BC snow/ice alpine routes (fall/early winter?)

[Chad_A]

Hadn't really looked into climbing up there until recently; a friend left his guidebook here, and I've been entranced ever since.

Some names come to mind; Wedge, Fissle, Garibaldi, Weart(?), and....well, I don't have them all here in my noggin', but, looks like there's some awesomely beautiful climbs up there. Anything in the September/October/November range that would be (+/-) AD range? Thanks for the input. When does stuff in that area become good, or get into shape? Already too late, or something yet to come?

[PaulB]

With the heat we've been having lately, the transition from snow to ice in the alpine is probably well underway.

 

Wedge, Fissile, Castle Towers, the NE face of Joffre or the NW face of Matier would be good choices. The 'schrund on Garibaldi is likely gargantuan by now.

 

Some other possibilities here and here.

[Don_Serl]

best place near vancouver is wedgemount lake. see: http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/271610/page/4/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/1

in short days from the hut u can do: outlet couloir on rethel, N couloir on parkhurst, slot couloir and/or west couloir on wedge, N face on weart, snowy owl couloir on owls.

some good photos on bivouac.com. search by peak name.

 

also joffre NE face and/or matier NW face are very fine in autumn. u can search out TRs on cc.com, or check bivouac.com.

 

the finest autumn alpine ice route in SWBC has got to be the N face on whitecap;

see: http://bivouac.com/MtnPg.asp?MtnId=1041

also CAJ'88 p69.

the access has been messy, but i understand there are some small community-based cuts going on up the valley behind seton portage/shalalth, so the road may be OK again.

 

beyond that, once u go further north into the "heart" of the coast mtns, there are almost limitless autumn ice routes to do, but it takes a lot of time to ferret them out - start with the CAJ...

 

cheers,

[Chad_A]

Thanks much for the replies! I now have a much looonger list of climbs to get done

[jmace]

I wonder if this new "whitecap" fire is totally ruining any chances of ever getting in there or maybe its clearing out all the bush. Does any one know if the fire is any where near the acess to N face of whitecap?

[Dru]

The Whitecap fire is east of the mountain in Whitecap Creek. Connel Creek has been a better access to Whitecap recently, although it goes to the S side of the mountain so you'd have to hop over the W col to get to the N face.

[philfort]

Having tried both Whitecap approaches, I would have to say Connel creek is way easier (unless roads have changed in Whitecap creek) - long, but no bushwhacking at all.

 

(btw, PM me if anyone is interested in heading up there...)

Edited August 17, 2004 by philfort

[peas]

I did the NW Couloir of Fissile early last November and it was quite nice. There was ice if you wanted, but it was faster to stick to the snow. The approach we did was a bit of a bitch since much of the scree at the base was exposed and we traversed directly from the hut. Probably best to head right down the valley to the base, then head straight up the scree rather than traverse.

[Dru]

The Plutocrat and Paymaster are nice lines up the Cadwallader too.

 

If'n we get a nice freeze in late fall there are about 21 waterfalls that form up on the north flanks of the Cheam Range...and we only climbed one of them

[Don_Serl]

i hope i'm wrong, but i'm dubious of the likely quality of the upcoming indian summer alpine ice. we had a low snow winter, and it's been hot and dry since april. stuff is already way more "burned out" than usual. from polish bob's account of his climb on Joffre, it sounds like the couloirs there are half-gone already (the central couloir was all ice on Oct 1st when i did it a few years back...), and i hear that someone told george at the Climb On shop in Squamish that the N arete on Wedge has very little white left on it. i haven't been on anything local and snowy recently, so it'd be interesting to hear from others...

 

btw, i'd second dru's suggestions of the paymaster and plutocrat - both are superb, moderate, attractive, and the approaches are both short and beautiful (altho the drive is long). do 'em both on a 3-day weekend! u can probably search them up on this site, or check out bivouac.com (lotsa photos!):

http://bivouac.com/MtnPg.asp?MtnId=6250

http://bivouac.com/MtnPg.asp?MtnId=6249

 

 

cheers,

[Dru]

There is a lot of snow and ice left in certain places, hidden away in couloirs that never see the sun. You can still see snowpatches tracing the line of the 1976 route on the north farce of Cheam, as of today, for instance.

[fear_and_greed]

Did the NW couloir on Mt. Fissle 3 weeks. It was scree for the first 1/4 then decent snow after that. Had to go around to the west side for a little rock finish to the top. Used the west ridge for decent. Jumped off early to practice self arrest on the steep but safe runout snow slopes. 3 hrs. up 1 1/2 down. 14 km approach sucks tho. Would be nice to ski in during the winter and hit Mt. Fitzsimmons as well since ur there.

Wedge Mt. is good anytime and awesome in the winter.

[Chad_A]

Thanks for keeping this one going. Hope to get up there...if only to do some recon. I'm sure I'll be awed into submission. For a minute or two

[tlinn]

Does anyone know what the access is like right now for the North Face of Whitecap. I´d like to get in there and try this one soon. Does Connell Creek get you close to the North Face?

[jordop]

Not Whitecap, but some autumn ice info:

 

*Wedge area couloirs were almost completely melted out by the first week of August. New snow then freeze seems necessary.

 

*Joffre Central Couloir looked wonderful on Monday as seen from Hurley Silver Mine area. Not thin at all. I'll try to post a photo . . .

[jordop]

Here:

[Dru]

Does Connell Creek get you close to the North Face?

 

No, it takes you to the south side. But you could camp in the West Col, and access the N side from there.

Are you back in town Tyler?

[jordop]

Are you back in town Tyler?

Ya, I want the Rio TR

[philfort]

Does Connell Creek get you close to the North Face?

 

No, it takes you to the south side. But you could camp in the West Col, and access the N side from there.

Are you back in town Tyler?

 

Anyone know... has NF of Whitecap been skied? Don't they have heli-skiing around there? (Maybe it gets skied all the time...)

[jordop]

I read a report somehwere on doglotion.com last year about some guys trying to ski it. They didn't make it but the TR made it sound as if it had been done previously . . . Sorry, don't have the time to look it up on that site.

[tlinn]

Thanks for the photo jordop! I´m on my way home and already getting stoked for some fall alpine ice.

 

I´m in Sao Paulo right now but I´ll hopefully give a Rio TR soon enough if I can find a cool partner. I had a scary encounter with the policia narcotica at the La Paz airport which probably deserves a TR in itself. I guess they get suspicious when you jump too many borders. Yikes!

 

Almost back in good old Canada!

[Don_Serl]

Anyone know... has NF of Whitecap been skied? Don't they have heli-skiing around there? (Maybe it gets skied all the time...)

 

done long ago by the late great Trevor Peterson and co. and in totally proper style too: they climbed the face first, then skied it.

 

cheers,