skyclimb Posted December 6, 2003 Posted December 6, 2003 has anyone been near the eagle cap recently?? What are the conditions?? Quote
kurthicks Posted December 7, 2003 Posted December 7, 2003 i went into the Hurricane Creek drainage last week. There wasn't a lot of snow on the trail, probably about 18"?, but there are lots of loaded spots (read "waist deep w/o snowshoes). Trees were down across the trail already too...and there's been lots of high winds this week also. you might ask mr. Terminal Gravity for more beta. check the winter possibilities... Quote
Dave_Schuldt Posted December 7, 2003 Posted December 7, 2003 Try this, it may help. http://www.wingski.com/ Quote
mtn_mouse Posted December 7, 2003 Posted December 7, 2003 I can see them from my house. Snow all over, but from the Oregon sno-tel sites on the internet, they list Mt. Howard with 18" and Aneroid Lake at 22". As dry as it has been, I have not been too eager to try skiing there yet. Wing ridge has good runs, but there are so many stumps from the old fire, that it will take some more snow I would think. Great shot of Sacajawea, Wazzu. There is a nice climb up the left ridge area, if you go up Thorp creek. Quote
kurthicks Posted December 7, 2003 Posted December 7, 2003 thanks. mouse, do you know if the NF has been climbed? it seems like winter would be the only time to do it. Quote
mtn_mouse Posted December 7, 2003 Posted December 7, 2003 wazzumountaineer said: do you know if the NF has been climbed? The north ridge you show in the picture has been climbed in winter before. In fact there is a book where they discribe the climb, written by a college student from walla walla. Its called Wallowas: coming of age in the wilderness, by Ashworth. The avalanche problem is a real problem in hurricane creek. The "hurricane" damage the early settlers saw is all actually avalanche damage. So that north ridge would be the best way to go, and a really easy approach from the trailhead. Quote
Terminal_Gravity Posted December 7, 2003 Posted December 7, 2003 (edited) Jeez you guys, Let's see, I haven't climbed in the Eagle Cap since this morning. Last week we had a chinook wind- most of the ice melted. The snow is still rock skiing below 6500 ft- but good above. Yes, the North face has been climbed ( I soloed it 2 years ago, and that was not a first ascent...It's trivial (AI2)). The North Ridge ( called Dragon's Back by locals) has been climbed countless times, winter and summer. The left sky line in the photo is the yak route. The right skiline of the photo is a much more fun climb than the North ridge. Sorry, don't mean to be an ass. I will give anyone info or beta for any climb in the Wallowas anytime they ask me. Edited December 7, 2003 by Terminal_Gravity Quote
sobo Posted December 7, 2003 Posted December 7, 2003 Several years ago in late winter/early spring, shortly returned from Alaska, me and some buds climbed Sacajawea via the sunlit ridge in the center foreground of wazzu's picture. I think it would be called the West Ridge, or possibly the NW Ridge, not sure. We followed the top of the ridge, bouncing left and right to avoid major difficulties, until below the dark headwall, which we climbed by going around to climber's right to regain the ridgeline behind it, and on to the summit. We had grand hopes of tagging the Matterhorn as well that day, but by the time we got to the summit of Saca, we were burnt! It was hellishly windy that trip. TG: What would that line be called, technically? We approached from Hurricane Creek, and after crossing the creek eastward, stayed high contiuously, never dropping into any gullies or creek drainages. The NW Ridge would seem to be the most likely description to me. Quote
kurthicks Posted December 7, 2003 Posted December 7, 2003 Terminal_Gravity said: the North face has been climbed ( I soloed it 2 years ago). bastard. Quote
Terminal_Gravity Posted December 8, 2003 Posted December 8, 2003 Sobo; Yes, that is refered to as the NW ridge...again most people around here call it "Dragon's back" It is a fun climb any time of year. It is a little tricky finding the start of it though...sounds like you did everything right. Wazzu: there is acctually less snow now than when you were here a week ago. As far as the N face. There is acctually 2 couliors and a head wall that splits them. You can see the right one and the head wall. The left is hidden from view behind Dragon's back in you photo. All have been climbed and a friend of mine has skied the couliors. All of the above not withstanding; the snow field right of the summit with the step about 1/3 of the way up is a plum I want to pick. The crux is at the ridge and hard to see in your photo. To me it is the best line on the mountain in terms of severity and as far as I know is un-climbed. If you want to give it a go with me let me know, But you'll have to retract the bastard comment. Or do it yourself; I lay no claim. Quote
