[TR] N Face Summit Chief- Alpine Chicken 4/24/2004

[specialed]

Climb: Summit Chief-Alpine Chicken

 

Date of Climb: 4/24/2004

 

Trip Report:

Rolf Larson, of Leavenworth, and I climbed a line to the lookers left of Colin and Dave's route on the North Face of Summit Chief on Saturday.

Our trip started ominously enough Friday hiking through rain and clouds. Though we got soaking wet, Rolf made it all OK by packing in a full Rotisserie chicken for that evenings dinner.

By the time we made it to the drainage out of the West Fork, it had started to clear and we could begin to make out the bad ass peaks in the area. In scoping our route that evening we noticed that the line is blocked by a steep and relatively ice-less headwall 3/4 of the way through, and the line ends on the West Ridge, not the summit. But it looked so cool, we decided to give it a try anyway.

We enjoyed a decent bivy under a big rock in the Summit Chief basin and a hearty meal of alpine chicken and soup.

After an alpine start Saturday we soloed up a half pitch, found some screws for a belay and begin to real climb. Five pitches of challenging climbing and marginal pro, constantly getting bombarded by spinfdriff, saw us to the first snowfield and away from the constant pissing from above. It was full on. Rolf called it "genuine toughguy climbing."

We were a pitch below the blank wall. It looked a lot steeper and thinner than the rest of the climbing. Plagued by a overpowering moment of doubt, we decided to traverse right and into the adjacent system. A traverse pitch, and a couple more rope-stretching bold leads saw us to the ridge.

From there we traversed right andback left up a less-steep but rocky west facing colior and to a rock belay. Two more short pitches, including a very bold lead by Rolf up an exposed and EXTREMELY chossy, run-out arete (in which Rolf put his crampons on on lead) with an exit move onto snow got us back onto our original line on the North Face. One more snow and ice pitch, with some simul-ing, got us back onto the ridge.

From there, the ridge to the summit was blocked by more steep rock pyramids. Due to the this and the fact that it was already late in the afternoon, we decided to bail, a few hundred feet from the summit.

We made one 30m rap down to a snow field on the south side, downclimbed another 30m, then managed to traverse over to Colin and Dave's second rap anchor and a rappel down a running waterfall to the descent coliour.

Soon we were back at the bivy ravaging the carcass of the alpine chicken, and looking forward to a long night busting back to the truck. In all, a 19 hr. day.

 

The climbing we did could probably be characterized as AI4+, 5.8 R. We named the route "Alpine Chicken," though neither of us were satisfied with the circuitous nature of the upper pitches and that we didn't tag the summit. The route could definitly be improved.

 

Our line using Dave's photo (thanks Dave):

 

Gear Notes:

Handful of cams, some nuts, blades and LA's, 5-6 screws of various lengths including stubbies. The rock on the climb is shit and we spent a lot of time scraping off snow and ice looking for decent placements. Every now and then good ice and a good screw.

[wayne]

Nice job again,tough guys!

[Off_White]

My newly developed ChronoCam tm allows me to take pictures of events up to one week in the future. While ver. 1.6 only allows for small grainy black and white images, I have captured a shot from next weekend on the N. Face of Summit Chief. This previously untouched face seems destined to receive the full on cc.com treatment that the Yocum Ridge and Triple Couloirs have already enjoyed.

 

 

nice work btw.

[olyclimber]

Sounds like a great trip. Packing up a whole chicken is one thing, but how was it packing the rotisserie oven?!! Great report...thanks tough guys!

[minx]

now that's the definition of a good partner!

[rat]

i'm bored so....i'll nit-pick....

it doesn't deserve a AI4+ rating---more like 3+ but you don't want to fall, hence the tongue-in-cheek "genuine tough guy" comment. we did some very nice pitches but it would be great to see someone straighten out the line and take it to the summit 'cause style is all you got. we were alpine chickens.

[layton]

way to go guys! i'm glad someone climbed something hard. I tried to climb a "prize" but it wasn't in. Got some kick ass driving in though!

once again, im glad you got after it.

 

folks: get off your ass. there is shit to do.

[EWolfe]

Nice. Donning the crampons on lead gets a

 

"There will be no more misery

when the world is our Rotisserie

Yes, we will all go together

when we go."

-Tom Lehrer

[Stefan]

...though neither of us were satisfied with the circuitous nature of the upper pitches and that we didn't tag the summit....

 

You did some bad ass climbing at a tough location. Something many of us do not have the balls for--including and definitely myself. You ought to be happy with your accomplishment.

[Alex]

nice work, chickens!!

[JoshK]

folks: get off your ass. there is shit to do.

 

Ha! Whatever. Like you would have even known it was there without Colin and Dave going in there and climbing something first and reporting the approach notes and that it wasn't that hard.

[specialed]

folks: get off your ass. there is shit to do.

 

Ha! Whatever. Like you would have even known it was there without Colin and Dave going in there and climbing something first and reporting the approach notes and that it wasn't that hard.

 

That's definitly the truth. Colin gave me all the beta for the approach and descent. We wouldn't have even known about the face if Colin and Dave hadn't "discovered" it and posted a TR and pics. But thats the way it goes. Thanks kids.

[layton]

I wasn't referring to that climb specifically. anyway, i was just raising a call to arms!

[rat]

actually, more than a few people have known about the potential back there for more than a few years. who knows, maybe both lines were climbed previously. anyway, it's a cool place. word is that doorish is doing/has done some wall climbing in that area.

[Dru]

yeah some dude named ray borbon tried to get me to come climbing down there last summer, he said beckey had told him about unclimbed rock - sounds like sketchy beta if you ask me

[gotterdamerung]

Are you sure he didn't get that beta from Volken?

[Dru]

rumors are rumors whatever the source

[Off_White]

Heh, well I believe there is a tantalizing photo in the front of Beckey's guide that hints at the potential. Based on that I made a wet miserable zero visibility recon trip about five or six years ago thinking about a summer rock route, and somehow I doubt I'm the only one who scours the CAG's from end to end.

[PONCHO&LEFTY]

If a dodo like me had known about it, it probably wasn't a real big secret. Acting on it is another story.

[Off_White]

Acting on it is another story.

 

I know exactly what you mean. I've had lots of ideas from guidebook scanning that essentially come to fruition by by reading the AAJ and muttering "damned Skoogs stole my route."

[Dru]

speaking of alpine chickens

[specialed]

speaking of alpine chickens

 

"When Balbaugh confronted him, Glanton beat him to death with a cast-iron pot lid."

 

Ouch.

[Dru]

hey mouthpiece now you got a new defense for your clients -"Your honour, my client is not guilty, because he truly believed he was saving the world from alien chickens when he killed that man!"