[TR] Inspiration-Forbidden Traverse- Eldo->Klawatti->Austera->Primus->Tricouni->(More) 4/2/2004

[JoshK]

Climb: Inspiration-Forbidden Traverse-Eldo->Klawatti->Austera->Primus->Tricouni->(More)

 

Date of Climb: 4/2/2004

 

Trip Report:

I'm still downloading picturs and will make up some sort of TR at some point, but here is a basic description of the tour that Dave (skisports) and I did this weekend.

 

Day 1: Leisurely start at Eldo trailhead. Skin up to Eldo East Ridge and set camp at 7600 ft bivy. Skin up Eldo East Ridge and ski down at sunset.

 

Day 2: Skin across Inspiration glacier and climb Klawatti. Ski Down Klawatti peak. Traverse McAllister glacier to Klawatti glacier. Ascend Klawatti glacier to Austera peak. Ski down Austera peak to end of Austera Ridge. Ascend North Klawatti Glacier and skin to summit of Primus peak. Ski North Klawtti Glacier to 6200 foot glacier basin. Skin up Tricouni peak and ski down by moonlight. Ski down bottom of North Klawatti glacier to Klawatti lake. Ski across Klawatti lake and make camp on forested rise on south side of lake.

 

Day 3: Ski Down from Klawatti lake camp to Moraine lake. Gawk at the most amazing place I've ever seen for quite a while. Skin up Forbidden Glacier to Forbidden-Boston glacier col. Ski down Boston glacier and traverse to ~8200 along ripsaw ridge above Davenport glacier. Make camp here.

 

Day 4: Rappel (used a bollard and a pin) and downclimb Ripsaw ridge (*highly* not recommended) to uppermost part of Davenport glacier. Ski davenport glacier and horseshoe basin to Stehikin river. Climb out of Stehiken river valley to East end of Pelton Basin (wow, gorgeous under full snow cover!!). Skin up to cascade pass. Ski down cascade pass to road and back to Eldo trailhead.

 

The numbers:

5 summits (Eldo, Klawatti, Austera, Primus, Tricouni)

8 glaciers (Eldorado, Inspiration, McAllister, Klawatti, North Klawatti, Forbidden, Boston and Davenport)

3 lakes (Klawatti, Moraine and the Pelton Basin mini-lake)

~20,000 feet of elevation

~30 miles of distance

 

Highlights:

The skis down from Klawatti, Austera and Primus were all awesome. So were the descents of the Klawatti and North Klawatti glaciers and the ski down Horseshoe basin (about 5k vert)

 

Lowlights:

Beforehand I figured getting over ripsaw ridge might be tricky, and it lived up to my expectations. Rock is unbelievably crappy and loose. Going up the north face of Bucker and down the southwest side honestly would have been less stressful.

 

Gear Notes:

Skis, skins, ice axe and mini tool, 30m rope and small rack (a couple of pins, nuts, cams and a few runners)

 

Brought crampons but didn't need them. The mini tool came in extremely handy for pounding pins for a rap. Crampons were not used at all. The only part of the rack used were two pins for a rappel

 

Approach Notes:

Road is snow free until MP22. Snow cover down low on South facing stuff is quickly becoming crap. Steeper south facing cliff bands and slabby areas are beginning to melt out making skiing straight down often more difficult. Example: the cliff band midway down Horseshoe basin required a little puzzling to find a skiable route through.

[ryland_moore]

Awesome trip! Can't wait to see the pics!

[Billygoat]

Fantastic! Way to go

[Fairweather]

Damn. Nice trip! :^saluting graemlin:^

[klenke]

Damn, Josh, you've been busy since you got back this evening! Good Food must have refueled you. It's enough for me just to browse the web and type this post. I guess I won't even bother with our trip report. Don't need two TRs for the Primus-Tricouni-Austera-Klawatti area. Of course I may change my mind tomorrow when I'm refreshed.