kurthicks Posted December 8, 2003 Posted December 8, 2003 can we do it siege style with fixed ropes and a high camp? maybe we can grid bolt it too. check your PMs. Quote
sobo Posted December 8, 2003 Posted December 8, 2003 Terminal_Gravity said: Sobo; Yes, that is refered to as the NW ridge...again most people around here call it "Dragon's back" It is a fun climb any time of year. It is a little tricky finding the start of it though...sounds like you did everything right. Thanks. It was fun, but a real butt-kicker in the winter when we did it. Fahq'n howled the whole time we were out there, and collllld. Had no difficulty route-finding the start of it from the creek bottom. Maybe we were just lucky... Quote
scratchandsniff Posted December 12, 2003 Posted December 12, 2003 I've done the NF of both Sac and the Matterhorn (not the Swiss one!!). There's lots of great little climbs in the area. Pitch a tent in almost any valley. Sometimes in early spring you're kicking crampons into hard snow and pro'ing with nuts on hard granite right next to you. It doesn't get better than that. I would be real suprised if almost every steep face in almost every Eagle cap drainage wasn't climbed by at least the early 80's. I don't think I FA'ed anything and was over there climbing all kinds of stuff in the Mid-70s. Folks I climbed with had been doing lots of these routes a long time before that. Quote
Terminal_Gravity Posted December 12, 2003 Posted December 12, 2003 scratchandsniff said: I've done the NF of both Sac and the Matterhorn (not the Swiss one!!). There's lots of great little climbs in the area. Pitch a tent in almost any valley. Sometimes in early spring you're kicking crampons into hard snow and pro'ing with nuts on hard granite right next to you. It doesn't get better than that. I would be real suprised if almost every steep face in almost every Eagle cap drainage wasn't climbed by at least the early 80's. I don't think I FA'ed anything and was over there climbing all kinds of stuff in the Mid-70s. Folks I climbed with had been doing lots of these routes a long time before that. S & Sniff, I agree with you on the un-likly hood of there being very many FA's available on the obvious lines. But who care's anyway...I just climb. One question; what do you mean by the North face of the Matterhorn? There really is no North side to the peak, it is just a ridge that continues on over to Sac. Do you still climb here? Do I know you? - steve Quote
Fejas Posted December 12, 2003 Posted December 12, 2003 June 99' we packed in for an end of the school year trip... one morning we pack up some food and a whole lot of shrooms in a small pack... climbed both the Craig mountans, fuck around at ice lake, climbed to the peak between The Mat and Sac(name?), we were going to drop down into Huricane valley, but we were frying so hard we figured we'd get lost if we tried... The next day we were to hung over to climb, so we sayed in the valley and caught trout all day.... Quote
kurthicks Posted December 12, 2003 Posted December 12, 2003 maybe S&S is referring to the East Face of the Matterhorn. that looks like it's a huge wall of #&*^$@ !! TG, have you climbed that one? god i need to get back down there. finals are killing me so slowly and painfully. Quote
sobo Posted December 12, 2003 Posted December 12, 2003 wazzumountaineer said: maybe S&S is referring to the East Face of the Matterhorn. that looks like it's a huge wall of #&*^$@ !! TG, have you climbed that one? god i need to get back down there. finals are killing me so slowly and painfully. Are you sure you don't mean the west face? If memory serves, the east face (well mebbe NE really) overlooks Ice Lake. It's just a bowl. But the west face looks like there's lots of loose friable granite. I had heard of some dood back in the 70's doing an FA up the west face. He had said that the rock was shit. Quote
