OlympicMtnBoy Posted June 11, 2004 Posted June 11, 2004 Climb: Mt. Stuart-Ice Cliff Glacier Date of Climb: 6/6/2004 Trip Report: I met up with vw4ever in Seattle on Saturday morning and we had a relatively leisurely trip to the TH with the requisite stops for food and gas. Packed up and hit the trail around 2:30 PM. Neither of us had been in to Stuart that way before, but the break from the Stuart Lake trail and the river log crossing were easy to find. Didn't find much on the other side of the creek we could follow but after wandering for a little bit we finally came across a flagged route in to the boulder field. I was rather enjoying hopping amongst the boulders with a big pack but I'm afraid vw4ever found it less exciting after accidentally disappearing between two car-sized beasts when some on his pack snagged and knocked him off balance. Fortunately he quickly extricated himself without any major injuries. A little farther on up the valley and we encountered a slabby little cliff and rather unwisely tackled it directly instead of skirting above or below it. I managed to smear through with my climbing boots on, vw4ever seemed to continue his bad luck on a different path around a corner when a hold pulled and he slid about 40 feet down and crumpled up in the boulders below. He was just out of view so I only heard his shouts. I quickly dropped my pack and scrambled back down to see our gear spread down the hill and a very fortunate and barely scratched vw. I thought for a minute I was gonna have to hike all the way back out for a rescue as we were traveling cell phone-less. After a short break we continued on the camp in the valley below the Sherpa and Ice Cliff Glaciers. We found a nice tent spot by a creek right before the snow became constant. The rain, which had plagued our approach on and off, continued as we cooked dinner and crawled into the tent. We couldn't see anything higher than the ice cliff on the mountain when we went to sleep. We woke up at 4:30 AM but it was raining and the mountain was still hidden so we went back to sleep and got up again at 8:30. We lounged around until 10:00 brought sun breaks and the mountain came out at which point we felt dumb for not starting out earlier. We grabbed the gear and set out, telling ourselves we'd just check out the base of the route and be ready earlier tomorrow. We got to the moraine and mutually agreed we ought to just go for it. It had been cold over night and the glacier and rocks seemed pretty quiet, and we'd only heard one bit of rock or icefall all evening before. We started climbing at 12 PM. We chose to start from the left side of the moraine as it looked way safer than the guidebook suggestion of coming in from the right below the north ridge. We climbed about a thousand feet up pretty decent snow and then put on our crampons for the real glacier section. The snow bridges were still all there and the left side of the Ice Cliff ended up being easier than we had expected. I led the only short section that actually required two tools (one tool and an axe for me) at the top of the ice cliff with no problems. We took a relatively direct route through a crevassed section on the upper glacier as well where I walked through fine and vw fell through a bridge behind me (even though he's probably 20 lbs lighter). The upper 'schrund crossing was passed on the extreme left on another bridge that still seemed pretty solid. Once in the upper couloir we endured a constant barrage of tiny ice shard but as none were much bigger than quarters it was a small price for our late start. Vw led the cornice pitch, which proved to be the sketchiest part of the climb. Vw slung an exposed rock horn (or a boulder frozen in the hillside) on the way up, but we both decided afterwards it may have been better to unrope. The snow was soft and sugary but he made it over the top and I followed happily on toprope. On the ridge we were able to see the next weather front moving in towards us. We weren't sure how fast it was coming so we decided to head for the summit but we had just come up near the false summit at ~9,250' when the real summit vanished and it began to snow. We decided to head down, having finished the fun part of the route, we'd leave the summit for later. Some fun glissades on the soft snow and a bit of traversing got us to the top of the Sherpa glacier and we headed down from there. The bergschrund was passed on the left (facing downhill) with not problems. We kept heading down in a relatively straight line until we were nearly all the way down and found the path blocked by exposed slabs all running with snowmelt. We explored several options and finally ended up climb back up hill to escape on the far right of the Sherpa (again looking downhill). It was snowing constantly all the way down but stopped when we hit the valley. We got back to camp just before 9PM and cooked dinner and had cigars before crashing for the night. It rained all night. And then it rained all morning. We stayed in bed until we got hungry and then went back to bed. About 1 pm on Monday it finally stopped raining and we managed to suck it up for the hike back out. Coming out we were a little more careful on the boulders and actually managed to avoid much of them. It took us about 4 hours total to get out. Beer and burgers followed at the Duck and Drake and there was much rejoicing. It was a great route and I'm glad we went up it with the late start, we certainly wouldn't have been able to climb in the nast weather on Monday. Gear Notes: I had a 70 cm axe and a straight shafted ice tool, vw had two tools. We took 4 ice screws, two pickets, and a little rock pro. We used one ice screw and one picket. One screw and one picket somehow stayed on the mountain somewhere later, probably came unclipped in the glissading, should've known better. :-( Approach Notes: Road is nice, trail is snow free, approach is snow free to camp around 5400' Quote
