dude, don't you remember those folks we saw on the North Face route the day we pulled into camp? We saw their names in the register the next day. Quote
erik Posted October 22, 2003 Posted October 22, 2003 Blake said: What's a Tag and Bag peak? its cool guy peak bagger type. the summit and a notation in a little book is more important then the actual climb. and in reality most peak baggers attempt to avoid any technical difficulties... . but whatever cranks your wank! Quote
klenke Posted October 22, 2003 Posted October 22, 2003 Don't you wish we could all be as cool as Erik. Quote
erik Posted October 22, 2003 Posted October 22, 2003 i wish i was cool...but i dont peal bag so i am mos def out of the running for cool guy of the year...and so klenke what is wrong with my definition...... nothing that i see.... Quote
chucK Posted October 22, 2003 Posted October 22, 2003 "Foudroyant"! That ridge looks like a good time. What kind of rock is that? Quote
klenke Posted October 23, 2003 Posted October 23, 2003 Yeah baby! "Foudroyant" all the way! You won't find that word in a normal dictionary so don't even bother. It has its origins in the French. My Schmeckey book says the rocks of the Methow uplift "consist of ancient schists together with intruded granitics...other plutonic rocks include the Oval Peak...stocks [Oval is right next to Star]." So the rock is probably granite, though I can't say for sure. He doesn't go into any detail whatsoever for Star in my older edition of his red CAG. Quote
chucK Posted October 23, 2003 Posted October 23, 2003 I found it in my dictionary (one of those outdated bound, "book"-type dictionaries.) Thank you for teaching me a new word today Herr Klenke . Quote
Dru Posted October 23, 2003 Posted October 23, 2003 i googled it and found Of disease that comes on suddenly and severely; dazzling, stunning. These days, the medical fraternity almost has a monopoly on this word (as an alternative to the much more common fulminant, which means the same thing), though only the most academic of clinicians seem to use it. Outside medicine, it is if anything even more rare, an alternative to words like ?brilliant? or ?dazzling?, as here in a review in the Minneapolis Star Tribune in 1999: ?Heavy on elan and the damper pedal, pianists such as Simon, Earl Wild, Jorge Bolet and Byron Janis wow you with foudroyant playing?. But anybody with an interest in naval history will know it best as the name for several Royal Navy ships at various periods, such as one of Nelson?s flagships in the Mediterranean in 1799 (and there is now a French submarine with the same name). The word is indeed French, from foudroyer, to strike with lightning, so it makes a very good name for a fighting ship. cool i did not know that one either. how fremd. Quote
catbirdseat Posted October 23, 2003 Posted October 23, 2003 As I recall the route is three pitches on the NE Ridge. Quote
klenke Posted October 23, 2003 Posted October 23, 2003 CB-seat: Did you really mean the Northwest Ridge? The Northeast Ridge (what I call the Northeast Buttress) is the rock buttress going down to the left in ChucK's picture. The Northwest Ridge is the sharp crest on the right. Quote
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