mtn_mouse Posted December 13, 2003 Posted December 13, 2003 East Face of the Matterhorn. that looks like it's a huge wall of #&*^$@ !! TG, have you climbed that one? The matterhorn has an incredible steep face on the west side, overlooking the hurricane creek drainage. On the east side, it is pretty much a walk up from ice lake area, which is accessed from wallowa lake and the west fork wallowa trail. There is not really a north face, unless you are calling the nw corner a face. Also, there really is no peak between matterhorn and sacajawea, just a very high non technical ridge that connects the two. Sacajawea is usually climbed from the east side and thorp creek basin, or from the west. The grade is quite steep going up the west side, but not technical. Only the north wall looks bad. I don't have any info on the west face of the matterhorn though. Looks like a lot of work. Quote
Terminal_Gravity Posted December 13, 2003 Posted December 13, 2003 Okay, since we're all talking about it. The west side of the Matterhorn is indeed a face. In fact it is the largest rock face in Oregon. Unfortunately, even though there is plenty of granite out here, it is limestone. The face is roughly 1700' high after a fairly long 4th scramble to the base. It is similar to a 1/2 sized mirror image of El Cap...The overhanging side is on the left and it has a prominate nose in the middle. The central part of the face has been climed only twice by two different routes. One on each side of the nose. Yes, it was in the late 70's and the "doods" name is Dave Jensen. He still lives in the area, is a brilliant photographer but does not climb anymore...blown knees. If you look at old Sierra climbing guides, his name shows up on FA lists. I have on sight free soloed a route (5.4) far right of the main face, in part to get a close up of the nose. The nose has not been climbed. It is arguably the most desirable FA in Oregon. The two routes Dave did involved loose rock and he rated them 5.8 A4 on the left and 5.9 A3 on the right. I expect that Dave rates them very conservatively...ie they are harder than the rating. Both routes involved a night on the wall...duh. Another concern is tourist hikers, trundling from the top. Dave said that on one route he almost was taken out by idiots trundlers above. Both of his routes are funnels at the top. I think I have figured out a line up the nose, I expect it to involve long Hook sections and 5.10/11 face moves. If I see any of you out here putting up a bolt ladder, I will dump rocks on you from above ( really ). But if somebody wants to give it a try with honest style, I might be of some use. Quote
willstrickland Posted December 13, 2003 Posted December 13, 2003 Billy said: Any pics of the nose.....????? Here's a couple of shots from each side off summitpost...not the best but gives you an idea anyway. Quote
vert Posted December 13, 2003 Posted December 13, 2003 I have a slide that will blow your mind it is so beautiful! The nose is indeed an awesome line. It will definately require bolt lines for an ascent unless you are able to free perfectly smooth sections of Dolomite. On our attempt, whilst drilling the first bolt, we did not notice the 1/4 hangerless stud up and left. After contemplating this lone bolt, it became apparent that it was used to gain the ten foot square flake that used to live there. Scanning the ground, you can see the rubble left when Jensen ripped it off. Returning to the rotten pedestal, he removed the hanger, easily down climbed and chose to leave it alone, no doubt because of the apparent drilling involed to make that first pitch go. We did the same. The mosquitos were horrendous! We ran down to Hurracaine creek, up the other side, across Hurracaine divide only to find no relief from the bugs. Miserable bivouc, heads inside packs all night. Next morning we did a new route on the west face of steele peak. Nothing much, 400' of 5.10 on incredible REAL granite. When I first visited this face in 90', I found one of Coughlins wires at its base circa 70'! These guys were indeed prolific in the dark ages. Billy, lets climb in the berries soon! Give me an e-mail. Oh yeah, there is a possibility to climb Matterhorns left hand west face route in winter. Torquing and ice beneath said funnel, cheers- Quote
vert Posted December 13, 2003 Posted December 13, 2003 Awesome photos! The middle image is at the top of a descent/ascent gully that allows access to the west face from the east and/or summit. Just right of the photo and across the canyon is steele peak a looooong way away. The west face is of course on its far side. Later- Quote
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