Forbidden West Ridge car-to-car time?

[hohm]

What a reasonable estimate for total car-to-car time for a one day Forbidden West Ridge Jaunt? Competent party of 2, but not exceptionally fast.....

[DPS]

8-10 hours maybe?

[Buckaroo]

8 to 12 hrs?

 

If the approach couloir is melted out take the rock on the left side of the couloir. If that's the case that will be the crux of the route.

[Spliffy]

Did it in 19 recently, but that was with a SUPER slow partner, a route-finding error on the E Ledges, and chat time with another party on the trail down.

[ryland_moore]

If you simul climb or solo the majority or all of the ridge, I think the 8-10 hours is reasonable. If not, and you pitch it out, then the 19 hours sounds reasonable.

[DPS]

I did the full North Ridge car to car in 14 hours, and that time includes getting lost on the way in because of the avalanche debris, and a minor epic in the West Ridge gulley on the descent.

 

The West ridge approach is shorter and the climb itself is much shorter. So I think 8-10 is pretty reasonable.

[goatboy]

Getting from car to ridge crest is the slow part, in my experience.

 

We soloed a third of the ridge and simul-climbed the rest, making it from the top of the W Ridge Couloir to the summit in 30 minutes.

 

The East Ledges Descent, if soloed, can take about 1.5 to 2 hours including the rappels . . . .

 

Most of your time will be eaten up gaining all the elevation from car to ridge, I would say. The climb itself doesn't take that long if simulclimbed.

 

This time of year, when snow is gone, the approach and descent may be even slower.

 

I would guess a competent party of fit folk could do it in about 12 hours car to car.

[hohm]

Thanks guys....seems doable....we will go for it..

[Juan]

Guys:

 

In looking across the valley yesterday, I would think the glacier leading to the couloir is toast, and I'd expect moats. My wife wants to climb the W. Ridge and we have a weekend set aside -- at the end of Sept. My gut tells me to wait until next year for this one, but can anyone elaborate on the alternate left-side route to the ridge, as well as getting back down? I have read the guide books, but would love first-hand beta.

 

Thanks very much,

 

Sharp

[dberdinka]

In years past you could do the whole thing in tennis shoes by bypassing the glacier all together on it's west side, then maybe a little snow up to the rock promitory below the gully. From here climb up and LEFT towards some rappel slings 100' up a gully. Then exposed 3rd class to the ridge notch.

[Juan]

Seriously? That doesn't sound bad. I thought someone said doing it this way is the "crux." Have you done it late in the year -- like late Sept.-Oct.?

 

Thanks a ton,

 

John

[Norman_Clyde]

I've been up the glacier twice in Oct. (1989 and 1996). The western half of the unnamed glacier was no more than 4 or 5 feet thick on its upper stretches, at one point even opening a 100 foot wide "crevasse" requiring us to climb off the glacier, walk across the rock, climb back onto the ice; nothing more technical than that. A rock scramble was required at the top of the "headwall" (not very steep) to gain the small promontory at the base of the couloir. We had no bergschrund problem there, because so much meltage had gone on. I think conditions vary quite a bit at this particular spot, and would seek more recent beta. But there's no need to rule out a late season ascent.

[dberdinka]

Seriously? That doesn't sound bad. I thought someone said doing it this way is the "crux." Have you done it late in the year -- like late Sept.-Oct.?

 

Thanks a ton,

 

John

 

No it's not that bad. In fact it's never seemed any worse than the coulior to me. You'll probably encounter some snow getting to the promitory. From there is is simply a matter of picking the right gully system, to climb into. My memory gets a bit hazy here. You'll have a couple choices. You want to climb up and LEFT (Left then Up might be more precise wording) into the biggest gully. Like I said you should be able to see a mess of rap slings half a pitch up. From there it is easy. I don't know how you would call this the crux unless you were way off route.

[Juan]

As always, you've got the beta. I've only been down the E. Ledges (twice) but would rather not escort the Mrs. down that way if possible. I've never been up the W. Ridge (nor has Kirsten), but obviously it must be done at some point in life.

 

Cheers,

 

John Sharp