Don_Serl Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 fine alpine ice out there, altho here comes the rain... if it doesn't get too snowy, keep wedgemount lake in mind for an alpine gully-fest. or keep it in mind for a cold snap next autumn. ade and i walked up to wedgemount cabin 10/30 evening by headlamp, arriving 11pm. effing cold! so rambled up lesser weart (SW pk) friday - up SE ridge, down armchair glcr. then climbed lakeside couloir (N couloir) on rethel saturday - see bivouac.com for a good photo: http://www.bivouac.com/PhotoPg.asp?PhotoId=4293 way easier than it looks: crisp 45d neve and ice with a 5m brittle 65d ice exit. dragged the rope, so i can report it is 11 x 60m in length. 1 1/2hrs in couloir, 8 hrs hut-to-hut via wedge/parkhurst col on descent. [rethel/parkhurst N slope very icy...] went back this weekend with rob nugent and janes ales. smart enuf 2nd time to walk up in daylight, then get a good sleep, so got an early start for W face of wedge. there is a great-looking thin snow/ice line left of the W couloir in a "slot" couloir - doesn't show in alpine select, and is kinda half visible on pg 65 of fairley. again, 45d-50d superb crisp neve with short sections of ice to 65d. 1100 ft in the couloir, which ends on a promontory ridge. 200m exposed snow traverse right allows exit via top 500ft of W couloir. down N arete - fine conditions. 2 hrs in couloir, 1 more hr up; 10hrs hut-to-hut. sunday climbed NW couloir on parkhurst: see alpine select p205 - extreme left branch; middle section is hidden by rock buttress. as above, 45d-50d sweet alpine whiteness, with several body-length steeper steps. 1200 ft from gear-up on rocks below apron, 900 ft from schrund. 1 1/2 hrs gear-up to summit; 7 1/2 hrs hut-to-hut. notes: times are for old guys like me, and include lotsa gazing from summits - all the way to monmouth! some young guy should enchain all 3 lines in a day - hell, maybe i'll go do that myself! and we didn't put the rope on or place a single piece of gear anywhere - sometimes i wonder why i take the stuff for all those walks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordop Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 I was looking for you from above Don! Saw your tracks going to the west face line, but no people visible. Flew over about 1:30 on Saturday, you might have heard the chopter? Wow, I make it a point only to do that appraoch ONCE a year! Here's a pic showing your cool line on Wedge!! (Taken on Sat) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Caveman Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 A couple of springs ago on the way in to the hut there was a fatty frozen fall up and left as we broke out of timber. I bet it forms every year from snow melt and has probably been done before.. Any sign of that yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don_Serl Posted November 11, 2003 Author Share Posted November 11, 2003 many thanks jordon. we were on the summit when u flew by - waited for the chopper to come up and have a look, but u headed off SE. nice photo of wedgemount lake and area. to clarify for those who aren't familiar with the area: *** the hut is on the bench between the two bumps on the near side of the lake, halfway along in this view. 4000 ft up from the road; count on 2 - 2 1/2hr if light daytripping, 3-4 hrs with overnite gear. i seem to need an extra half hour either way if it's dark. *** wedge is the big guy to the right. W ridge is rt skyline [reputedly a classic of block-pile drudgery]. W couloir lies beneath it on its left flank, rising to shoulder on W ridge: about 500m of 45d snow/ice; sometimes used for descent; frequently skied. our line ("the slot") is the thin white line dropping thru the centre of the buttress left of the W couloir. not easy to see from the angle of the photo, but the slot ends on a promontory ridge, and there is a 200m exposed horizontal snow traverse right to finish up the upper W couloir. *** parkhurst lies below and just right of wedge. the couloir is obvious, directly facing the camera on the NW face. we took the left branch direct to the summit - in fact, the 'entry' into the left branch (first 3rd) doesn't quite show in this view (hidden by the rock buttress). i know the right branch of the couloir has been skied; not sure about the direct finish - pretty narrow... *** rethel is just out of view to right - got a photo of that to add? cheers, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don_Serl Posted November 11, 2003 Author Share Posted November 11, 2003 caveman, there was frozen stuff all over the place, but most of it faces the sun and it wasn't cold enuf to keep it from rotting; lotsa stuff clattering down. the main drainage was frozen too - a huge grade 2... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordop Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 (edited) Rethel, aye, aye. Edited June 11, 2021 by jordop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dberdinka Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 jordop said: Flew over about 1:30 on Saturday, you might have heard the chopter? Not to change the subject....but sounds like you might have had a good adventure to Jordan? Fill us in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordop Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 (edited) Edited June 11, 2021 by jordop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ade Posted November 12, 2003 Share Posted November 12, 2003 Rethel... The really obvious couloir line on the RHS of Jordop's picture is the one Don and I climbed a few weeks back. Lots of bomber neve with a very short steep section to finish. Ray... There's lots of drips up there above the hut, fed from the glacier below Weart. But like Don said they're exposed and will bake very quickly. Maybe a couple of lines with some pitches of say... 3+ (eyeball grade from the trail). Ade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad_A Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 Oh, my God. I'm moving to BC. Or, at least, Northern Washington. Damn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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