Liberty Ridge questions - current conditions?

[fear]

Well,

 

We're heading up LR via Ipsut starting on Sunday if the weather looks good... Team of 2. We plan to descend via Emmons and back over to Ipsut... 3+ Days of food 4+ of fuel. Hope to be out by Wednesday or Thursday night.

 

Couple questions:

 

Once down at Schurman what's the best/fastest way back across the Winthrop and across Curtis? Looks like taking a left at Steamboat Prow would be on the map and diagonal down to Curtis... But that lower Winthrop looks like crevasse hell. Do folks normally go all the way back down to Glacier Basin and back up over Elmo's or just risk the Winthrop?

 

Anybody recently climb LR and have conditions/route help? How's the Carbon, etc.... The video from the helicopter of the unfortunate accident seems to show good coverage and not too much ice on the upper section. Can't see the step up high though.......

 

Thanks!

 

-Fear

fearnot@emailcorner.net

[savaiusini]

crossing the winthrop roughly below st. elmo's pass is pretty easy going. if it was me, i'd hit schurman, hang a left, and hug the prow till you are under st. elmo's, then cross. this should be pretty easy right now. there is a bit of an icefall more centrally located in the glacier, but hugging the prow should be pretty clean. I certainly don't see a need to descend all the way down the inter glacier only to climb back up to st. elmo's and drop down onto the winthrop again.

 

If we get a clear spell before you go, you should check this

[Alex]

I remember there being some really large cracks at the Shurman level of the Winthrop.

 

I would suggest you just hoof it down the Interglacier, and go over the pass again to cross the Winthrop down lower. The Winthrop down low is a snooze.

[Dulton]

How bout up high? Ice? Shrund?

[lummox]

um. just follow the trench.

[savaiusini]

Here is a view from just below St. Elmo's looking up the Wintrop:

taken 6/9/02

[philfort]

If we get a clear spell before you go, you should check this

 

I need to move it down a bit so more of the Carbon is visible.

Next clear spell I'll work on getting that Thumb Rock Shag-Cam working too

[savaiusini]

OHHHH yeah, baby!!!

[Todd_Kube]

Check the May 8th Liberty Ridge Trip Report posted in the TR section. With regards to descending the Emmons, we hugged the Russell cliffs line, zigged and zagged a few gapers and ended up descending down the center of the Winthrop. Quicker that way.

[quikclimber]

let us know how your trip went!! im goin up next weekend if conditions are good

[savaiusini]

If we get a clear spell before you go, you should check this

 

I need to move it down a bit so more of the Carbon is visible.

Next clear spell I'll work on getting that Thumb Rock Shag-Cam working too

 

Rainier Cam is looking pretty good right now...