 

Out of respect for Tod Bloxham's willingness to successfully take on Austera's icy summit gully, I will have to be a stickler and say you didn't actually make the true summit of Austera. The rest of us also stopped at the false summit. The morning iciness stopped us in our tracks.

 

It was certainly beautiful up there. I've still got that Austera summit image burned in my mind of Eldorado Peak looming beyond the many sharp crags of Tepeh Towers and the McAllister Glacier. Fantastic!

[cracked]

SOB. Nice fucking job, man.

[JoshK]

Yes, you are right, the true summit was not reached, but the 'ski summit' was

[Figger_Eight]

Great effort!

[JoshK]

Oops...forgot to draw the trip to the summit of Eldo and back on my topo. Looks like 31 miles and 21k in elevation. I can feel every foot of it this morning.

[Tod]

I was very impressed with your tracks coming down Primus. While you guys were making your last few turns off of Primus above the N Klawatti icefall I was just finishing my ski up to the false summit. That view from Austera to Primus is one of those "This is why you are here" views. I then watched one of you manage your way through an unexpected cliff band before you continued on.

 

I was even more impressed seeing your tracks off of Tricouni's east shoulder the next morning. I spent a few minutes pondering at what time you guys were able to come off of Tricouni and make it down and across Klawatti Lake.

 

Great job guys!

[JoshK]

I was very impressed with your tracks coming down Primus after seeing them from Austera. While you guys were making your last few turns off of Primus above the N Klawatti icefall I was just finishing my ski up to the false summit. I watched one of you manage your way through an unexpected cliff band.

 

LOL

 

Those tracks through the clif band were Dave's. I made him go over that way so I could take a picture of him coming through the small cliffs.

 

I was even more impressed seeing your tracks off of Tricouni's east shoulder the next morning. I spent a few minutes pondering at what time you guys were able to come off of Tricouni and make it down and across Klawatti Lake.

 

Great job guys!

 

Yeah, it was pretty late by the time we were heading down tricouni. We thought that maybe the warm air and slow refreezing might allow for decent nighttime snow conditions. luckily we were right! Skiing down that above the giant glacier below by moonlight was awesome!

 

Great job by all you guys too. It was an awesome few days to be out in that area!

[Marko]

Holy crap! Inspiring trip gents!

[JoshK]

Click here for the topo map of our trip. You'll need to view the large version to see any detail.

 

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=4209&password=&sort=1&cat=500&page=1

[JoshK]

Holy crap! Inspiring trip gents!

 

Yes, our goal was to provide some "inspiration" for others...

 

Good god, I can't believe I just just said that.

[ashw_justin]

Outta control! Now that's some serious ass-busting. The Abominable Snowman will be proud...

[klenke]

Good Food after a Good Tour. L to R: JoshK, Skisports, Jerry Sanchez, Sverdina, some headless dude. Goggle faces all--except for headless dude.

[JoshK]

Oh yeah! Sporting the nice red burn!

[cracked]

Gimme more pics!

[Blake]

That is great stuff! I think the pelton basin lake is called Spirit Lake.

[JoshK]

OK, pictures time, like I have been promising for a while. These are not in order.

 

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=4376&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=500

 

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=4375&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=500

 

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=4374&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=500

 

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=4372&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=500

 

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=4371&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=500

 

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=4370&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=500

 

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=4369&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=500

 

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=4368&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=500

 

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=4367&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=500

 

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=4366&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=500

 

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=4365&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=500

 

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=4364&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=500

 

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/showphoto.php?photo=4363&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=500

[cracked]

SWEET.

[Ade]

Really good pictures! The red sky one is incredible.

[JoshK]

Thanks guys. I am normally very critical of my own pics, but for some reason I really like that one of forbidden from primus peak. It's just a really great angle from that mountain or something.

[Jim]

Oh - very nice tr and pics. .

[Off_White]

Yeah, what a nice set of pics. You must be stoked Josh, that looks like such a splendid trip.