[TR] Colchuck- North Buttress Couloir 11/21/2004

[leejams]

Climb: Colchuck-North Buttress Couloir

 

Date of Climb: 11/21/2004

 

Trip Report:

 

 

Gear Notes:

2 60M ropes, An assortment (many) knife blades,bugaboo's,pins, Tricam's worked well, and nuts (a few) up to 3". Ice tools, picket. Most important gear was the puffy cause it was freakin cold up there! jayb brought the rack and would give you more details.

 

Approach Notes:

Could drive to the trailhead which was a huge plus. Trail was mixed hard snow pack with ice and dirt track. Brutal on the way out.

 

Camped Sat night at the lake and very cold but light wind which was great.

 

Got going around the not so early 8ish, and started gearing up at the last dead snag on the moraine ridge.

 

First pitch was a traverse over to the bottom of a cool little water ice pitch and probable the crux of the rte, once above this another little styrofoam climb to another little water ice part, and more snow, neve climbing. Once we regrouped above this it was pretty much snow,neve, simulclimbing to one last interesting rock band near the top of the couloir which was drytooling, crampon scraping govelling funness. Popped out at the col with the full force of icy wind, and could see weather moving in rapidly from Mt. Suart.

 

2nd section, we stayed roped up but an easy rising traverse around the ridge.

 

3rd section was 4th, one or two low 5th class sections and very interesting as it was now very dark, weather starting to really move in and the rock being thinly covered with sucker ice/snow is the best way I can describe it. Mark (alpine dreamer) were really glad we had Jayb as he had done this rte prior and new the way out of this maze. The key is to keep going up and bearing to the right to where it looks impossible to go any further. Then presto a hidden easly ramp to climbers left which pops you out on the summit.

 

4th section was all the downclimbing over steep ass snow chutes, and of course more of the rock with sucker ice/snow covering. Ahhhh finally to the top of the colchuck col and plunge stepping all the way to within 50 yards of our campsite. And of course the longggggggg ass walkout over the treacherous ice covered trail.

 

This is an awesome rte with nothing super hard but sustained with a bit of everything thrown at you to keep you on your toes. Had a most excellent team of Jayb leading and rte finding, Myself, and Mark (alpine dreamer) who I had met on the climb and a great climbing partner.

 

Final thoughts, this rte would be completly different in spring conditons as I would guess it to be just a snow slog. However, this time of year well it took the three of us like 15 or so hours. I personally hit the wall more than once. Jay or Mark feel free to chime in as I may have left parts out.

Edited November 24, 2004 by leejams

[Alpine_Dreamer]

Thanks for throwing a TR together, Lee! My climbing experience up to last weekend had been pretty much rock and snow slogs; this was my first mixed media alpine experience and I had blast. So (as Lee said) it wasn't super technical, but the long day and climbing in darkness definitely added to the challenge. As has also been mentioned, this would've been a very different experience were it not for Jay's knowledge of the exit route. to Leejams and JayB - great partners make all the difference. Lee deserves a medal for taking over the wheel about 4am on the drive home

[thelawgoddess]

couloirs are cool. thanks for sharing your tr!

[JayB]

I think Lee pretty well covered it - the only other things that stood out about the experience were the sunset over Stuart and Sherpa, the sheer oddity of the marine-mammalesque sounds that the lake was croaking out for the duration of our stay, and how much the hike out sucked in tennis shoes.

 

I can add some photos to Lee's description though, so here you go...

 

Mark enjoying the highlight of any early season route in the Colchuck Cirque...

 

The Bivy - an oasis in a sea of talus. The drip more or less directly over Mark's head looked like it would make for a cool early season route with a bit more snow/ice coverage. Any info out there?

 

The route - we traversed in from the right, past the hibernating larches and into the couloir above the first bare step.

 

 

Looking directly up the route. We headed for the mungy ice on the left.

 

Mark and Lee hanging out at the belay while we test the integrity of the snow (hence the belay) in the lower portion of the couloir.

 

 

 

 

 

Close-up of the step. Grade wise, it was on the interesting side of trivial. Maybe AI/WI2+ as a result of the thin, friable ice.

 

 

Lee clearing the last of the steps, midway up the couloir.

 

 

Looking back at Mark and Lee at the start of the infinite running belay...

 

 

Typical terrain en route to the summit.

 

 

The majestic sunset. The view of Stuart and Sherpa was so striking it almost made me forget the fact that we had yet to summit, and there was still a bit of climbing to be done.

 

 

Mark and Lee on the summit.

 

 

The Cast of Gapers...

 

Yours Truly

 

 

AlpineDreamer (Mark)

 

 

LeeJams (Lee)

 

[catbirdseat]

Nifty trip report. Right on! Super pictures.

[Timcb]

Yeah- nice work and great pics! The route is almost entirely unrecognizable without its spring snowpack. very cool