To_The_Top Posted June 11, 2004 Posted June 11, 2004 Sounds like you guys had a great adventure and improvised to make it work. That's what I like about alpine, any pics and what level was the snow falling ?(old news by now I'm sure) Quote
Chad_A Posted June 11, 2004 Posted June 11, 2004 Phew! Thanks for the TR, Oly. I started typing up a word document to copy and paste as a TR, and it took a turn toward an essay...something you would put on a webpage. Glad we got out and did it bro, even with our late start. Hopefully we'll get some WI in this winter on the east coast, eh? Quote
AllYouCanEat Posted June 11, 2004 Posted June 11, 2004 That was a great climb. Here is some stoke. Quote
AllYouCanEat Posted June 11, 2004 Posted June 11, 2004 Ha, I new someone would mention that. It was only for looks anyhow... Quote
John Frieh Posted June 11, 2004 Posted June 11, 2004 No helmet? You must have good looks to spare or suddenly adze scars are the latest rage. Congrats on the climb. Quote
AllYouCanEat Posted June 11, 2004 Posted June 11, 2004 What is this, an Inquisition! I give you some stoke and you give me some smack. Where's the love? FYI. I had a helmet on, my good looks are too scary for others to see. I think JoshK just likes to flaunt his. Quote
AllYouCanEat Posted June 11, 2004 Posted June 11, 2004 that pic is tilted 45 too. How dare you question the integrity of my photographs! I would never 'tilt' as you say (pulling off the gloves). I only frame the photo in a way that reflects the scene in a manner that is most appealing... Quote
Dru Posted June 11, 2004 Posted June 11, 2004 fully tilted knot in rope rope pulled tight all makes pic look fakey. Quote
savaiusini Posted June 11, 2004 Posted June 11, 2004 Jason likes to tilt both ways...his pictures, that is. Quote
skykilo Posted June 11, 2004 Posted June 11, 2004 The rope was lowered from above by Paco and I after we climbed it free. It's taut because it's caught on the cornice and some rocks, and coming to Josh from below and to the side, so Josh woulda had a great whipper if he fell. How is camera tilt even an issue when you're looking down at someone? The knot in the rope is on Josh, I don't know WTF is up with that. Armchair beyotches are SO suck. Friday smackdown . Let's hear some ridicule of JoshK based on this photo now! Quote
iain Posted June 11, 2004 Posted June 11, 2004 two tooling on that slope? 35° tops! is that a headband? nice work hulkster! those are some short skis...pussy does that cover it? nice picture Quote
ashw_justin Posted June 11, 2004 Posted June 11, 2004 Let's hear some ridicule of JoshK based on this photo now! alright, I give it a shot... pshh! What's with the skis, dude? "I'm like, a cool ice-climber-skier, dude! It'll go..." Heheh... uh-oh I am in for some major ass-whupin now... But seriously, I figured the knot was in there on purpose, to create more drag in the event of a fall over any snow edges? I read some accounts of such knots greatly aiding the ability to arrest someone's fall into a crevasse. Course, they were butterfly knots... Quote
skykilo Posted June 11, 2004 Posted June 11, 2004 Excellent work, iain. Who uses two tools on the Ice Cliff? I felt like a gaper using one tool and one whippet. And my skis were way longer than that. Quote
JoshK Posted June 11, 2004 Posted June 11, 2004 For the record, that was right above the hard glacier ice I climbed with a lightweight axe, alum crampons and a whippet. Am i pround I made it? hell yeah. Am I proud I tried it? Hell no, that was some stupid ass gear selection for that climb. I couldn't get a crampon in or an axe...it scared the shit out of me. Get out of the armchair and try it yourself if ya want... About the helmet...that was just dumb...forgot it, and I paid for it up high. I spent a good 20 minutes in fetal position covering my head. Quote
ashw_justin Posted June 11, 2004 Posted June 11, 2004 Well whatever, that was badass. Probably a good thing I wussed out on that trip... Although I'm pretty sure I would have brought some real crampons and a tool. But hey, no point in taking anything more than you need to accomplish your goal, safety of course being taken into some consideration. Hey, you want to do some ice on Baker next week? Quote
JoshK Posted June 11, 2004 Posted June 11, 2004 what days ya thinking? Looks like the whole week might actually be good??? I think I'm gonna try to get in a multiday trip somewhere just to take advantage of the several days off in a row. you thinking of a speicifc route? Quote
OlympicMtnBoy Posted June 11, 2004 Author Posted June 11, 2004 Okay, what's with hijacking my TR post to put up some pics of someone elses trip??? VW is getting some of our pics soon then we'll show ya what real men look like climbing the thing! And we didn't take no stinkin skis neither. Quote
AllYouCanEat Posted June 12, 2004 Posted June 12, 2004 Ha. Ha. Sorry. I look forward to your pics. I had to defend myself against the infidel though (dru really isn't canadian, but shhhhh...I didn't tell you) and I had to dish out some stoke to put some perspective to how great a climb the ice cliff was, especially on a beautiful day... Quote
Chad_A Posted June 12, 2004 Posted June 12, 2004 Ok, here's some pics. First, Stuart as we were walking up. Us roping up near the left side of the moraine. Snow hard enough now; throwing on the crampons before going through the icefall. Oly leading above the icefall, before getting to the schrund. Me leading after going left above the schrund. Stayed left close to the wall to get across. View from the false summit. Looking up from the descent route. Celebratory cigars afterward. Awww-yeaaahh. Sorry about the poor pic quality, but with my record of cameras, I refuse to take anything nice up there anymore. Not bad, though, considering the throw away I used had a large hole in the side of it from the fall I took from the approach Quote
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