NW ice

[gmknight]

I am new to the NW and accustomed to sierra nevada styl climbing (ie. sunny and car to car). what are some good winter routes for me to get acclimatised on?

[Lambone]

Try the West Face of Sloan Peak, should be in shape soon

[chelle]

sunny in winter? probably won't find those kind of conditions up here.

[Cpt.Caveman]

If you are more specific as to what you are looking for you might get better results. Even examples of what kind of what you are looking for.

 

THere are :

 

Snow slogs of beauty. INcluding ski ascents or partial ski ascents and descents.

 

Mixed climbs at moderate grades

 

Frozen waterfalls within view of the road if it's cold enough.

 

More difficult climbs of mountaineering value.

 

You might not find too many sunny days with rock climbing above snow here though...

 

 

 

[Alex]

Lambone is pulling your leg.

 

I would take it slow. Check out the North Face or NE Buttress of Chair Peak. Its typically done in half a day car to car by a fast party. Then set your sights on some of the Cascade winter alpine trade routes, such as N Buttress Coulouir on Colchuck, Triple Couloirs on Dragontail. After that, you'll have enough winter miles to understand the challenges unique to the region.

 

Alex

[gmknight]

as much as i love the snow slogs what i am really looking for are mid to long routes with 50 to 80 degree ice and a little rock wouldnt hurt either.

 

 

[kurthicks]

1. go to the library or gear store.

2. sit on the floor by the guidebooks.

3. look at "Selected Climbs in the Cascades" vols. 1 & 2. then check out Beckey's Cascade Alpine Guide...all 3 volumes. then look at "Washington Ice". If you're in Oregon, check out "Oregon High" by Jeff Thomas.

There isn't an Oregon ice guide, but it seems like it could be a decent idea.

Those are just a start...

 

[Cpt.Caveman]

I think I sent you a good list

[cj001f]

wazzumountaineer said:There isn't an Oregon ice guide, but it seems like it could be a decent idea.

What, a Xeroxed page that says pray for hell freezing over?

[Stephen_Ramsey]

gmknight said:

as much as i love the snow slogs what i am really looking for are mid to long routes with 50 to 80 degree ice and a little rock wouldnt hurt either.

The CAG (Cascade Alpine Guide) is your friend. There are tons of routes in there.

 

One winter/spring route that comes to mind is the NE couloir on Colchuck Peak (8705'). Grade II-III, snow and ice up to 65 degrees, and likely a "fun" cornice to dig through at the top. By veering climber's right for the final pitch (rather than escaping through the small left gully for the last pitch), you could likely find some quite steep mixed climbing.

 

Another route that comes to mind is the Stuart Glacier Couloir on Mount Stuart (Beckey grade III maybe?). I haven't done that route, but the description in Nelson's "Selected Climbs in the Cascades" sounds like what you might be looking for. JoshK has a trip report which describes this route (when the west ridge was in challenging rime-iced condition), somewhere on the CC.com web site.

 

Other winter routes that may be of interest:

(1) "The Standard," Mazama Goat Wall (WI3, 2-3 pitches) - see Washington Ice guidebook. Fun route.

(2) "The Tooth" via the NE Slab (Grade II, with some class 4 rock climbing). The slab itself looks to be about 50 degrees.

 

If on the other hand you are looking for more serious (or longer) winter alpine climbs, ask around on this board for suggestions of grade IV winter alpine routes. People will be happy to recommend routes to you. Have fun and climb fast.

Edited December 9, 2003 by Stephen_Ramsey

[kurthicks]

cj001f said:

wazzumountaineer said:There isn't an Oregon ice guide, but it seems like it could be a decent idea.

What, a Xeroxed page that says pray for hell freezing over?

 

yea, pretty much. But contrary to popular belief, there is actually ice in Oregon. I actually climbed some on Turkey Day in the Wallowas. I was kind of thinking of starting an online or pdf file of routes that come in. just from cruising the forums I've come across about 9 separate areas that have ice (well, sometimes). Maybe people don't want to give up anymore beta, but it sure would be nice if they did...

[ryland_moore]

Cool idea Wazzu! There is a lot of ice around the Wallowas, but most people do not know about it because it is such a remote area. The backcountry skiing there is some of the best in the Northwest (if you can call it that) since it takes on a rocky mountains snow pack - dry and powdery. It just takes forever to get there! There is also some ice in the canyons around Burns, that I am told, forms every single year.

[sobo]

Terminal Gravity knows a lot about the ice out Enterprise way. Spill it, TG!

 

I recall a post here last year from someone who went ice climbing ion the Elkhorns of Oregon and raved about multi-pitch ice there. A search for "Elkhorns" of all forums/all posts did not uncover anything. Anybody else remember this?

[cj001f]

wazzumountaineer said:yea, pretty much. But contrary to popular belief, there is actually ice in Oregon. I actually climbed some on Turkey Day in the Wallowas. I was kind of thinking of starting an online or pdf file of routes that come in. just from cruising the forums I've come across about 9 separate areas that have ice (well, sometimes). Maybe people don't want to give up anymore beta, but it sure would be nice if they did...

Very cool idea!

[kurthicks]

i'll go ahead and post what i've come across in the Ice Conditions page. maybe a Mod can put a sticky on it for the season?

[ryland_moore]

Here's the link to John Day Area Ice near strawberry mountain sent in by vert a while back too.